Hannover, Germany: The use of plant-derived cannabis preparations is safe and clinically effective in adolescents suffering from Tourette syndrome (TS), according to the conclusions of a pair of case studies published in the journal Frontiers in Psychiatry.
German researchers reported on the long-term use of cannabis in two male adolescents with TS. Both subjects utilized cannabis formulations (either oil extracts or vaporized flower) daily for several years.
Investigators reported: “Long-term treatment with different THC-containing cannabinoids resulted not only in a constant improvement of tics, psychiatric comorbidities, and quality of life, but also did not cause severe adverse effects and in particular no psychological symptoms such as anxiety, psychosis, and substance abuse including CUD [cannabis use disorder]. Most importantly, neurocognitive test results during the course of therapy showed no evidence that the patients’ cognitive abilities had become below average. There was also no indication of behavioral abnormalities, social problems, neglection of social interests, or loss of interests, motivation, and drive. This is remarkable, since in both patients CBM [cannabis-based medicine] treatment was initiated before puberty and doses of THC were relatively high.”
The study’s authors concluded: “In both patients, CBM [cannabis-based medicine] treatment resulted in continued benefit with significant improvement of tics and psychiatric comorbidities without severe adverse effects. … Although generalizability from our case reports of two single patients is limited, we suggest [that health professionals] take treatment with THC-containing drugs into consideration in severely affected and otherwise treatment refractory children and adolescents before thinking of surgical treatment using deep brain stimulation.”
Placebo-controlled clinical trial data demonstrate that cannabinoid extracts reduce tic frequency and severity in TS, while observational studies have shown long-term benefits in TS patients who inhale cannabis flower.
Full text of the study, “Long-term use of cannabis-based medicines in two children with Tourette syndrome: A case report,” appears in Frontiers in Psychiatry. Additional information on cannabinoids and TS is available from NORML’s publication, Clinical Applications for Cannabis and Cannabinoids.