nocturnal seizures and cannabis

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alakazam

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Hi, I'm just wondering exactly when I should do cannabis if I suffer from nocturnal seizures. These seizures are very random as well. I can go 3 months without one or I could have one each week. I just want to know when I should do cannabis , before I go to bed or an hour before? Does anyone have nocturnal seizures that take cannabis? Any advice for me ?

Note: I have never had a seizure during the day, It is only when I am asleep.

I just want to know if anyone goes through this.
 
Hi alakazam,

Are you about to start self-mediating with cannabis, or have you been doing so all along?

Either way, there's isn't a standard protocol for when to take cannabis for seizure control (especially since it is illegal for most of us). Each person has different seizure patterns and triggers, and each person reacts differently to medications and psychoactive drugs. For some, cannabis might help reduce seizures, but for others it makes the the seizures worse or has no effect. And as with any powerful medication, taking it intermittently may also be problematic if you have a lowered seizure threshold. If you have been self-medicating with cannabis, or are about to start, please proceed with caution, esp. if you don't know what your individual reactions may be.

It can also make a difference if you are taking any medications in addition to the cannabis, and if there are other factors like alcohol, dehydration or poor sleep or dietary habits that may be contributing. Often seizures are the result of more than one factor in combination. As with any trigger or medication, keeping a seizure diary can potentially help identify what is helpful and what is not in terms of seizure control. I recommend that you do so, and make note of what factors may be playing a role when your nocturnal seizures occur. If those factors include your use of cannabis at different times during the evening, then the diary may shed some light on which time seems to be more effective. You can read about being proactive and keeping a seizure diary here: http://www.coping-with-epilepsy.com/forums/f22/proactive-prescription-epilepsy-1254/
 
thank you for your reply! Yes I am about to start cannabis. It is legal for me I have a medical card that I was approved and I am legally able to use cannabis for my seizures . The reason I do not take seizure medicine anymore is because of the side effects it has on me. I often feel lazy, fatigued,depressed, mood swings. Each meds I have being prescribed have been nothing but affect my personal life more than these nocturnal seizures. I thought trying cannabis would help reduce or even eliminate these seizures.
 
Hi alakazam!

I have exclusively nocturnal seizure too. I am working on getting a medical MJ card here in Hawaii but it is a long paperwork process (I just moved here).

I've been taking CBD supplements with some very good results. CBD, as you probably know, and THC are the two metabolites of cannabis. The part that gets you stoned is the TCH but the part that has the medicinal properties is the CBD.

Another factor in addition to what Nakamove mentioned above is weather or not you have access to a high CBD/low THC strain of cannabis. Since getting stoned has been the main reason for growing cannabis for so long, many modern plant strains are very low in CBD and high in TCH so you might be getting a good buzz but it wouldn't be helping you much neurologically speaking.

In Colorado they have developed this strain of cannabis called Charlotte's Web (named after a little girl with E who was successfully treated with it). That is the stuff you want to procure.

Best of luck and keep us updated on your results.

p.s. You can buy CBD supplements legally in all 50 states, classed as a dietary supplement. Look on Amazon to explore this option. They have capsules, tinctures, etc.
 
Hi alakazam, welcome to CWE :)

Yeah, it can be a long hard path to find the best meds- that give the right balance for us individually, between side-effects and seizure control :(

Regarding your cannabis use, make sure to purchase it from a licensed supplier and try strains that are mostly (or better, all) CBD instead of THC.

Modern THC strains are extremely powerful, and THC is itself a very powerful psychoactive- much more than is usually realised.

If cannabis does have a beneficial effect on E- it is CBD which is posited as having the good effects, and is what all the research is being done on.

THC could be just as likely to give you some of the side effects you listed (as well as possibly triggering other conditions) and as Nak said; may well even worsen your seizures.
 
Thank you very much aloha! Great advice and info and yes nocturnal seizures aren't as bad as people who suffer daytime seizures and just seize at random times. I am lucky enough it is only when I am asleep but it still scares the crap out of my girlfriend.
 
thanks slimblue! Yes I will keep you all updated on my progress. As previous posts have said to keep a diary I do not keep a diary but I am pretty sure my seizures are often triggered by heavy thoughts. I study , and I write alot. I do not study because I have to I just love to learn. Close friends and anybody close to me hate the nocturnal seizures because they do not know if I'll have one at any night. I hate the feeling that I give others because they're scared Ill have a seizure at night, that is the only reason I am looking for methods to calm my mind. I used to bite my tongue real bad but somehow I feel my brain says "no don't do that anymore" And I have not bitten my tongue ever since. At times I even feel when I study, think ,etc and I have a seizure its like my mind can't hold in all that and I have a seizure. Instead of feeling bad the next day for some reason I feel smarter lol I don't know it's strange, so that is why I am going to try cannabis. I have only gotten my cannabis at legal legit dispensaries
 
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amazing video. I did not know about the THC , CBD. I will for sure now look and get myself cannabis higher on CBD

thank you!
 
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