Cannabis

[Bhaja]

my husband as psp and i was wondering if cannabis would help. Does anyone know have any knowledge of it

[honjen43]

Hi Bhaja, welcome to this site. There are a few here who have trialed cannabis.

I understand it needs to be cannabidiol (CBD oil) not just any sort of 'pot'. Also need to be aware of interaction with other medications

I have no experience with using or administering.

If you go to top of the HealthUnlocked page, there is a green "More" option that includes a search function. If you type in 'cannabis' or 'CBD oil' (or any other topic) you will bring up previous posts on the topic. There have been a few of late.

Hope that helps.

Hugs

Jen xxx

[Kevin_1]

Hi Bahaja

If cannabis is legal in your country then you might try that. Cannabis contains two families of active ingredients. THC and Cannabinol (or CBD oil) There is research to show that THC is helpful with Alzheimer's disease and there is a correlation between PSP and Alzheimer's. There are some links below.

This is an old post which gives you the background.

At the end I give a few more links.

Best to you

Kevin

"I am not recommending CBD in any way - I'm just putting forward some information.

CBD and Cannabis:

Cannabis generally contains two families of active substances. THC and CBD. The THC group is what gets folk high and the CBD group are appetite simulators and muscle relaxants. In fact they are supposed to replace the short fall in dopamine in the brain and so do more than this in terms of the nerve / muscle nexus.

Thus CBD is not cannabis and it will not get folk high. One might consider it to be akin to an alcohol free wine or beer and the thought of the latter sends shudders through me.

CBD is legal in the U.K. if bought from licensed outlets. Street cannabis, of course is not.

PSP/CBD are closely associated to Parkinson's and Alzheimer's

So I am going to cite works on the benefit of CBD for those illnesses. This is my first big assumption.

Here is an article explaining the action and possible advantages of CBD and Parkinson's.

projectcbd.org/science/cann...

Here is an article saying that it is the THC in Cannabis which is likely to be of the greatest benefit to the Alzheimer group.

alzheimers.net/6-15-15-effe...

So, with PSP and Corticobasal Disorder both THC and the canabinol oil might be efficacious. Whereas for Parkinson's it is the CBD oil which is the required component.

Not all natural cannabis types are equal

Some varieties of the plant are naturally higher in THC and others CBD. 'Sativa' is higher in THC and 'Indica' in CBD.

leafscience.com/2017/10/16/...

I have been unable to find a typical THC level for Sativa. However because the oil in the plant is volatile length of storage can play a big role in lower levels of both and also the growing conditions. The more sunlight the stronger.

A word of caution: A lot of street cannabis is a cross between the two and they are bred for high levels of THC. 'Skunk' a street name for one product can have up to 18% THC - I regard this as dangerous as it can trigger psychotic episodes. And of course it is illegal in the U.K.

So I am sticking with what is legal in the U.K. CBD oil.

Types of CBD oil and effectiveness.

cbdoilusers.com/full-spectr...

How much CBD is effective?

“Dr. Russo offers cogent advice for patients with PD and other chronic conditions who are considering cannabis therapy. “In general,” he suggests, “2.5 mg of THC is a threshold dose for most patients without prior tolerance to its effects, while 5 mg is a dose that may be clinically effective at a single administration and is generally acceptable, and 10 mg is a prominent dose, that may be too high for naïve and even some experienced subjects. These figures may be revised upward slightly if the preparation contains significant CBD content … It is always advisable to start at a very low dose and titrate upwards slowly.”

However elsewhere we find that the dose is very specific to each individual and there is a peak efficacy. Go higher than that and the efficacy decreases.

So following on from Dr Russo:

“300 mg/day of CBD significantly improved quality of life but had no positive effect on the Unified Parkinson Disease Rating Scale. (Lotan I, 2014)” This is very much on the very high side compared to other sites I have read and the following seems more in keeping with the trend.

“Finding the effective dosage for CBD oil takes a little bit of time and the understanding that there is no “one-size-fits-all” standard dose. Knowing the numerous benefits that CBD oil can have on the body should be a motivating factor in your journey to finding a dosage that helps you to get the results you are hoping for.

...the body requires only tiny amounts of cannabinoids to begin feeling the benefits!”

hempura.co.uk/how-much-cbd-...

This site is also useful with regard dosage:

cbdoilusers.com/cbd-oil-dos...

Last note. There is a prescribed product in the U.K. Sativex. MIMMS is a clincians prescribing guide - So it is very reliable.

mims.co.uk/drugs/musculoske...

Looking at it as a dosage guide:

5.2 mg per spray @ 0.1ml/ spray is a dose.

Increase to a max of 12 sprays/day - max dose 62.4 mg CBD per day.

It's only available on prescription in the U.K. and not for PSP/CBD.

However with Parkinson's it seems that two doses a day are sufficient.

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Faqs

cbdoilusers.com/cbd-oil-faq/

A good quality product in the UK (good value too)

cbd-hemp-oil.uk/product/pro...

This gives one dose per spray.

The cheaper site I found for this has now put it's prices up!

We have had good results using this.

[Finoni]

My husband used the sub lingual tinctures and the lozenges; with THC at night and just CBD during the day. He used it for pain control and it was effective for that. It had no positive effect on the PSP symptoms that we could see. The THC would not be a good idea during the day, as it would increase the risk of falling. Hope that helps. Finoni

[Dickwin]

Bhaja,

My wife has PSP and we are about 4 years in to the disease progression. She was diagnosed with Parkinson's 3 years ago, and re-diagnosed with PSP almost a year ago. She gets around with a rollator for short walks (less than 100 feet) but we use a wheel chair for anything beyond that. She suffers badly from gait freeze, slow movement, cramping in her hands and arms, and stiffness in her neck and legs. She was never a marijuana user, but tried it while visiting our daughter in Oregon, where it is legal. The results were pretty impressive. The freezing of gait was lessened considerably and I and my daughter noticed that my wife's shuffle was noticeably diminished. My wife also said that the stiffness and soreness in her legs, arms and neck were reduced.

A few months later, she applied for a medical marijuana license in our home state of Illinois, and was granted it. The application has about a dozen medical conditions listed as criteria for the license and a Parkinson's or Parkinson's Plus diagnosis is on that short list.

My wife continued to experience pretty positive effects from her cannabis use. Particularly when she woke in the morning, one or two puffs from a vaporizer greatly reduced the general soreness and stiffness that was always so much worse upon waking.

Currently, she is enrolled in a Biogen Phase 2 Trial for an anti-Tau drug. In order to participate, she has had to stop cannabis use while in the study. As much as she appreciates the help that cannabis gave her, quitting to participate in a potential cure was a no brainer, but she is definitely missing her cannabis therapy.

Everyone is different and I should note that my wife has not experienced any diminution of her cognitive abilities. Her executive function is top notch and she is as sharp as a tack. So I think that makes her a better candidate to handle the 'side effects' of cannabis ingestion. I would imagine that anyone with PSP who experiences symptoms of dementia would not be a good candidate for this. Also, people who experience frequent falls might think twice before trying this. But I can tell you that cannabis has helped considerably in reducing the physical symptoms of the disease for my wife. Lastly, I would add that whatever you do, talk to your Neurologist about it prior to experimenting. And consult with your GP or a Pharmacist if you are taking any other medications.

Regards,

Dick