Did you know that autism spectrum disorder (ASD), migraine, fibromyalgia, IBS, PTSD and other related conditions display common clinical, biochemical and physical patterns that suggest an underlying endocannabinoid deficiency that may be suitably treated with cannabinoid medicines?
In the 1990’s as a mental health nurse I had the opportunity to work with many families who were caring for family members with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). I came to understand the challenges caregivers face as part of coordinating community, school, medical and mental health resources. It’s a daunting task for parents to coordinate care between systems.
I was extremely happy when I read the emerging research on cannabinoids and autism and how they may help with some of the more challenging ASD behaviors. There are now multiple studies demonstrating that cannabinoids can; down regulate aggression, control seizures, improve socialization, increase focus, decrease compulsive behaviors and in many cases reduce the use of or replace pharma medications. This enables children to attend school and normalize their lives with family and community activities.
Imagine needing to lock the door of an older sibling’s room to protect them from physical assault by a younger sibling’s impulsive rage. Or that, you as a parent need to wear martial arts type padding to buffer the blows of your child arms, kicks and head butting to protect yourself from your child’s aggressive outbursts as you interact with them to dress and feed them. Or needing to hold them in a bear hug to calm them all while trying to establish regular schedules and rituals, especially around bedtime.
And then there is the issue of sleep deprivation. Despite the shopping bag full of medications: stimulants, anti-anxiety medications, anticonvulsants, and antipsychotics, people with ASD often have sleep disorders. For example, the side effects of one of the commonly prescribed antipsychotic medications, Risperidone, used for aggression and self-injury, can have problematic side effects of; weight gain, an increase in appetite, movement disorder, tremors, twitching or uncontrollable muscle movements. Plus, it can cause anxiety, restlessness, depressed mood, dry mouth, upset stomach, diarrhea and constipation that can interfere with sleep.
Many studies have found that 40% to 80% of children with ASD experienced insomnia. Furthermore, anxiety, autism symptom severity, gastrointestinal problems, and sensory sensitivities were found to be associated with sleep disturbance in individuals with ASD. Many of those are associated with the side effects and interactions of multiple pharma medications.
Emerging Research: Endocannabinoid System and Anandamide
There is good news in a 2018 study fro m Stanford University that discovered that anandamide, the body’s natural cannabinoid, a neurotransmitter, was significantly lower in children with ASD. Anandamide regulates the body's homeostatic modulation system which keeps us healthy by acting as a check-and-balance on molecular signaling networks. Additionally, cannabinoids alter synaptic plasticity - through which learning, and memory occur.
The research postulates that this system is disrupted in ASD brains. Therefore, taking supplemental oral extracts of specific ratios for CBD (the non-psychoactive compound in cannabis to THC (the potentially psychoactive compound) can have life changing results by elevating the body's anandamide levels.
You cannot help but be moved, when you hear parents say, “I’ve got my child back”. When they tell the story of their child going from 300 aggressive episodes a day to 3 in a few days. They say their children are more present and available to respond to behavioral reinforcement, attend school, go to activities in public without seizures or aggressive outbursts. “They laugh! “
If the extracts from the whole cannabis plant can be used as medicine, with fewer of the side effects than pharma drugs and in many cases replacing the shopping bag of pharmaceutical drugs, it seems both ethical and moral to robustly fund research for Medical Cannabis and ASD.
The unfortunate fact is that for the past 50 years most of the cannabis money is going to drug abuse and probably to cannabis use disorder versus medical purposes. The data confirms that government grants go to research that focuses on harms, says Daniela Vergara, who researches cannabis genomics at the University of Colorado, Boulder. The federal government needs to shift from the current approach of only funding studies that are designed to look at the risks of cannabis and focus on the potential benefits.
Slowly, cannabis research funding in the United States is rising, from less than $30.2 million in 2000 to more than $143 million in 2018. Money to explore cannabis medical treatments is growing—although not as fast as funding for research on harms.
When you see and hear children and adults with ASD responding to medical cannabis you can see why they are advocating for more research rather than the current approach. See video links below.
Dosing
In a 2019 Israeli study “Real life Experience of Medical Cannabis Treatme nt in Autism: Analysis of Safety and Efficacy” most patients consumed cannabis extract oil with 30% CBD and 1.5% THC. After 6 months the study reported that cannabis as a treatment for ASD patients appeared to be a well-tolerated, safe and seemingly effective option to relieve symptoms, mainly; seizures, tics, depression, restlessness and rage attacks. Specifically:
Good quality of life was reported by 31.3% of patients prior to treatment initiation while at 6 months good quality of life was reported by 66.8%
Positive mood was reported by the parents on 42% before treatment and 63.5% after 6 months of treatment.
The ability to dress and shower independently was significantly improved from 26.4% reporting no difficulty in these activities prior to the treatment to 42.9% at six months.
Other improved symptoms at 6 months included seizures. Of the 13 patients on an active treatment at six months 11 patients (84.6%) reported disappearances of the symptoms and two patients reported improvement.
Restlessness and rage attacks were improved in 72 (91.0%) and 66 (90.3%) patients, respectively.
As with all medication regimes the dosage may vary from individual to individual based on their symptoms and in some cases higher ratios of THC to CBD are needed to mitigate extreme aggressive outbursts.
Medical Marijuana Authorization
Currently there are 14 states where ASD is a qualifying condition for a medical marijuana card. In others there is no authorization for autism, but it can be prescribed under other qualifying conditions such as PTSD, epilepsy or other seizure disorder, and or spasticity disorders. See Mothers Advocating Medical Marijuana for Autism for state-by-state listing of qualifying conditions.
As in other states, in Washington there is no authorization for autism, but it could be prescribed under these conditions PTSD, epilepsy or other seizure disorder, or spasticity disorders all of which are often co-occurring conditions with ASD.
Video Links
Mother Credits Marijuana For Transforming Son With Severe Autism
Cannabis as a Natural Treatment for Autism
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lsXC-BADyY
Cannabis, Autism & Epilepsy: What's the Connection? 18”
Resources
Mothers Advocating Medical Marijuana for Autism http://www.mammausa.org/
Whole Plant Access for Autism – https://wpa4a.org/
Movement Spreads for Medical Marijuana Licenses for Families of Children with Autism
https://specialneedsanswers.com/movement-spreads-for-medical-marijuana-licenses-for-families-of-children-with-autism-17080
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