Cerebral Palsy and Medical Marijuana

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Cerebral palsy and medical marijuana might be useful in managing severe seizures and epilepsy. Research on the use of medical marijuana in cerebral palsy is still limited. Findings from some studies suggest that it offers a host of benefits, including pain control, reduction of spastic movements, reduction of seizures, and more.

What Is Medical Marijuana?

Medical marijuana is any product derived from the cannabis plant and used to treat a medical condition or symptom. Most states legalized medical marijuana but with restrictions. Cerebral palsy is considered a condition that can be treated with these products in most states.

Two primary active compounds have been tested and are used separately or together to treat medical conditions:

• Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)
• Cannabidiol (CBD)

Does Medical Marijuana Help With Cerebral Palsy?

Studies of the effectiveness of medical marijuana in treating cerebral palsy are mixed by promising. Many studies show that it can help with specific symptoms like seizures, pain, and muscle spasms.

Medical marijuana products cannot treat the underlying condition or reverse it. They may be appropriate for some people to help manage and reduce symptoms or associated conditions.

Medical Marijuana for Cerebral Palsy Pain

In 2011, the results of a study on the treatment of pain in people with cerebral palsy were published by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). A total of 83 adults with cerebral palsy participated in the study. Participants tried 23 different medications for pain, including medical marijuana.[1]

The study reported the legs, lower back, and hips as the most common painful areas. According to the paper:

“The treatment that was rated as providing the most relief was marijuana; however, less than 5% of the sample reported ever using this drug for pain.”

Medical Marijuana and Spastic Quadriplegia

Spastic quadriplegia is the most severe form of cerebral palsy, affecting all extremities, the face, and the trunk. The majority of children with spastic quadriplegia cannot walk, and their speech is usually profoundly affected.

While the limbs can be extremely stiff, their neck muscles may be weak, making it difficult to hold their head up. Physical pain and communication problems are common in those with spastic quadriplegia.

Although more data are needed, the few studies conducted on the use of medical marijuana for spastic quadriplegia symptoms indicate that it offers numerous therapeutic benefits.

For example, a study published in 2007 states that clinical and animal studies demonstrate that the active constituents in marijuana help to control partial seizures frequently seen in people with spastic quadriplegia.[2]

Another study published in 2014 showed marijuana to be effective in reducing painful muscle spasms. Although the study focused on people who experienced muscle spasms associated with multiple sclerosis, spasms are among the most common symptoms in people with cerebral palsy.[3]

Federal guidelines make it difficult for scientists to continue conducting in-depth research. However, many states now permit medical marijuana to be used to treat spasms and pain. Louisiana is the only state that allows its use specifically to treat spastic quadriplegia without a doctor’s referral.

Cannabis Oil (CBD) and Cerebral Palsy

Cannabis oil, or CBD oil, named after one of the many compounds found in marijuana, has gained popularity in recent years, especially after a special aired on CNN involving a young girl who once suffered from close to 50 convulsive seizures every day.

After exhausting every other option to help her, the girl’s parents turned to a formulation with a high concentration of CBD oil, now known as “Charlotte’s Web” after their daughter’s first name.[4]

Charlotte’s parents titrated the CBD oil over several weeks while continuing the seizure treatment plan already in place. After weeks of using the oil, the frequency of Charlotte’s seizures went down to only two or three per day.

The CBD oil treatment became so successful that Charlotte eventually weaned off of her other anti-seizure medications. She also began walking, talking, and even riding her bicycle, things she had difficulty doing before. According to her father, Matt,

“I literally see Charlotte’s brain making connections that haven’t been made in years. My thought now is, why were we the ones that had to go out and find this cure? This natural cure? How come a doctor didn’t know about this? How come they didn’t make me aware of this?”

Charlotte’s mother, Page added,

“I didn’t hear her laugh for six months. I didn’t hear her voice at all, just her crying. I can’t imagine that I would be watching her making these gains that she’s making, doing the things that she’s doing (without the medical marijuana). I don’t take it for granted. Every day is a blessing.”

More and more companies are offering CBD oil as a treatment for children with cerebral palsy who experience seizures, muscle spasms, and chronic pain.

It’s important to thoroughly research companies and attempt to get your physician’s advice before deciding on any medication. However, state laws and even personal preferences may prohibit your child’s doctor from giving you a recommendation for CBD treatment.

The Myth of “Getting High” and Medical Marijuana

One of the legitimate concerns of parents considering medical marijuana treatment for their children is the “getting high” factor. According to David Casarett, MD, author of Stoned: A Doctor’s Case For Medical Marijuana, THC is the compound in marijuana that’s responsible for producing the feeling of being high.[5]

The majority of medical marijuana and cannabis oil products have such a low concentration of THC that they do not produce a high. Medical marijuana and CBD oil generally contain a higher concentration of CBD. It is the CBD ingredient in marijuana that helps treat seizures and muscle spasms.

Casarett said,

“It’s THC that gets you high. If you feel euphoric, or if you’re unfortunate enough to have bad side effects (like hallucinations), those are due to THC. So marijuana probably will get you high as long as it’s got some THC in it. But, CBD, on the other hand, doesn’t have any of those brain effects. In fact, there have been studies using 300, 400, or 600 milligrams of CBD — which is a really whopping dose — with no psychological effects whatsoever.”

He also added,

“So, if you’re using marijuana or marijuana products that are low in THC, then no, you won’t get high. That includes, most notably, the concentrated oils that are used [to treat] pediatric seizures.”

Speech Disorders and Medical Marijuana

Medical marijuana may also benefit those with cerebral palsy who have speech disorders and impediments, such as stuttering. Speech repetition and stuttering are frequently associated with cerebral palsy. Although these issues aren’t life-threatening, they can be extremely debilitating to people when they want to communicate more effectively.

Jacqueline Patterson has lived with cerebral palsy and a severe stuttering issue since she was a little girl. In 2007, she created a documentary entitled In Pot We Trust, where she detailed how marijuana not only helped reduce her speech problem significantly but also improved her severe muscle pain and stiffness.[6]

Unfortunately, Patterson used marijuana in Missouri, a state that doesn’t allow its use for any purpose, including medical indications. Consequently, her four children were taken away from her, but she took her case to Missouri representatives. While speaking to the group of legislators, she said,

For the first time, my muscles were not tense. And words slid from my mouth, from gggghhh — from me at a fluid pace instead of sssss-stuck on my tongue like a g-ghh — like a train wreck.”

Patterson didn’t have much success convincing the chairpersons that day that the medical use of marijuana was turning her health around and helping her family. She eventually moved to California along with her four children. She now advocates for marijuana as a treatment for people with cerebral palsy and other disorders.

There’s very little clinical research published on medical marijuana and stuttering, but numerous physicians in several states advocate its use as an effective treatment option for speech problems.

Talk to your child’s medical team before trying any marijuana-based medicine. There might be good reasons your child shouldn’t have it.