This page brings together what older people, their families and carers most need to know about CBD (cannabidiol). CBD has barely been tested in people over 65, and the clearest risk is interactions with the medicines older people commonly take. For dementia and Parkinson’s disease, the trials so far do not show a benefit from CBD alone. Everything here is as of November 2026.
Anyone taking other medicines should ask their pharmacist or doctor before taking CBD.
What do older people and carers most need to know?
1. Safety in older adults has not been established
The Australian product information for Epidyolex, the registered CBD medicine, says its safety and efficacy in people aged 65 and over “have not been established”.1 A 2021 review of cannabinoid trials in people averaging 50 or older found 46 trials, but only 4 tested CBD without THC, with about 43 people taking CBD.2 Products containing THC increased side effects such as dizziness and drowsiness. CBD alone did not, but that finding rests on fewer than 100 people.2
2. Interactions are the main practical risk
CBD slows several of the liver enzymes that clear other medicines.3 Medicines older people often take are affected. Case reports describe the INR clotting test rising in people on warfarin, and transplant medicines such as tacrolimus can rise substantially.4 Clopidogrel may be activated less and digoxin levels may rise, based on how they are processed.3
3. Sleepiness can add to other sedating medicines
In the epilepsy trials, at doses of roughly 700 to 1,400 mg a day for a 70 kg adult, sleepiness affected 32% of people on CBD and 11% on placebo.3 Alcohol and sedating medicines such as sleeping tablets, benzodiazepines and opioids can add to it.3 No study has measured falls in older people taking CBD alone.
4. Dementia and Parkinson’s: not enough evidence
No completed trial has tested CBD on its own for dementia. Two trials of oils that also contained THC reached opposite results on agitation.56 In Parkinson’s disease, a trial of 21 people found no difference in movement scores at 75 or 300 mg a day.7
Guides for older people and carers
Safety
- CBD for older adults: the over-50s review, why prescribers start low, the medicines of most concern, and what is known about falls, thinking and the liver.
- CBD drug interactions: the full table of interactions, with how strong the evidence is and what prescribers usually do.
- CBD side effects: how often each side effect happened in trials, and which need a call to the doctor.
- CBD and the liver: liver enzyme rises, who is most at risk, and how they are monitored.
- CBD and alcohol: why the two together increase sleepiness.
- Who should not take CBD?: the groups regulators say should avoid it or need close supervision.
The evidence for conditions common in later life
- CBD for dementia: the two agitation trials, both using oils with THC, and the CBD-only trial that has no results yet.
- CBD for Parkinson’s disease: small trials of CBD alone and larger negative trials of CBD with THC.
- CBD for arthritis: two placebo-controlled trials, at 20 to 30 mg and 600 mg a day, both found no benefit.
- CBD for chronic pain and CBD for sleep: what trials of CBD alone found.
Practical questions
- Talking to your GP about CBD: what to expect and questions to ask.
- Filling a CBD prescription at a pharmacy: how dispensing works and why products are usually ordered in.
- How much does CBD cost in Australia? and PBS, Medicare and health insurance: who pays.
- CBD and driving: THC in a product matters for roadside tests, and CBD can cause sleepiness.
Questions our guides do not yet answer
Carers often ask about CBD in residential aged care, pensioner discounts, and whether a family member can collect or manage someone else’s medicine. Our research has not covered these, so we do not give answers here. The aged care provider, prescriber and pharmacist are the people to ask.
If you or a relative are considering it
Take a complete medicine list to the appointment, including over-the-counter products and supplements. Mention any previous falls, liver or kidney problems, or memory difficulties. Report new drowsiness, dizziness, unsteadiness, bruising or bleeding to the prescriber or pharmacist. For a suspected overdose or medicine mix-up, call the Poisons Information Centre on 13 11 26, or 000 in an emergency.8
Footnotes
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Therapeutic Goods Administration. Epidyolex (cannabidiol) Australian Product Information, version attached to the AusPAR, January 2021 (may be superseded). https://www.tga.gov.au/sites/default/files/auspar-cannabidiol-210115-pi.pdf ↩
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Velayudhan L, McGoohan K, Bhattacharyya S. Safety and tolerability of natural and synthetic cannabinoids in adults aged over 50 years: a systematic review and meta-analysis. PLOS Medicine, 2021. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1003524 ↩ ↩2
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Jazz Pharmaceuticals. Epidiolex (cannabidiol) oral solution, US prescribing information, DailyMed (accessed November 2026). https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/drugInfo.cfm?setid=8bf27097-4870-43fb-94f0-f3d0871d1eec ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4
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Nachnani R and others. Systematic review of drug-drug interactions of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, cannabidiol, and Cannabis. Frontiers in Pharmacology, 2024. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11167383/ ↩
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Randomised controlled trial of CBD-rich cannabis oil (containing THC) for agitation in dementia. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9486160/ ↩
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Randomised crossover trial of THC/CBD oil in severe dementia (Geneva). https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42613673/ ↩
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Chagas MHN et al. Effects of cannabidiol in the treatment of patients with Parkinson’s disease: an exploratory double-blind trial, 2014. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25237116/ ↩
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healthdirect. Poisoning (Poisons Information Line 13 11 26). https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/poisoning ↩
Common questions
Is CBD safe for older people?
It has not been studied enough to say. The Australian product information for Epidyolex says safety and efficacy in people 65 and over have not been established. Prescribers are advised to be cautious because liver, kidney and heart problems and other medicines are more common with age.
Does CBD increase the risk of falls?
Nobody has measured this directly for CBD on its own. CBD can cause sleepiness, which is a plausible route to falls, especially with other sedating medicines. A review of trials in over-50s found dizziness was increased by THC-containing products, but it did not measure falls.
Is CBD safe with lots of other medications?
The more medicines a person takes, the more chances there are for an interaction. CBD can raise levels of some medicines and add to sedation from others. A prescriber and pharmacist need the full medicine list, including non-prescription products and supplements, to check this properly.
Does CBD calm agitation in dementia?
It is not known. Two trials have tested cannabis oils for agitation, but both oils contained THC as well as CBD, and their results conflicted. No completed trial has tested CBD on its own in dementia.
Does CBD help Parkinson's tremor?
Trials so far have not shown that CBD improves the movement symptoms of Parkinson's disease. A trial of 21 people found no difference in movement scores at 75 or 300 mg a day, and two trials of CBD combined with THC found no benefit.
Does CBD interact with blood thinners?
It can. Case reports describe the INR clotting test rising after prescription CBD was started in people taking warfarin, and clopidogrel may work less well. Tell the prescriber and pharmacist before any change.
This page is general information, not medical or legal advice. Laws and evidence change; we show the date we last checked the facts at the top of every page. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist before starting, stopping or changing any medicine.
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