weed stops epilepsy

[up4anarchy]

Hey just to start of with 6 years ago I started having grand mall seizure's. they can only be stoped when I end up in hospital and get injected with some crap. that leaves a massive bruise.

 

I also have petite mall and absent seizure's, I have smoked weed on and off ( more on then off) for over 12 years.  

 

 

when 1st diagnosed I was placed on all types of crazy meds that made me tired sick. have bad thoughts and had  plenty more of side effects. when I was diagnosed I wasn't smoking weed and hadn't for about 5 months. then fast fwrd r 4 years of medication. I saw a few documentary's on weed and epilepsy.  so I thought I might start to smoke again. which was against my doctors orders. (I quit as it was made quite clear to me that weed would be worse for me)

 

 

 

what a relief. with in 3 months of smoking weed my grand mall seizures had stoped my petit mall have dried up and my absent  seizure's  don't seem to happen any were as near as much as they used to. maybe 4 times a week.

 

 

I believe that weed has been a massive relief to me. and that it has helped my life tenfold. I can clearly say that since I started to smoke again my seizures have almost stoped. and pretty much gone away. something my doctors told me would never happen. I have documented over the last 3 years and last 1 on no meds at all that my seizure's are going away. and that weed can help people with epilepsy lead a normal and more manageable life. that is dependant on medication that wrecks your soul and defeats your body.

 

 

I would love to hear about other people with epilepsy and how weed has helped or hindered them.

Edited May 5, 2013 by up4anarchy

[burner]

Got the epilepsy bug eight year ago, haven't been able to shake it since:-) Sorry bloke, poor humor but yeah, I got it too. I've had two tonic clonics, both within the space of a couple of weeks, both while I was withdrawing from drugs. But, according to those that know, is not the reason for my epilepsy. I have, and admittedly, had some serious knocks to the noggin, which is apparently the cause of my seizures.

I have a mate with it too, he has had it a lot longer, and alot worse, than I have. 5 seizures a week, on a good week, dislocations from seizures, biting through his tongue, smashing his head when he falls, the list goes on. He is on five different aed's, but none of them can fully control his problem. Unfortunately, neither does cannabis.

The meds have side effects, some more severe than others. My mate for example had his teeth literally fall out over a couple of years, one of his meds shrank his gums to nothing. I, have developed osteopaenia.

Now, you want to know if cannabis has helped manage the condition? In my case, I say yes.

I am a long term smoker, at one stage, I was an abuser, now I am a managed user. By managed user, I mean that I have a set period for when I smoke, evenings during the week, before bed, morning and evening sessions on weekends. Tegretol was being used at half dosage on weekdays, but I stopped taking them around a month ago. Had a bit of a mental episode the first week off, went off the rails a bit, but have not had any tremors or epilepsy related issues since.

I approached the specialist a long time ago about cannabis and epilepsy management, my advice to you is don't bother. All doctors want you to take prescribed, manufactured pharmaceuticals that may or may not benefit your condition. Cannabis is a legitimate treatment for epilepsy management, but not a legal one. Neurologists I have spoken to are fully aware of the benefits, but are legally bound to discredit the fact to their patients.

I personally don't recommend to any epileptic to stop taking aed's and turn to pot, firstly because I'm not you and secondly, because it's dangerous. Under no circumstance should you just stop taking them, you have to ween of the medication slowly, over a period of at least a month. If at any time you feel anything remotely related to your condition, return to your meds. Remember the twelve months without a job or license when you were first diagnosed? You really don't want that shit again. If you find that by using cannabis, your condition is under control without taking meds, then you may find yourself where I am now, trialling a three to six month period without meds. Don't tell your doctor what your doing, unless you want six months without a license. I asked to get off the meds a couple of years ago, and that was the answer. Yes, I am taking a risk, but I am doing my best to reduce the chance of that risk affecting others by limiting my time behind the wheel, and spending most of my free time around the home.

I hope this helps answer some of your questions, as for what strain is best, in my opinion, any cannabis with a higher cbd to thc ratio, if growing your own, grow until the trichs turn amber, or two to three weeks past peak maturity.

[up4anarchy]

yeah I agree with u. 1st thing I cant drive koz I have petite and tonic seizure's which mean every time I have one, its 2 years before I can drive again. I have not driven for 5 years.

 

I didn't tell my doctor, that I am not taking them. the way I see my epilepsy is that I will never stop having them and that weed does numb the effects and make life 100% more enjoyable then being  dosed up on some drugs were I cant even remember how to get home.  I have tried 7 anti epp drugs and none have worked.  but when I smoke weed, it seems to really really help and maybe its just my state of mind telling me its working or I am to smashed n forget, but I have been righting it all in a diary. and in 1 more year I plan on showing my neurologist.  to see  what she has to say.

 

I also had 4 massive head knocks which is what I put my epilepsy down to. 2 in football 2 skating. 

 

the drugs that I have tried are crap make u tired sleepy no energy, 2 of them made me highly suicidal and others just make u who u thought u would never ever be.

 

its not going to be for every one, just like aed tablets. but there has to be something there that can be improved and used to make weed a sustainable product to help keep seizures at bay.  u don't have side effects with weed really. well its nothing compared to tablets.

 

burner I hope your condition gets better as it should when u get older. and remember were not alone out there.

[seizurefree]

While i cannot speak for others I can tell you I have had petite mal epilepsy. It took a very long time to even be sure i had epilepsy because for me i couldn't even tell when i was having a seizure at first. Now i have come to know the signs so i can tell when it is happening because petite mal seizures are hard to recognize but do have an aura. I spent years dealing with all sorts of other issues we now know are a result of the epilepsy and I have taken all sorts of medications for seizures including neurontin which the company is now being sued over and I have had some of the most debilitating side effects you can immagine.

For years I had no idea that cannabis could control it until a friend of mine noticed i could learn things and function perfectly when he smoked me up. When i told my neurologist that i was seizure free and had no migraines or memory issues and many other symptoms have gone away he did some tests and in the end wrote the mto that I was seizure free and there should be no further reasons to watch me in regards to my drivers licence. When leaving his office we were talking and he asked, well have you been smoking a lot of marijuana recently. I asked why and he told me, "well the use of marijuana can have that effect." and I was speechless.

I had endured unbelievable side effects and tons of seizures, an inability to learn and retain information due to a bad memory along with a plethora of other symptoms that were a result of my epilepsy and all of it could have been cured by smoking two or three joints a day??? Was he kidding me? I was furious.

Today i am completely free of all the constraints put on me because of this problem I was born with and nobody will acknowledge the fact that marijuana is the reason. I am sick to death of taking there drugs that destroy my mind and body when all i have to do is smoke a joint and i am ok. To hell with the government and everyone else who looks down on me for using cannabis. I am seizure free and never going back. I AM FREE!

I work a full time job. I have a full life and I never again have to worry about what I cannot do because I am epileptic because I have my cure and I don't give a damn what anyone has to say about it. And the government can keep there damn pills.

[burner]

I hear you brother, I got the bug later in life, so I can't imagine what sort of childhood you went through, but AED's fuck with me too, and I smoke this bong beside you, in our seizure free world.

[redhead1980]

My misses had epilepsy and had heaps of seizures smoked weed and it slowed down the seizures so she could have surgery.

Now she is seizure free and still smokes.

She told the surgent she smoked they said just keep it under control.

Now she's looking at getting her drivers licence.

[iTiC]

The CBN helps the epileptics. Do a very long wash after your finished with the QWISO, employ the sunny method for a CBN ritch tinture. leaving in the sun for a bit longer wouldnt hurt. Decarboxilation is a cascade from THC to CBN, so 'ripening' on the shelf for longer would help, however dont let it get too warm. A winter sun is great. An aussie summer is hell hot even by 9AM sometimes.

[HealthAdvocate]

Seems like there is a consensus... care to watch this docco if you haven't and leave a comment? http://healthadvocate.net.au/ailments/epilepsy/

[billygoat]

Geez.... Reading this thread makes my worries or problems seem miniscule.

 

Thank you for sharing, and i sincerely wish all sufferers some relief from what sounds like a terrible disease.