Marihuana isssue

[Vinton]

I'm bipoalr II, ADHD and tourettes amd MS for the past 35 years.

I'm on lamictal for the past 2 months and doing great. The next step is to get off 75 mgs of effexor.

Although my moods are much better I still have problems with tics and leg spasms that keep me up almost every night.

In the past I've tried risperdal for tics and ended up overnight at the mergency. They were going to put me on other drugs for the spams and ADHD so ending up taking a cocktail of meds.

After consideration, I decided to stay away from these drugs and look at a more natural way. There are many studies and individual statements out there proving that marihuana has helped a great deal for tourettes, spasms, bipolar and even ADHD..

I've applied to Health Canada for a legal license and will be supplied by a firm in BC. Also it is known that smoking marihuana is dangerous for your lungs. I found a site for people using it for medical purposes and most of them use a vaporizer that takes away all the bad stuff.

I'm looking forward to this new approach.

 

[Daniel E.]

Although my moods are much better I still have problems with tics and leg spasms that keep me up almost every night.

While you are waiting for your medical marijuana application to be approved, aren't there other medications that can help with leg spasms, etc.?

Some of the studies you may be alluding to:

We conclude that this CBM [cannabis-based medicine] may represent a useful new agent for treatment of the symptomatic relief of spasticity in MS.

Randomized controlled trial of cannabis-based medicine in spasticity caused by multiple sclerosis.

We conclude that long-term use of an oromucosal CBM (Sativex) maintains its effect in those patients who perceive initial benefit. The precise nature and rate of risks with long-term use, especially epilepsy, will require larger and longer-term studies.

Long-term use of a cannabis-based medicine in the ...[Mult Scler. 2006] - PubMed Result

On the not-so-positive side:

Inhaled cannabis is associated with impaired mentation in patients with multiple sclerosis, particularly with respect to cognition. Future studies are required to clarify the direction of this relationship.

Multiple sclerosis and cannabis: a cognitive and psychiatric study.

Similarly, marijuana can precipitate psychiatric disorders and can worsen existing psychiatric symptoms:

"The more marijuana used, the more these individuals were likely to show reduced brain volumes in the hippocampus and amygdala, as well as being more likely to develop symptoms of psychotic disorders and to have significant memory impairment," Yucel said.

Marijuana May Shrink Parts of the Brain - Psychlinks

And there's also this:
Marijuana may increase heart attack and stroke risk - Psychlinks

 

[Vinton]

Thanks for the response.

It is true that marihuana will slow down the cognitive but slowing it down will lower the tics wihich can be awful.

If you consider the side effects of lithium, risperdal and many others I find that marihuana is much better. The other aspect of damaging your health is taking care of with the vaporizer that does not produce tar or other sunstances.

At 62 years old I have to make choice that will make my life easier and happier so this is the reason that I'm going natural.

 

[Daniel E.]

At 62 years old...

I know, but many people who read these forums are under the age of 20, so you have to be careful with very incorrect statements that marijuana can help ADHD and bipolar disorder. (A lobotomy can also decrease mental health symptoms in the short term, but it's obviously not a good idea.)

Anyway, as you probably already know, I see that some medications for MS-related leg cramps include Baclofen and Zanaflex (tizanidine):

Leg cramps - BrainTalk Communities
BBC - MESSAGE BOARDS - Ouch! disability - Leg Spasms - Conversation
Youreable.com | baclofen for leg spasms ...

 

[Vinton]

Thanks for the adcive and I will refrain from posting again.

 

[Mari]

H! Vinton, if you are allowed, potassium can help ease cramps, as a supplement or I keep my emergency supply of bananas on hand. :dimples: Mari

 

[Jazzey]

Hi Vinton,

I'm a firm believer that these forums are here to ask questions which are pertinent to our various issues and, hopefully finding some new knowledge. Having said that, I do believe that we have to be responsible in the way in which we frame things. We have a responsibility of remembering that there is an audience to these posts. And, I too have recently posted an item forgetting the greater impact of my comments.

While these are posts, they're also a dialogue. I think that Daniel made a valiant effort in giving you the pros and cons of cannabis. Thus providing you with information to allow you to make a more educated decision in your medicinal solutions.

If I may, I will offer you a solution so that you don't lose the benefits that come with sharing on these forums: maybe frame medicinal questions as just that. In our fight to understand our conditions, we often do a lot of research. Many of us are not experts in the field. Add to that human nature and all that it entails and we could, feasibly, do a lot of harm to another person.

All of which is said with the utmost respect Vinton.

 

[Daniel E.]

Thanks for the adcive and I will refrain from posting again.

That obviously wasn't my intention.

Anyway, to be more clear (or less unclear), my primary concern would not be whether or not to try medical marijuana for multiple sclerosis-related symptoms. I think it is a given that you will try and see how it works, and I wouldn't argue against that, e.g. Montel Williams. My primary concern about going "natural" would be if you are putting off asking a neurologist or other doctor(s) about other medications in the interim, especially since there is a good chance the medical marijuana won't help with at least some of your symptoms, e.g.:

Marijuana making tics worse - BrainTalk Communities

 

[David Baxter PhD]

There are many studies and individual statements out there proving that marihuana has helped a great deal for tourettes, spasms, bipolar and even ADHD.

Medical marijuana has its uses, e.g., treatment of the side-effects of chemotherapy, but make no mistake about it: There is no evidence to support the claim that it helps with bipolar disorder or ADHD or any other mental disorder, and there is considerable evidence that it makes the symptoms of such disorders worse, decreases the effectiveness of traditional medications to treat those disorders, and creates additional problems of its own.

Think very carefully before you go down this path. The possibility of it helping you at all is remote in the extreme and the likelihood that it will make things worse for you is significantly high.

 

[Daniel E.]

Similarly, from recent blog post:

I have directly witnessed the tragedy of patients going off of their medications for Bipolar Disorder, using marijuana and ending up re-hospitalized in worse shape than any time prior to the relapse. In fact, it has been my experience that many of these unfortunate patients experienced multiple relapses and were caught in an endless cycle of hospitalizations marked by periods of instability in between.

Marijuana Makes It Worse

 

[Daniel E.]

H! Vinton, if you are allowed, potassium can help ease cramps, as a supplement or I keep my emergency supply of bananas on hand.

Yes, I just saw this myself:

http://www.ag.ohio-state.edu/~news/files/chowpotassium.pdf

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Forum: any suggestions for foot cramps? - DailyStrength

Other minerals like calcium and magnesium can help as well:

Electrolyte disturbance may cause cramping and tetany of muscles, particularly hypokalaemia (a low level of potassium) and hypocalcaemia (a low level of calcium).

Cramp - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Potential contributing factors are believed to include dehydration, low levels of certain minerals (magnesium, potassium, calcium, and sodium), and the reduced blood flow through the muscles attendant in prolonged sitting or lying down. Less common causes include more serious conditions or the use of drugs.

Cramp - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

In addition to bananas, good sources of potassium include dairy, pasta sauce (tomato pastes and purees), and potatoes:

http://www.nationaldairycouncil.org/NationalDairyCouncil/Nutrition/Products/PotassiumFactSheet.htm

And a list of other high-potassium foods:
Potassium Content Of Foods List Care Guide Information
Appendix B. Food Sources Of Selected Nutrients
National Kidney Foundation: A to Z Health Guide Item