Tel Aviv, Israel: Tourette syndrome (TS) patients who consume cannabis products report significant improvements in their quality of life and reduce their intake of prescription medicines, according to data published in the journal Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research.
Israeli researchers assessed patients’ symptoms immediately prior to and following six months of cannabis treatment. Study participants generally inhaled THC-dominant cannabis flowers, though some patients also consumed extract formulations.
Researchers reported, “A statistically significant improvement in quality of life, employment status, and [a] reduction in the number of medications was found, with a statistically significant number of patients reporting improvements in OCD and anxiety symptoms after six months of treatment.” The authors also identified improvements in motor and vocal tic severity, but they acknowledged that these changes were not statistically significant.
Few patients reported experiencing adverse effects from cannabis treatment. Most commonly reported side effects were dry mouth, dizziness, and fatigue.
“Our findings suggest that medical cannabis may be an effective and safe option to improve comorbidities and quality of life in TS patients,” authors concluded. “Medical cannabis effectiveness should be further evaluated in large-scale randomized clinical trials.”
TS patients frequently report gaining symptomatic relief from cannabis, and several human trials have identified positive results in cohorts using either oral THC or inhaled cannabis.
Full text of the study, “Use of medical cannabis in patients with Gilles de la Tourette’s Syndrome in a real-world setting, appears in Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research. Additional information on cannabis and TS is available from NORML.