Survey On Cannabis Use In Parkinson's: Subjective Improvement Of Motor Symptoms

[Truth Seeker]

Summary of the study according to an article of Reuters Health of 13 November 2002 on a presentation of the results at a scientific meeting:

Nearly half of Parkinson's disease patients who have tried cannabis say the drug helped relieve their symptoms, according to a patients' survey. Dr. Evzin Ruzicka, neurologist at Charles University in Prague (Czech Republic), reported the findings at the Movement Disorders Society's Seventh International Congress of Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders held on 10-14 November in Miami (USA).

The investigators asked all patients who were treated for Parkinson's disease at a centre in Prague to complete a questionnaire that asked about cannabis use and about several Parkinson's disease symptoms. Of 630 questionnaires sent out 339 (54%) were returned. Among the responders, 25% reported that they had used cannabis. Most had used it orally, either as fresh or dried leaves.

Within this group, 39 patients (46%) reported that their Parkinson's disease symptoms in general were relieved after they started using cannabis. 26 (31%) reported an improvement in tremor while at rest, and 38 (45%) experienced a relief of bradykinesia. Relief of muscle rigidity was reported by 32 (38%), and 12 (14%) said they had an improvement in levodopa-induced dyskinesias. The respondents reported that the improvement in symptoms occurred an average of 1.7 months after they had started using cannabis. Patients who used it for at least three months were more likely to experience symptom relief than those with shorter experience.

Source: Clinical Studies and Case Reports

 

[THsea]

That sounds really promising! Maybe one day I'll talk to my step-dad about this. I hate to say it, but no level of symptoms will probably change his tune.

This seemed to have gotten by me, glad i found the article. Thanks for posting it!

 

[Mrs 420 Motoco]

Has anyone with Parkinson's tried using the Cannabis Oil?

 

[Keegan420]

MY grandma has parkinsons, and its getting worst as she ages. She's almost 75 and is very religious and against pot. I would love to see her try medicinal pot. Do you think a medical salve or topical cream would work too? Im really interested in this, are their certain strains that are known to help with parkinsons? I would definitely have to make some room in my garden for that!

 

[chancedebris]

I don't visit here often anymore. 79 yo. I am now taking carbidopa/levodopa at the rate of 2 caps 4 times a day which is pushing the limit. The other meds they have proscribed had more unwanted side effects then I could handle, such as loosing control of my bladder, dry mouth and added difficulty swallowing. My canna caps in the evening do me more good than anything. Occasionally, I will use my Herbalaire 2 for pleasure, as the caps don't really send me to space city. Most people cannot imagine how it is when so many systems go to hell. The tremors are the least of my problems. Speaking, breathing, entire digestive system is on the way out.

 

[Keegan420]

I don't visit here often anymore. 79 yo. I am now taking carbidopa/levodopa at the rate of 2 caps 4 times a day which is pushing the limit. The other meds they have proscribed had more unwanted side effects then I could handle, such as loosing control of my bladder, dry mouth and added difficulty swallowing. My canna caps in the evening do me more good than anything. Occasionally, I will use my Herbalaire 2 for pleasure, as the caps don't really send me to space city. Most people cannot imagine how it is when so many systems go to hell. The tremors are the least of my problems. Speaking, breathing, entire digestive system is on the way out.

Hello chancedebris, good of you to stop back in. I'm sorry for your health troubles, I hope you are feeling ok today. I was hoping you could maybe tell me a little about how long you've had Parkinson's, when you started using cannabis to help, and how do you medicate? You said you take thc capsules? Or are they cbd? And a herbalaire is a vaporizer is it not? Do you have certain strains of cannabis that work better for you than others?

 

[chancedebris]

I guess that by now, it makes little difference if this is public or not. I was an alkie--drinking since I could walk. I quit. In doing so, I used nothing stronger than asprin for 24 years. I started getting depressed, and started getting unusual pains. To combat the depression and stress of being an eldery, single parent, I started vaping m.j. It took the primary care doctors at the V.A about 15 years to put together a diagnosis. I first had random dizzy spells. I had a slight tremor in hands from time to time, which was diagnosed as familiar tremor (wrongly) I was finally sent to a neurologist, he had the answer just watching me walk down the hall. My main problem now is difficulty breathing. Still no answer. I do not have a choice of what strains I use. I just ask for sativa. The method for making canna caps is here elsewhere. A small Pyrex bowl, good olive oil heated in oven to 335 and stir in finly ground weed,cooking and stirring from time to time for at least l5 minutes. For your relative, it would be a better idea to use indica so that she just relaxes instead of tripping out. Or possibly a combination. You can find the caps and equipment on line. Fill the caps with large medicine dropper with end cut and widened to better fit into the caps. I don't bother with filtering. Or you could always give her a loaded brownie.

 

[Keegan420]

Thanks for sharing chancedebris. I hope you are doing well. Do you have a link for a thread for that canna caps recipe? Is the breathing related to an inflammation or is that a part of the neurological affects? So you've never tried a high CBD strain? Maybe that can give you some relief if you can find some, are you in a mmj state? Thanks again for your help.