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Neurological Rehabilitation

Exploring the Use of Dronabinol for Treatment of Post-COVID-19 Cognitive Dysfunction

Saturday, October 25, 2025
12:00 PM - 1:30 PM MT
Location: Kiosk 5
Disclosure(s):
Bharath R. Ramini, MD: No financial relationships to disclose
Brandon L. Lazar, DO: No financial relationships to disclose
Cameron Kyle Taylor, DO: No financial relationships to disclose
Case Diagnosis: The use of dronabinol for treatment of post-COVID-19 cognitive dysfunction

Case Description or Program Description: 53-year-old female with COVID-19 respiratory failure and encephalopathy presented with severe fatigue, poor appetite, and cognitive impairment to inpatient rehabilitation hospital. The patient’s initial Orientation Log (O-Log) was 16 with attention, memory, and cognitive deficits. The patient also had functional impairments in mobility and activities of daily living at moderate assistance level. During the initial three days, patient ate 50% of her meals and continued to present with cognitive impairment, fatigue, and depressed mood.

Setting: Acute Inpatient Rehabilitation Hospital

Assessment/Results: The patient was started with dronabinol 2.5 mg twice a day as an appetite stimulant. Within 48 hours, the patient’s cognition and participation in therapy improved, despite her appetite remaining the same. Dronabinol was then increased to 5 mg twice a day to enhance her appetite. The patient’s appetite slowly improved to 75%. After two weeks of inpatient rehabilitation, the patient was discharged to functionally independent level with her O-Log at 28 upon discharge.

Discussion (relevance): Cognitive dysfunction is a manifestation of the Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) infection, which is more prevalent in patients with COVID-19 related encephalopathy. Cognitive impairment is also common in the long COVID-19 population. Medications, such as amantadine and methylphenidate, have shown promise in patients with COVID-19 cognitive dysfunction. Dronabinol is a synthetic tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and approved for treatment of nausea, vomiting, weight loss, and loss of appetite. There are some studies that indicate THC have neuroprotective and neuroplastic properties and can help patients with brain injury. The patient in this case showed cognitive improvement after receiving dronabinol, which suggests it as a promising medication for COVID-19 related cognitive impairment, and possibly other brain injury related cognitive dysfunction.

Conclusions: This is the first reported case, to our knowledge, of dronabinol for post-COVID-19 cognitive dysfunction