Cannabidiol (CBD) oil is proving to be one of the most versatile products available today
Tourette syndrome can cause uncontrollable facial tics, as well as vocal tics, and could lead to some developing slurred speech or using incorrect words when talking. An unidentified six-year-old boy was diagnosed with the disease, with symptoms including random arm movements and vocal tics that made him uncomfortable and unable to go out into the public. No treatment helped relieve the symptoms and, by the time he turned seven, he was already contemplating suicide. No treatment, that is, until he was given cannabis oil.
The disease had become so bad that he had lost the ability to write. He quit going to school and couldn’t be separated from his parents. Two drugs used to combat the disease – risperidone and guanfacine – were ineffective and he suffered from Tourette syndrome for two years.
Then, the boy was taken off the drugs and his parents began a program that included daily doses of cannabis oil. Shortly after, his symptoms were dramatically reduced, cut almost in half.
After increasing the dosage from 0.7mg to 3.6mg, he continued to improve. The dosage continued to be increased until he was receiving 29.4 mg in each instance. The tics stopped and he was finally able to return to school. According to physicians involved in the treatment, his Yale Global Tic Severity level was 68 prior to the treatment – it dropped to 31 after just two months. After four months, it had fallen to 28.
According to drug and mental health researcher Ian Hamilton, “There has been a lot of focus on the potential health benefits of cannabidiols but this study reports some specific benefits of THC in a young boy. The findings are really surprising as the cannabis-based THC product used seems to have helped him focus and socialize which is a significant success for children with Tourette’s. It would be good to see if this benefit is sustained over a longer period of time.”
