Cannabis and Autism: Patient Study
March 24, 20103 CommentsDisease Treatment
ativan,
autism and marijuana,
cannabis,
Dr Sean Breen,
mcsocal,
risperidone
This morning a mother by the name of Anne brought her 21 year old autistic son to my Irvine office to be evaluated for treatment with cannabis. He suffers from sever autism; very agitated, violent, and is unable to speak at all. He requires 24/7 supervised care which his parents assume. Anne described never having any total relief from the stress of taking care of him.
Anne told me she had tried everything to limit her son’s agitation. She routinely has to give him ativan (benzodiazepine) and he takes risperidone daily which is an anti-psychotic.
In my office he was extremely agitated, was continuously banging the desk, jumping up and down and a few times even tried to hit his mother. I could see the desperation on her face as she said “we have tried everything and need your help.”
I went on to explain that although the lack of clinical trials with cannabis and autism that many parents have successfully used it to help their children. Personally I think the benefits clearly outweigh the risks in treating his sever agitation. Cannabis is an excellent sedative and tends to even out patients moods. It seems to modify the extreme highs and lows of both depression and anxiety.
Our goal is for the patient to start with some tinctures or edibles as he is not able to vaporize. If we can get him sleeping and calm throughout the day not only will be able to function better but Anne and her husband can get some rest and relief. We often forget about the toll that autism can take on parents and siblings.
I am confident that this is the right direction for Anne and her son.
Stay tuned for updates on patient K and her mother Anne.
If you would like more information about cannabis and autism please feel free to contact my office at 877-721-0047 or visit my website at www.mcsocal.com
I look forward to speaking with you.
respectfully,
Dr. Sean Breen
Medical Director, Medical Cannabis of Southern California
Medical marijuana certainly wouldn’t damage an autistic person like we see from HALDOL on the you tube. See the video “Autistic Adult in Crisis Goes Unnoticed” This is a perfect example of how all these idiots who oppose medical marijuana can eat shit as they see this poor autistic adult suffering from a dangerous side effect of an “approved” pharmacological intervention often used to treat severe behaviors in autistic population.
Oh, and there’s ANOTHER video, of risperdone given to this SAME autistic guy, “shocking patient neglect of autistic person” and the risperdone makes his tongue tremor. Okay, now let’s stop and think here. Does MM do this? not likely
Medical marijuana high in CBD is the best answer for cases of severe autism like this. The higher CBD count offers therapeutic safe intervention and isn’t toxic. Yet, California has yet to approve the drug Sativex. That said, it is still in the best interest of all of Californians to have safe and legal access to Medical marijuana so that we don’t see people like this autistic patient practically killed by the legal drugs so swiftly given in our hospitals to the developmentally disabled and elderly. These drugs are killing people. Medical marijuana doesn’t kill people. And is a potent serotonin and dopamine enhancer. That’s not to say you just freely give it. Like any drug, people still need to be monitored while on it, until it’s clear how it affects them. Each brain is different. Some people may do better on a sativa type of MM, others may do better on an indica.