Can THC Help Some Schizophrenics?
The surprising finding that THC might help at least a small percentage of schizophrenia patients for whom conventional treatments have failed was reported in the June issue of the Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology.
This is surprising because, as the British government’s Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs reported last year, “there is clear evidence that the use of cannabis may worsen the symptoms of schizophrenia and lead to relapse.” The ACMD — a far more objective body than any U.S. government outfit remotely connected to drug policy — did not consider marijuana to be a significant cause of psychosis in otherwise healthy people; its report reflects a broad consensus that marijuana (and specifically THC) can worsen the prognosis of schizophrenics or those with a genetic vulnerability to schizophrenia.
But doctors at the Rockland Psychiatric Center in Orangeburg, New York, reviewing the records of one severely ill patient — a man who was “grossly psychotic, assaultive, disorganized” and not responding to conventional treatment — noticed that he had a history of “calm behavior when he was using marijuana.” So as an experiment, they prescribed THC capsules (dronabinol, brand name Marinol). “Remarkably,” they write, “he became calm, logical, nonviolent, and cooperative within days and was discharged within weeks.”
They then tried the same thing with five other patients with a similar history — unresponsive to conventional treatments but showing some signs of improvement when they smoked marijuana. Three of these “improved to a clinically significant extent,” one showed no significant change, and one got somewhat worse. That’s a remarkable level of success in chronically ill patients for whom conventional antipsychotic drugs had failed, “in which success with any intervention might be unlikely.”
The article goes on to lay out some possible explanations, but at this point no one knows for sure why this small group of psychotic patients had an anomalous and positive reaction to THC. What is clear is that the relationship of cannabinoids to schizophrenia is more complex and variable than even many experts — much less anti-marijuana propagandists – have acknowledged.
Tagged with: cannabinoids and marijuana and schizophrenia and THC by the author
17 comments
If the people conducting the tests have an incentive to report results that perpetuates their official position upon a policy that gets people elected and provides funding to many constituents, how can the validity of the tests be taken as true? At best as presumption, or inference of the results can be drawn to bolster their official position. And by and large science is prevented from substantiating the results as the medication has been completely prohibited. But haven’t things changed to a certain extent? Can MPP employ an impartial clinical staff to scientifically analyze the affects of marijuana on its users?
Awesome news, I mean it should definetly be legal medically either way, but they keep coming up with reasons not to allow medical use! The more news we can come up with on marijuana to prove its uses the better. I am sure THC could be used for many illnesses that people havn’t even tried out before, just because of the taboo people put on it.
Thank you Bruce.
Legalize it! The time is coming!
There are a lot of medical references to support marijuana’s use for physical and mental patients by medical professionals, doctors, scientist, engineers, etc. We’re wasteing a lot of time, energy and money trying to reason with politicians, police agencies and religously closed minded groups. When time is NOT on your side and you need help NOW. Please contact me and I’ll help you figure out your best options to save your life and those whom you love.
It’s amazing to me that most of the people I assist, never take the information seriously enough to act on it and save their own lives and/or their loved ones. It’s just so disheartening that people can over come things like cancer and continue to live their lives but many, for whatever reason, don’t.
The way i see it, most substances have a percentage of people that are either allergic to it or suffer some sort of adverse reaction to it. Obviously cannabis is not for everybody, i have friends who don’t use it because they just dont enjoy it, they have made their choice and that’s fine. Peanut allegies KILL many people across the world every year, so why isn’t it illegal? Ideology is the only thing stopping the repeal of prohibition, not common scense or science. Cannabis should be made legal, even if the death by overdose rates increase 100 fold.
haha Thats funny. If overdose rates increase 100 fold it would still be Zero (0) overdoses because nobody has overdosed on Marijuana. If there was 1 person that did then it would only be 100 people! But its Zero!!!!! more people die from water then marijuana. hahaha
OK…im still for full legalization for the MJ…but why are we not beating down Mr. Obama’s door with these studies in order for a reclassification of MJ?? In case they didnt understand what a Schedule 1 drug is, it states simply “a drug with NO medicinal value”. Now, the last time I interpreted the word NO, it mean absolutely nothing in the drug can be medically used, but yet 13 or 14 states have legal use for MJ, and another 10 or so are voting on legislation for medical MJ….dont make sense to me Mr. President. Guess he is a racist too.
[...] SCIENCE: Schizophrenics saved by THC (marijuana)?!?! Remarkably, there is now apparently some amazing anecdotal evidence that THC can actually *help* those in schizophrenia. [...]
June 4, 2009, The Herald Citizen Newspaper states that Tennessee is rated as having the highest depression rate, (Hawaii lowest percentage rate.) I don’t have to mention here that MJ is the perfect medicine for Tennesseans suffering from depression but I’d like to see more information on depression and MJ use to avoid depression.
It is my understanding that Marinol doesn’t have the mind-altering side effects that THC from cannabis does. Wouldn’t the counter argument be that while THC in Marinol form is ok, cannabis cannot be approved because the psychoactive effect from the plant-based THC is what creates the harm in schizophrenics.? Perhaps my understanding of Marinol is wrong.
Many cannabis users experience at least mild paranoia. I’m just trying to play devil’s advocate here.
To answer Legitimate Question (#9), Marinol has all the psychoactive properties of THC in marijuana. The American College of Physicians has even stated that oral THC’s psychoactive effects are “more severe” because of how it’s processed by the body when taken orally, and because dose titration is much more difficult. In addition, cannabidiol (CBD) appears to counter the paranoid/anxious reaction some people have to THC. The amount of CBD in marijuana varies, but in Marinol it’s zero.
ive seen people with mental health diagnosis’s that have had relief of symptoms from cannabis, when their pharmacutical meds have caused to many side effects that the patients couldn’t take them. however sadly ive never seen a mental health professnional prescribe it.
Our pill popping society is just one of the many reasons our health care system is failing. We need to start looking at life as a more natural process, especially when evaluating the food we eat and the medicine we put in our body.
I have used mj for severe bipolar disorder. I’ve been through antidepressant/stabilizer combinations, which are horrible. I told my shrink from the getgo that weed completely addressed my problem, but when I ran dry, my symptoms always got out of hand, and the only other way to try to get a grip was with alcohol. Since bipolar is not listed as a recognized ailment to get medical approval for mj use, I’m still a criminal. After 35 years of successful treatment on my own with weed, I have no desire to return to the medical world, but I will continue to treat myself. But it sucks to live with the stigma and worry.
Thank you for clearing that up, Bruce. I have to play devil’s advocate with some things because I need to know how to respond to prohibitionists’ arguments.
This is the type of issue where we should lay the hammer down.
The walls are crumbling.
Although I am always thankful to Bruce for putting the facts straight, the way they really read in the case files and studys far removed from idiology…. But I still think IM going to need to do a little research…….Be back in 5 bong hi…..I mean be back in 5 minutes.
Bruce….Did you catch this one? More truth by on of THE top researcher’s.
http://www.etaiwannews.com/etn/news_content.php?id=957583&lang=eng_news&cate_img=316.jpg&cate_rss=news_Health
Lungs
UCLA’s Tashkin studied heavy marijuana smokers to determine whether the use led to increased risk of lung cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD. He hypothesized that there would be a definitive link between cancer and marijuana smoking, but the results proved otherwise.
“What we found instead was no association and even a suggestion of some protective effect,” says Tashkin, whose research was the largest case-control study ever conducted. The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health.
Tobacco smokers in the study had as much as a 21-fold increase in lung cancer risk. Cigarette smokers, too, developed COPD more often in the study, and researchers found that marijuana did not impair lung function.
Sorry to post again, wanted to point to the source of the above article I linked. This one is more related to Tashkins view on legalization….
http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle_blog/2009/jun/03/top_anti_drug_researcher_changes
My schizophrenic ex-wife used to use it and it seemed to be helpful.
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