Tourette's Syndrome (GTS) is a complex neuropsychiatric disorder of unknown etiology that is characterized by involuntary vocal tics. The problems of this disease vary greatly from patient to patient. Although there is no cure for Tourette's syndrome, the effects of this syndrome often diminish with age.
Studies on THC to treat TS
A review of the scientific literature revealed a limited number of case reports and human studies specific to the use of cannabinoids for the treatment of TS. One of the first studies documenting the effectiveness of THC appeared in the American Journal of Psychiatry in 1999 .
A study by researchers from the Faculty of Medicine in Hannover, Germany, Department of Clinical Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, reported successful treatment of Tourette's syndrome with a single dose of 10 mg delta-9-THC in a patient of 25 years in an open, uncontrolled clinical trial.
the researchers reported that the subject's total tic severity score dropped from 41 to 7 within two hours of cannabinoid therapy and that the improvement was observed for a total of seven hours. "Patients' biased trials of marijuana use were confirmed using a viable and reliable rating scale," the authors conclude.
In 2002 , researchers confirmed this initial finding in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover, single-dose THC trial in 12 adult patients with TS.
This study reports “ significant improvement in tics and obsessive-compulsive behavior ( OCD ) after treatment with delta-9-THC compared to placebo. ”
The researchers reported no cognitive impairment in the participants after THC administration and also found, " THC is effective and safe in the treatment of tics and OCD in TS ."
In 2003 , researchers conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled follow-up trial involving 24 patients who received daily doses of up to 10 mg of THC for six weeks.
Researchers reported that after long-term cannabinoid treatment, participants experienced a significant reduction in tics and experienced no deleterious effects on learning , recall, or verbal memory. there was also a trend for a significant improvement in verbal memory span during and after therapy.
A 2003 review of the available evidence published in the journal Expert Opinions in Pharmacotherapy reported that in adult patients with TS, " delta-9-THC therapy should be attempted...whether or not established medications improve tics or cause significant adverse effects ".
A 2013 scientific review came to a similar conclusion: "THC is recommended by many experts for the treatment of TS in adult patients when first-line therapy has failed to improve tics. Therefore, in treatment-resistant adult patients, treatment with THC should be considered .
A 2016 case study reported that twice-daily administration of cannabinoid extracts to a patient with treatment-resistant TS was associated with an 85% reduction in the subject's motor tics and a 90% reduction in vocal tics. . The authors concluded: " Our results support previous research suggesting that cannabinoids are a safe and effective remedy for TS and could be considered in treatment-resistant cases ."
Another recent study of case reports confirms that daily administration of cannabis therapy “ provided significant symptom improvement ” in patients with treatment-resistant TS.
In 2017 , a study by researchers at the University of Toronto retrospectively assessed the safety and efficacy of inhaled cannabis in 19 patients with TS. The researchers reported, “ All study participants experienced clinically significant symptom relief , including reductions in obsessive-compulsive symptoms, impulsivity, anxiety, irritability, and tantrums.” . Eighteen of the 19 patients showed a reduction in the severity of tics.
THC was " generally well tolerated " by the subjects. The experts' conclusion is as follows: "Overall, these study participants saw significant improvements in their symptoms. -ticks.... In conclusion, cannabis appears to be a promising option for the treatment of tics and associated symptoms .”
As medical cannabis becomes more and more popular around the world, more and more patients with Tourette's Syndrome are turning to cannabis and reporting the subjective benefits of its use.
In a recent study of Israeli patients with TS, most reported relief from cannabis use.
Recently in another study , researchers interviewed 98 patients with TS who had previous experience with cannabis. 85% of study participants said cannabis improved their symptoms and 93% said it improved their quality of life.
The researchers concluded, "Our results further support that DMs (cannabis-based medications) may be effective and safe in the treatment of tics and comorbidities, at least in a subset of adult patients with TS."
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All information in this article is based on sources and references, and all opinions expressed are my own. I do not give advice to anyone and although I am happy to discuss topics, if anyone has another question or concern they should seek advice from a competent specialist.
Sources:
https://norml.org/marijuana/library/recent-medical-marijuana-research/tourette-syndrome/
