Medical marijuana and epilepsy

[Janellie8]

Hello!
Have you guys heard of this little girl who would have seizures for as long as four hours straight? The solution the parents found to this was medical marijuana. She wouldn't get high and smoke it, certain chemicals and elements were taken out. Would medical marijuana be more useful than medications?

Janellie

 

[kristarenee]

my family has wondered the same thing actually and just asked my doctor his opinion and all he said was that it hasnt been "proven". ive done some research online and it does seem to help alot of people with seizures. sometimes, thats all people can do to get them to do stop! even if they are random!

 

[Janellie8]

my family has wondered the same thing actually and just asked my doctor his opinion and all he said was that it hasnt been "proven". ive done some research online and it does seem to help alot of people with seizures. sometimes, thats all people can do to get them to do stop! even if they are random!

I have an appointment with my doctor next week and I'm going to bring it up and see what their opinion is about that. It sounds like something to look into! I wouldn't mind trying it because my medication isn't working

Hugs,
Janellie

 

[masterjen]

I would only ever consider using it if the psychoactive component had been removed (the THC part) and would never smoke it even if THC is removed. I hope someone somewhere is conducting carefully controlled research studies, just like they do with all the AEDs, so that perhaps there will be another medication (or whatever they choose to call it) option for those with seizures.

 

[Janellie8]

I would only ever consider using it if the psychoactive component had been removed (the THC part) and would never smoke it even if THC is removed. I hope someone somewhere is conducting carefully controlled research studies, just like they do with all the AEDs, so that perhaps there will be another medication (or whatever they choose to call it) option for those with seizures.

I feel like medical marijuana is being abused a lot. And I agree with the research idea- hopefully that its being tested somewhere out there! And of course, not to have the drug to get high, but to help us with our epilepsy.

Hugs,
Janellie

 

[Cint]

Have you guys heard of this little girl who would have seizures for as long as four hours straight? The solution the parents found to this was medical marijuana. She wouldn't get high and smoke it, certain chemicals and elements were taken out. Would medical marijuana be more useful than medications?

If this is the story your talking about, it has been talked about on CWE before:

Little girl helped with medical marijuana
Thought this article was interesting.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/08/07/health...ana/index.html

The little girl in this article had Dravet Syndrome, a severe form of refractory epilepsy. Her seizures started when she was 3 months old and they live in Colorado. Marijuana is now legal in Colorado and I live in Colorado, but I do not wish to pursue pot, even tho I have refractory E.

It sounds like something to look into! I wouldn't mind trying it because my medication isn't working

Just because your med isn't working, doesn't mean that what they did for this young girl will work. Her situation sounds much worse than yours.

Check out this website regarding epilepsy and medical marijuana:
http://www.epilepsy.com/epilepsy/medical-marijuana

 

[Janellie8]

Just because your med isn't working, doesn't mean that what they did for this young girl will work. Her situation sounds much worse than yours.

Check out this website regarding epilepsy and medical marijuana:
http://www.epilepsy.com/epilepsy/medical-marijuana

I agree with you that her situation sounds way worse than mine, and it really is. I think that since my meds aren't working I kinda have given up and lost hope. But I'm definatly glad that she has found a solution, a solution that may or may not work on everyone.

Hugs,
Janellie

 

[Cint]

Well now that this is 2014, it is going to be a big year for Colorado:

www.denverpost.com
"World's first legal recreational marijuana sales begin in Colorado"

 

[Janus]

I have wondered the same thing! With all the other beneficial qualities of cannabis and now in Australia there are real studies for stopping seizures with it and not 'getting high' I read somewhere that you are supposed to eat it for maximum bennies not smoke. I hat the toxicities of Big Pharma drugs and want to see if there are natural options.

 

[Cint]

Now that marijuana is legal for recreational use here in Colorado, not ALL of us voted for it. Most of those who did vote for the legalization of it are young people out of college who want to "get high". Just the smell of the stuff makes me sick to my stomach.

And some who use marijuana for medical reasons, are not happy about this new law:

Sights from Colorado pot industry's opening day

WILL THERE BE ENOUGH?

Not all marijuana users in Colorado are toasting the dawn of retail sales.

Some medical marijuana patients groups say they're worried about supply. That's because the retail inventory for recreational use is coming entirely from the preexisting medical inventory. Many in the industry warned patients to stock up before the sales began.

It was too soon to tell whether prices were going up. Laura Kriho of the Cannabis Therapy Institute said she worries prices will spike and patients will be left paying more if they're not able to grow their own.

"We hope that the focus on recreational doesn't take the focus away from patients who really need this medicine," she said.

For now, medical patients should have plenty of places to shop. Most of Colorado's 500 or so medical marijuana shops haven't applied to sell recreational pot, and many that have plan to serve both recreational and medical patients

http://l2.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/a...webfeeds/1d21adb22628a900470f6a7067009064.jpg

http://l.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/FK...ff2-459b-ab0e-42fc4b734f5b_AP387698781150.jpg

 

[lindsayschu2]

I'm in Colo as well, and I am optimistic about this research and have read a lot on this topic. What I will say is this: Even if it is very helpful it will be a long time before most of our traditional doctors will acknowledge it. For myself, I am keeping my mind open and keeping reading.

 

[Janus]

Ditto, Lindsayschu2. I don't want the 'high' part and our medical industry is F'd up. It may take a long time for the docs/BigPharma to honor this. I am hopeful

 

[Cint]

What I will say is this: Even if it is very helpful it will be a long time before most of our traditional doctors will acknowledge it.

That's because of all the fools out there who want it for recreational purposes.
I open-minded to it for medicinal purposes, as long as there as been proof that it is useful. And those who want it for recreation will need to realize that there are limits, just like with alcohol.

 

[edepew151]

My father is a doctor, and I've asked him about it before. He said that it isn't considered a true treatment because many researchers believe that the patients taking the capsules may only be experiencing less seizures because their brains are being impaired by the drug and they aren't fully functioning. Some people do better taking the pills, others gets a lot worse, so using it as a treatment for epilepsy is still very much experimental and should be considered as a last-minute resort for anyone. Don't get me wrong; if they ever figure it out and get it right, I very well might try it myself, but I have also been denied brain surgery because it wouldn't help me. I'm just saying that marajuana shouldn't be anyone's first choice.

 

[lindsayschu2]

Don't seizure meds perform a very similar function? I know mine has cognitive slowing as a side effect, among a host of others that I'm none too thrilled about. I do think the positive outcome for these children with Gravet Syndrome is pretty dramatic (and it doesn't get them high, the THC is bred out of the plant genetics). I agree it's not a first line for anyone at this point but I think it's very encouraging for a drug that is in such an early stage of research. I'm glad that it is legal in at least a handful of states so more research can be done.

 

[arnie]

I think it's kind of hard to know for sure how beneficial pot really could be for epilepsy, because there have been no real good studies on it. I DO know for an absolute fact that aeds have a bunch of obvious immediate side-effects and also, potentially, a lot of not-so-obvious long-term effects. I'm not necessarily a fan of substances, but I would have to include alcohol in that mix. I believe that alcohol is far more damaging personally and socially than pot is, and alcohol doesn't seem to have any particular medical benefits. I'm not suggesting that we return to the days of Prohibition, but I'm glad that pot is being decriminalized. It's nuts to have people spend years in jail for possessing it. They are not dangerous and don't need to be overcrowding our already-too-full prisons. I live in Washington and I'm glad it's been legalized. (FWIW, I don't use it myself, so it's of no concern to me personally one way or the other.)

 

[Janus]

Ditto Arnie! I do not use it and i need all the memory/brain cells i can get and still think pot is good for people who like it. I do not drink either. Not saying others shoul not use it but it is very bad for the body and society (but we kept that legal) the tide is turning.

 

[mylo]

it's a very controversial subject for obvious reasons... but my guess would be that it would help. people don't understand that medical marijuana is not like normal marijuana or "retail marijuana" as it's now called in colorado.

MEDICAL grade marijuana for epilepsy is usually LOW in THC and HIGH in CBD. CBD is the opposite of THC, having antagonist effects on the cannabinioid receptor among other effects such as an AED.

medical marijuana has shown promise in various aspects such as cancer, schizophrenia, depression, etc. and it is in some cases (such as CBD extracts) low if not without side effects.

now for the interesting part. did you know you can legally obtain CBD over the internet, legally, in all 50 states? google canchew. it's a chewing gum laced with CBD which is known to be antidepressant, anxiolytic, antipsychotic, and antiepileptic.

however, it's very pricey. up to 110 dollars for 30 pieces of chewing gum i believe.

also, don't make a jumpstart and go cold turkey off your epilepsy meds, make sure you taper off.. but most importantly i'm no doctor and you should probably discuss this with a doctor, and a good one, not one paid off by fancy companies like the ones in just about every anti-medical pot state.

if anyone wants to discuss this, they can PM me, i'll provide some helpful studies and sources, considering i'm online.

 

[CathyAnn31]

I think it's kind of hard to know for sure how beneficial pot really could be for epilepsy, because there have been no real good studies on it. I DO know for an absolute fact that aeds have a bunch of obvious immediate side-effects and also, potentially, a lot of not-so-obvious long-term effects. I'm not necessarily a fan of substances, but I would have to include alcohol in that mix. I believe that alcohol is far more damaging personally and socially than pot is, and alcohol doesn't seem to have any particular medical benefits. I'm not suggesting that we return to the days of Prohibition, but I'm glad that pot is being decriminalized. It's nuts to have people spend years in jail for possessing it. They are not dangerous and don't need to be overcrowding our already-too-full prisons. I live in Washington and I'm glad it's been legalized. (FWIW, I don't use it myself, so it's of no concern to me personally one way or the other.)

I couldn't have said it better myself. :clap:

 

[Janus]

Oh yeah, does anyone know what FWIW stands for?