Medical Marijuana and Neurofibromatosis; A Supplemental Treatment Plan
Today in my Long Beach office I took care of an 18 year old male with Neurofibromatosis which is an inherited disease where patients develop tumors in the nervous system and also multiple skin lesions. This patient also had history of a tumor in his brain (meningioma) that caused him to have seizures (1-2/year). He currently takes Keppra every day which is a medicine to reduce the likelihood of having a seizure but it is causing severe anxiety and insomnia. ”It makes me frantic and keeps me up all night.” As a result he has been medicating with cannabis to help him relax prior to going to bed and to stay asleep throughout the night.
Here is a picture of how sever the skin manifestations can be with this disease.
Notice how debilitating this can be especially for an 18 year old male. A picture is worth a thousand words. You can imagine why this would cause anxiety and difficulty sleeping.
It is not uncommon for patients to come in as a result of side effects to medications. This case was no different. He has to take his seizure medication every day but he also has to live with the side effects (anxiety and insomnia). All his doctor had to offer him was a sleeping pill (ambien) and an anxiolytic (like xanax). My patient did not want to start taking any more medications out of fear of even more side effects or even addiction and prefers to just use cannabis in the evenings.
Keppra is also known as levetiracetam is used to treat seizures. We do not know how it works ironically other than it has an effect on the central nervous system. If you read the package insert it has over 28 known side effects. Anxiety and difficulty sleeping are just 2 of them.
Marijuana affects the brain by binding to receptor sites on the nerves themselves and makes them less “excitable”. It also has very few unwanted side effects. Strains which are lower in THC (indicas typically) work without the severe “high” that is experienced when using a sativa strain.
If you would like more information feel free to contact me by making an appointment to come in. 877-721-0047. or visit our website at www.mcsocal.com
Slider Example 2
"My Life as a corporate executive is STRESSFUL! I suffer from severe Anxiety and Depression. My daily routine would consist of anxiety bills, alcohol and cigarettes. Not one of those has helped. Since getting a Medical Marijuana card from MC Socal I no longer have to rely on pills, cigarettes and alcohol."
Slider Example 1
"Cancer has been very challenging on our family life. It was nice to get my recommendation for Medical Marijuana from dr. Sean Breen. He is so professional, compassionate and there office is private and discreet. I recommended MC Socal to everyone."
Slider Example 3
"I was diagnosed with HIV/Aids back in 2006. Using Medical Cannabis gives me an appetite, helps me sleep and really is a partner to me in managing the difficulties of my disease. Thanks MC Socal"
Does the use of Marijuana accelerate or promote the growth of tumors?
Not that the scientific community is aware of. To the contrary, cannabinoids have shown in some studies to have anti-tumor properties.
I have Neurofibromatosis I found when i quit marijuana the tumors started to multiply< now that i am smoking again i have not noticed any new one. I can not say if that is why however i noticed a huge difference now that i smoke again. .