Jacob Redmond
Well-Known Member
At first, Doug and Sorya Ross thought their four year old son William was just having a hard time walking.
"He kept falling and I thought it was just him being clumsy," Sorya Ross said at her Elk Grove home Monday.
Then it got worse, as William began falling more often, sometimes putting himself at risk of injury.
"His head just dropped and he hit the bathroom counter," Sorya recalls of one incident.
A battery of tests showed William had epilepsy and doctors soon began prescribing powerful pharmaceutical drugs to try to lessen the seizures.
"With the pharmaceuticals he started developing more seizures, horrendous side effects," Sorya recalls.
"It seemed like every time they prescribed a new medication, we ended up in the ER 24 hours later," William's dad, Doug Ross recalled. "William was no longer William. He lost his desire to be affectionate with us."
One day they heard a news story in the background talking about medicinal marijuana being used for children with seizures in Colorado.
It was in desperation that they turned to what a handful of other parents were trying for the most extreme kinds of epileptic seizures: A form of medicinal marijuana low in THC and high in CBD, a compound that seemed to have medical properties.
"And we were super grateful, first off, to be living in a state that allowed that," Doug recalled of their first plans to try a form of medicinal marijuana.
The first results were almost immediate.
"That day he started to ask for food and he actually went up and kissed Sorya which he hadn't done in months," Doug recalled.
That first effort was with a dosage about even in THC and CBD, and the couple soon began a process of experimentation that eventually led to a dosage with a 23 to one ratio of CBD to THC. The results were not immediate, but began to show as the couple eased William off the pharmaceutical drugs he'd been taking.
"He has probably about a couple of seizures a month, still, very minor ones. Sometimes they're in his sleep. But, we're ok with that," Doug said, adding he'd like to find a way to eliminate them altogether.
"He can go to preschool, he's potty trained. All those things. I mean, he was slurring his speech, he couldn't put together sentences on the medication like he used to and now he's sharper than he was before. It's incredible," Doug said.
The couple administers the marijuana in a liquid form using a syringe that puts premeasured drops on William's tongue.
One of the biggest questions the couple get: Is your child stoned all the time?
"This doesn't make him high at all. If anything, it's helped him to develop and be more intelligent," Sorya said.
"But this isn't exactly marijuana. It doesn't work at the marijuana receptor, it doesn't make you high. In the right hands it should have minimal or no THC," said Sutter General Hospital Director of Pediatric Epilepsy, Michael Chez, M.D.
Chez, who's never met the Rosses, is starting one of the first studies in the country focusing on medical marijuana for treatment of the most severe kinds of epileptic seizures.
"We've started already four patients just in the last two months," Chez said Monday. "And it's a phase three study, meaning if this works, the next step would be approval for prescription."
He cautions that parents should do everything in consultation with a doctor.
"Only an expert in pediatric epilepsy should be advising you how to use the medicine," Chez said.
As for the Rosses, it's a month to month process, monitoring Michael's progress and so far, they say they've seen no serious side-effects over the last ten months. And they've had lots of support.
"I've actually been sort of surprised at how much support we've received. It's been wonderful," Sorya said.
Even their doctors have been impressed.
"They were positive. They've actually referred some other parents to us to ask us any questions," Sorya said.
News Moderator: Jacob Redmond 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Elk Grove couple tries experimental marijuana medicine for son's seizures
Author: Dave Marquis
Contact: NEWS10 - Contact Us | News 10
Photo Credit: None Found
Website: Sacramento News | Local news for Sacramento, Modesto, Stockton CA including breaking news, crime and political news
"He kept falling and I thought it was just him being clumsy," Sorya Ross said at her Elk Grove home Monday.
Then it got worse, as William began falling more often, sometimes putting himself at risk of injury.
"His head just dropped and he hit the bathroom counter," Sorya recalls of one incident.
A battery of tests showed William had epilepsy and doctors soon began prescribing powerful pharmaceutical drugs to try to lessen the seizures.
"With the pharmaceuticals he started developing more seizures, horrendous side effects," Sorya recalls.
"It seemed like every time they prescribed a new medication, we ended up in the ER 24 hours later," William's dad, Doug Ross recalled. "William was no longer William. He lost his desire to be affectionate with us."
One day they heard a news story in the background talking about medicinal marijuana being used for children with seizures in Colorado.
It was in desperation that they turned to what a handful of other parents were trying for the most extreme kinds of epileptic seizures: A form of medicinal marijuana low in THC and high in CBD, a compound that seemed to have medical properties.
"And we were super grateful, first off, to be living in a state that allowed that," Doug recalled of their first plans to try a form of medicinal marijuana.
The first results were almost immediate.
"That day he started to ask for food and he actually went up and kissed Sorya which he hadn't done in months," Doug recalled.
That first effort was with a dosage about even in THC and CBD, and the couple soon began a process of experimentation that eventually led to a dosage with a 23 to one ratio of CBD to THC. The results were not immediate, but began to show as the couple eased William off the pharmaceutical drugs he'd been taking.
"He has probably about a couple of seizures a month, still, very minor ones. Sometimes they're in his sleep. But, we're ok with that," Doug said, adding he'd like to find a way to eliminate them altogether.
"He can go to preschool, he's potty trained. All those things. I mean, he was slurring his speech, he couldn't put together sentences on the medication like he used to and now he's sharper than he was before. It's incredible," Doug said.
The couple administers the marijuana in a liquid form using a syringe that puts premeasured drops on William's tongue.
One of the biggest questions the couple get: Is your child stoned all the time?
"This doesn't make him high at all. If anything, it's helped him to develop and be more intelligent," Sorya said.
"But this isn't exactly marijuana. It doesn't work at the marijuana receptor, it doesn't make you high. In the right hands it should have minimal or no THC," said Sutter General Hospital Director of Pediatric Epilepsy, Michael Chez, M.D.
Chez, who's never met the Rosses, is starting one of the first studies in the country focusing on medical marijuana for treatment of the most severe kinds of epileptic seizures.
"We've started already four patients just in the last two months," Chez said Monday. "And it's a phase three study, meaning if this works, the next step would be approval for prescription."
He cautions that parents should do everything in consultation with a doctor.
"Only an expert in pediatric epilepsy should be advising you how to use the medicine," Chez said.
As for the Rosses, it's a month to month process, monitoring Michael's progress and so far, they say they've seen no serious side-effects over the last ten months. And they've had lots of support.
"I've actually been sort of surprised at how much support we've received. It's been wonderful," Sorya said.
Even their doctors have been impressed.
"They were positive. They've actually referred some other parents to us to ask us any questions," Sorya said.
News Moderator: Jacob Redmond 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Elk Grove couple tries experimental marijuana medicine for son's seizures
Author: Dave Marquis
Contact: NEWS10 - Contact Us | News 10
Photo Credit: None Found
Website: Sacramento News | Local news for Sacramento, Modesto, Stockton CA including breaking news, crime and political news
