Find Senior Care (City or Zip)
Join Now Log In
N
Ng78580 Asked April 2018

Marijuana is not legal in Texas but what about edibles, do you think this would help with Dad's sleep?

Maybe "good time" brownies?

cwillie Apr 2018
Am I missing something? If medical MJ isn't legal in Texas than neither are "good-time" brownies.

OneLastStraw Apr 2018
You wouldn't know until he tried but as Flyer mentioned above, weed can have some negative side effects especially for seniors.

I have several friends who use legally prescribed cannabis [either as an edible or in oil format] to treat chronic pain, as well as anxiety. It might help with restlessness...or it might not, as with all drugs, patients can react differently. For this reason, drugs should be prescribed by a doctor.

I'm assuming you are located in Texas. Keep in mind that baking it into a brownie does not magically turn weed legal.

edit: I can't believe I failed to mention the herbal supplement I use...literally have the bottle sitting on my desk right now. Talk about tunnel vision.  If you're looking for something herbal and don't want to consider prescription sleep aids, you could try St. John's Wort. It comes in capsule format and is a natural source sleep aid and relaxant. At least in Canada, it's an over the counter purchase. Still worth talking to his doctor before you experiment however, as like any drug it can interact with other medications. 

ADVERTISEMENT


GardenArtist Apr 2018
Ask one of the medical team if he can have melatonin. Or herbal tea. Can he still eat? turkey contains tryptophan, a naturally inducing sleep ingredient. Also make sure he's not drinking or eating anything with sugar in it, well before bedtime. Sugary foods can keep a person awake.

freqflyer Apr 2018
Ng, believe it or not, one's body starts it's decline in early adulthood. Your Dad's chronological age is 94, but it is his biologic age that is more important. Note that 92% of seniors have at least one chronic disease, thus your Dad actually does have a health issue..... Arthritis, heart disease, respiratory disease, osteoporosis, diabetes, memory issues, hearing, eyesight, etc. Just the facts of life.

Restless sleep is also normal for an older person mainly because they tend to dose off during the day. My parents use to brag that they only needed 6 hours of sleep as they were up with the chickens every day. But they forgot that they dosed off in from of the TV for a couple of hours after breakfast, then again after lunch, and 2-3 hours after dinner. My Dad found 4 oz of red wine helped him sleep [not recommended without doctor's approval] and Dad lived to be 95.

Have Dad eat around 4:30-5:00pm and no coffee, cola, or sugary drinks after 6pm. As mentioned earlier, no sweets at night. Chocolate is my down fall, I will be wide eyed all night if I get into chocolates after 7pm. Make sure Dad drinks plenty of water.

freqflyer Apr 2018
Ng, marijuana would not help a person's sleep, just the opposite.

Marijuana will increase one's heart rate to double which isn't good if an older person has heart issues, has been known to cause heart attacks. Plus marijuana will lower one's blood pressure which could be harmful if one is taking blood pressure pills.

It can also lead to irritability, sleeplessness, and less appetite.

If a person has memory issues, it will only increase the problem.... marijuana causes short term memory loss, distorted sense of time, random thinking, anxiety [so there goes the myth that maryjane calms a person], and paranoia.

Ng78580 Apr 2018
Hes 94 yrs old with no health problems. But started gettn restless n gettn lil sleep abt 2weeks ago im here askn for help not sarcasm thank u.

pamstegma Apr 2018
Marijuana won't help with sleep, but there are lots of other herbs that will. Believe it or not your pharmacist may have some good suggestions.

MDWrig Apr 2018
Marijuana might keep him up later, it makes people think that Jimmy Kimmel is funny (he's not).

cwillie Apr 2018
Ng, if you are saying you would be willing to try anything despite it being illegal I would have to urge you to think again, the American obsession with the war on drugs and corresponding high penalties make the risk to you much too high.
Have you spoken to a doctor or tried any prescription medications?

gladimhere Apr 2018
If you decide to try edibles, I am not at all advocating for that, do NOT try that with street drugs. Marijuana has become very technical and many varieties available. If you were in a legal marijuana state then you would be able to consult with the doctor on what variety may be helpful. But, again like any other drug it would be trial and error to find the right variety for dad.

See All Answers

ADVERTISEMENT

Ask a Question

Subscribe to
Our Newsletter