A syndrome that, without a doubt, is a very difficult disease to deal with, especially due to the repeated appearance of symptoms in the patient, something quite disadvantageous when it comes to wanting to lead an optimal quality of life, however, treatments to mitigate the symptoms The signs and symptoms of this syndrome are quite varied, although unfortunately on many occasions they do not meet the patient's expectations of improvement, which is why below we bring CBD as a natural medicine for Tourette syndrome.
In this article we will evaluate the action of this cannabinoid on this disease, we will investigate its effect on the signs and symptoms, whether it is possible that it nourishes all patients with its numerous benefits? and in what way does it do it? as well as what researchers have been able to support about this interaction and more.
Tourette's Syndrome
A disease of the nervous system, better known as Gilles de la Tourette syndrome, is characterized by a patient who presents repetitive movements or involuntary sounds, also called tics, that is, we would have a person who is physically completely normal, however, in At certain times or in a row, you can, for example, make gestures with different parts of the body, move an arm, a leg, express strange sounds, echolalia, palilalia, pronounce offensive words (coprolalia).
It is a disease that there is no cure, but it can be treated attenuating its effects on the neuronal system and considerably reducing the condition. There is no age preference for it, but it usually appears between childhood and adolescence, and is more likely to occur in males than in females.
Although its cause is of idiopathic origin (it is not known), it is believed that it is associated with hereditary and environmental processes, but we can associate certain risk factors that will collaborate with the development of the disease such as type of sex. and family history, since if there is a history of Tourette syndrome in the family, it is very likely that this neurological disorder will be contracted.
The attention to this syndrome must be imminent and in a mild stage, as is the case in most cases, since in this way we prevent any other complication from developing, mainly neuronal such as anxiety disorders, sleep, depression, management of the anger, learning deficiency, attention deficit and hyperactivity, OCD, among others.
Research involving CBD in the treatment of TS
A study that was published in the Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience demonstrated the effectiveness of the use of cannabinoids in the treatment of different neuronal disorders caused by Tourette syndrome. The research consisted of monitoring and evaluating 19 adults who suffered from TS. in order to inspect the safety and efficiency of cannabinoid treatment.
In this way, at the end of the study, it was concluded that absolutely all patients demonstrated a fairly significant improvement in neurological symptoms or disorders that this disease brings, such as irritability, anger, impulses, and OCD, they also reported up to 60% in the vast majority of patients in the intensity of their tics, it is worth saying that the cannabis compounds used were well supported.
In turn, they added that the success of cannabis on the symptoms of TS is probably due to its interaction with the endocannabinoid system, mainly with the CB1 receptor, which is associated with the central nervous system, and has been linked to the syndrome.
Another study carried out by the Department of Clinical Psychiatry and Psychotherapy Germany in 12 adult patients with parkinsonian syndromes, demonstrated the benefits of cannabinoid treatment to counteract the symptoms of the diseases, including simple and complex motor tics, obsessive-compulsive behavior and tics. vowels.
This led to the conclusion among the researchers that the study proposed a treatment with THC to effectively treat the symptoms of Tourette syndrome, since the effects were observed in accordance with maximum levels of plasma concentration of 11-OH- THC.
As was also the case of German researchers, who carried out a study on 64 patients with Tourette syndrome, of which 17 reported active cannabis use, so 14 reported partial or complete relief of the symptoms of the illness.
Thanks to this, the researchers fanned the flames of the research and decided to carry out more trials to reinforce this proof, to which they received the same results in each of the subsequent studies, so it is believed that this may be associated with the way in which cannabis helps in the disease Parkinson, in addition to this, very few of the patients reported side effects.
In 2002, Müller-Vahl et al, demonstrated in a study carried out in a 24-year-old woman, the usefulness of THC in increasing the pharmacological response with respect to atypical antipsychotics (such as amisulpride and risperidone) without side effects. On the other hand, an older study wanted to demonstrate that the relationship between some cannabinoids could govern the correct functionality of neuroleptics.
But moving forward a little further in time, we turn to a recent investigation where the Department of Psychiatry at the Tauranga Hospital in New Zealand wanted to use cannabis compounds contained in an already manufactured and approved medication, called Sativex, which contains 10,8 .10mg of THC and XNUMXmg of CBD, to demonstrate its effectiveness on Tourette syndrome.
The patient was administered 2 daily doses of the medication in the form of an oromucosal spray, for a full month, documenting his behavior in videos and through objective specialists who measured the severity of the tics, taking into account that they did not have information on what was administered to the patients.
Once dosing with Sativex began, great improvements began to be noticed in the frequency and severity of tics, the researchers added that although they had not yet discovered a cure for TS, they had found a fairly effective treatment for the symptoms. , which would undoubtedly improve the patient's quality of life.
Benefits of both compounds for the treatment of Tourette Syndrome
- Below tic frequency: The benefit worthy of the number one position on this list is the reduction of tics in the patient, this is because this is one of the most common problems and the one that characterizes this disease, tics can be as harmless as they can be. to cause discomfort both for the patient and for other people, since they range from simple involuntary movements of a hand or an eye, to much more complex motor movements, where the personal space of a stranger is invaded and in some cases disturbed. THC has the advantage of acting on CB1 receptors in the CNS to alleviate this symptom.
- No more sleep disorders: These disorders are quite common in all patients with Tourette syndrome, since during the stage of sleep called REM the body produces an increase in involuntary movements, probably due to muscle relaxation and the neuronal activation during this, the ability of this syndrome to lengthen the time of ability to fall asleep is also mentioned. In this case, CBD is indicated to avoid this symptom, since thanks to its relaxing powers it can lead the person to fall asleep throughout the night.
- Goodbye OCD: One of the disorders associated with this disease is obsessive-compulsive disorder or OCD, which is usually present in some patients and is usually quite harmful to their health, especially when trying to fit into society, which in turn can may cause increased aggression; Thanks to research, an interaction of THC with the endocannabinoid system has been found where it is considerably reduces the symptoms of obsessive compulsive disorder.
- No more anxiety: No matter how harmless it may seem, anxiety can cause or aggravate the problems during Tourette syndrome, and this usually has many causes, however, for cannabis that is not a problem either, CBD has proven to be an interesting anxiolytic for these symptoms, This information deepens in our topic of CBD to treat anxiety.
- Potentiates conventional drugs: If you are a patient with Tourette Syndrome, you probably already have a pharmacological treatment indicated by your specialist, and changing it to the use of cannabis is not recommended. On the contrary, you are invited to add medicinal cannabis to the conventional treatment to help improve patient healthIn addition, a study demonstrated the effectiveness of cannabis as an enhancer of certain drugs such as antipsychotics.
Tourette Syndrome: CBD or THC?
As we have seen, there is a participation in the studies of both cannabidiol or CBD, and tetrahydrocannabinol or THC, so confusion may arise when it comes to understanding which of the compounds is the one that really works to treat the symptoms of the syndrome. Tourette's.
However, it is not necessary to take it to one of the extremes, we can simply stay in the middle and accept both cannabis compounds as an option, which beyond being used unilaterally, its bilateral use is recommended. What does this mean? As some previously mentioned studies have shown, THC could be taken as the star compound for the treatment of TS, however, CBD does not have to be left behind.
This is because this disease is associated with a large number of disorders, such as sleep disorders, and because it has also been demonstrated in other research that great benefit of CBD With sleep disorders, the question answers itself and the ideas become much clearer.
So we could deduce that it is best to use the main cannabis compounds together as has been done in some research, with a 1:1 ratio in terms of concentration. Apart from the fact that THC is the psychoactive compound of the plant, and CBD, in addition to not having this type of effects on the body, has the ability to inhibit this action of THC on the central nervous system, then we would have a balance to help to treat TS without affecting our mental state.
Although the studies seem a little deficient, they are not, they have accurate and suitable information so that these compounds are already being used together in the world to treat the conditions of this disease. Of course, this interaction must continue to be investigated and supported more strongly, in order to achieve concrete foundations.
To finish we conclude that…
Both CBD and THC are effective in the treatment of Tourette syndrome, especially using them combined in a 1:1 ratio. Although these compounds are not the cure for the disease, they do present a very pleasant outlook for the patient. demonstrating improvements in their quality of life.
Going to a specialist doctor is ideal if you are thinking about becoming a cannabis patient. Your doctor will be able to guide you in the best way, recommending doses, establishing pros and cons of the natural medicine in your body, as well as the relevant tests to evaluate your values, power. include it without any problem, and study the interaction it will have with your conventional treatment, since not all medications have a positive interaction with cannabis compounds.
In turn, this will recommend ways to include it in your daily treatment, the best time and the best presentation. Achieving quality in the market to ensure the effectiveness of the treatment is key to meeting your expectations, which is why at HispaCBD we offer you the best quality CBD products on the market.