“My generation should try CBD – what do we have to lose?”

Annemarie Bousa, 81, on CBD for sleep and anxiety – and why others of her generation should give it a try.

Three years ago, Annemarie Bousa began suffering from an extreme nerve pain extending from her hip down into her leg.

Living in Germany at the time, the 81-year-old grandmother went through three operations to free up the nerve and reduce the pain, however none of these worked and she continued to live with the debilitating condition.

Labelled a “pain management patient” by her doctor, she was prescribed Fentanyl patches, a strong pain-relieving opioid which is infamous for being more potent than heroine and equally as addictive.

“I felt elated as the Fentanyl patch immediately dealt with the pain, so I went along with it all,” Annemarie told Cannabis Health.

“But now I’ve become reliant on it.

“Every three days I need to get the patch replaced. On the first day I always feel a bit light-headed, on the second day I feel normal and on the third day I start feeling a bit fragile, nervous and anxious.

“It’s always a bit of a rollercoaster, but it is better than the intense pain.”

Three years later, Annemarie was still being prescribed Fentanyl patches and continued to experience anxiety which was starting to affect her sleep.

She tried sleeping pills that were available from the pharmacy, but they had little effect.

“I didn’t sleep for three nights in a row,” Annemarie recalled.

“I was really worried and tired. I felt this pressure to sleep well the next night and it became a cycle of anxiety and extreme tiredness.”

At this point, Annemarie had moved to Portugal to live with her son, Ingo, and his young family. Since she had moved in, Ingo had started to notice that his mum’s sleep and anxiety were getting progressively worse.

As as one of the founding team behind the CBD company, Ardoa Organics, Ingo wondered whether the company’s broad-spectrum oils could help his mum, but was unsure about combining the cannabis-based supplement with her fentanyl medication.

Ingo is a founding member of Ardoa Organics

“I did some research on how the Ardoa broad-spectrum night-time oil could help my mum to get better sleep and get her anxiety and stress levels down,” Ingo said.

“I was obviously sceptical because of the Fentanyl, so I did some research and found clinical trials where CBD and Fentanyl was given to patients to combat heroin cravings.”

Ingo was referring to a 2019 study which looked at CBD’s potential for reducing opioid cravings. It found that combining the two substances did not cause any serious adverse effects.

Two other studies, both published in 2015, also revealed that CBD had minimal adverse side effects when used with fentanyl.

With these initial studies giving Ingo the peace of mind he needed, he introduced his Mum to CBD, starting on one drop per night and increasing the does until settling on five drops.

“She had a full night’s sleep for the first time in days and woke up rested,” he said.

“Then, after a couple of days, her mood really changed for the better.”

CBD has been shown to help manage various health conditions commonly associated with old age, however many elderly people may be reluctant to try the supplement due to its association with cannabis.

Annemarie thinks people of her generation should “just try it”.

“People shouldn’t be afraid of it, especially people my age,” Annemarie said.

“What do we have to lose?

“We can only make ourselves feel better. For me, I take a little spoonful of medicine, which is 100 percent natural and legal, whenever I feel anxious and want a good night sleep. That’s it.”

Since Annmarie started taking CBD oil, other members of her family have also started taking the supplement for reasons such as managing arthritis and recovering from fitness training

“Taking a couple of drops of natural oil to help me sleep and feel much less stressed seems normal now,” she added.

“Maybe my story helps others who are sceptical to overcome their prejudice – that would be nice.”