medical marijuana to help heal concussion
 

I was reading an article about a teenager with a concussion and how he healed his brain. His mom didn't want him on anti-depressants and narcotic pain killers so she brought him to a state with medical marijuana and he had great results. I've asked two neurologists and they both felt they needed more evidence. Apparently a compound in marijuana called CBD (Cannabidiol) has been shown to have neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory properties in people with head injuries. Some say it heals the brain.

Has anyone had experience with this? Does anyone know of a doctor who specializes in treating concussions with medical marijuana? I live in Ohio. Am willing to travel.

I am a newbie to this forum so I am not able to post links, **

Yes! I have been using Cannabidiol (CBD) oil for about a year and it's been very helpful. CBD oil has very little THC in it, so you don't have the psychological effects or get "stoned". I actually take it in the morning before going to work. You can also get strains of marijuana that are high in cannabinoids and low in THC that you can smoke, but I find the oil much easier/cleaner.

I live in CA where medical marijuana is legal, so it was easy to get my medical marijuana license and pick up CBD oil from a dispensary. I'm not sure what the laws are around CBD oil in Ohio, or if it's okay to get from a state where it is legal and transport back, but it's worth looking into!

yvonnedono,

Welcome to NeuroTalk.

CBD oil (canabidiol) shows promise for brain issues. It's neuroprotective values are only seen in lab rats so far. No testing on humans has been done yet. The neuroprotective value is when it is in the blood before the injury. It has anecdotal benefit after an head injury but there is no specific understanding. It is more of a try it and see it if helps situation right now.

Many of us would like to try it but it is only available in some states. The THC in marijuana is not helpful except at very low levels.

I see you have posted about your other symptoms/struggles in a few other posts . It helps if people try to keep their issues in a single thread so we can see them all in context.

Please feel free to start your own thread so we can help you with all of your concerns. Use the New Thread button at the upper left of the index page.

My best to you.

I just saw Kate's post. There are plenty of online sources for CBD oil and many even claim it is legal in every state. But, only medical marijuana states allow it. Ordering it and receiving/importing it across state lines is a federal crime.

Some sellers claim they are selling hemp based CBD oil but that has two problems. Hemp is not fully legal yet. The feds have allowed limited access to and production of hemp. Most hemp oil comes from China and other off-shore areas that have lax pesticide and herbicide laws. This leads to high levels of these chemicals in many hemp based CBD oils.

If you find a way to access it, you want CBD or cannabidiol, not cannabinoids. Cannabinoids refers to all of the 60 to 70 different compounds in marijuana. CBD and THC are both cannabinoids.

Kate, If you see this, how do you take your CBD ? How much do you take each day ? What improvements do you see ?

Kate and Mark - thank you for your replies. Good Info. Ohio just passed legal marijuana laws, but it is in its infancy and there are no resources. Michigan would be the closest state to me so I'm trying to find a medical marijuana doctor there to at least consult with.

I have held my MM card for a year and a half..

Im having good success fighting headaches and pain...off 2 prescription meds..

But.....I feel the whole thing is based more on trial and error....I find it hard, then if you find something that works, good luck finding it 6 months later....Very, Very frustrating for me......

I would be very careful with a new injury IMHO?
I started 9 years after accident....

But I can guaranty the power of CBD!..It is impressive, but to make it for powerful it helps to mix in a touch of THC blend.

For me this works, many signs of my PTSD are gone, nightmares gone, and going from 1 to 3 hours of sleep to 6 to 8 now....

It has changed my life, but I dont think it would be for everyone...but thats my opinion.

Good luck

Thanks Kate - do you mind my asking which symptoms is helped with?

My main symptoms are vision related (light sensitivity, convergence issues) and CBD oil has been helpful with that.

I'd say that CBD oil improved by symptoms by about ~20%. Not a total game changer, but a meaningful improvement for sure.

I use a "sublingual spray" by a company called Care By Design. It has a ratio of 18:1 of CBD to THC. I do 1-2 sprays in the morning and at night. Here's their website: High CBD Products | Care By Design

Hope that's helpful! Let me know if I can answer any other questions.

I use CBD almost everyday. It has helped with anxiety, mostly. I would echo the poster above who said ~20% improvement.

Over time, I would say it's helped me get less headaches as well.

Those of you taking CBD oil-

Can you give your daily dosages in mg please? I have been trying it but am not sure what dosage I should be taking.

Thanks

I believe you are wrong sir. 'Neuroprotection' definition is far more than just protection before the injury's occurrence, it can with certain drugs like cannabis (which have a plethora of natural chemicals that do who knows what aside from thc and cbd) salvage or restore neuron function even after an injury has occurred. The goal is to restore 'plasticity' of the brain.

I am a survivor of post concussion syndrome and had used cannabis to restore my plasticity to normal, but it didn't happen alone. There are other things that must be done like keeping active and regularly exercising the brain mentally. Physical exercise does wonders too but that is a different sort of help. Aspirin a few months after an injury can restore some cognitive function temporarily. Cannabis has a similar function to aspirin in that it inhibits platelets or clotting of the blood slightly. That also helps for temporary restoration of brain function.

I wasn't diagnosed with post concussion syndrome directly after my injury, but much later after a year. So I had no cognitive rest, my symptoms directly got worse after exertion and stress in particular. I had particular eye problems on a single side that resolved after taking cannabis for 8 months. If you are using the computer a lot, there is a 2015 study that shows that blocking particular types of light from computer's with specialised glasses from a brand name gunnar makes for less eye issues post-concussion.

As for whether cannabis heals the brain, it does help with neurogenesis. So I believe that does say yes to your question. I had problems after taking cannabis chronically. Do not overdo it. Find a strain with low thc and high cbd and work with that.

SiltedSalt.

Welcome to NeuroTalk.

I'm sorry you misunderstood my comment about nueroprotective effect. Neuroprotection functions both before and after a neural injury. It can reduce the level of damage when the substance is 'on board' before the injury and it can reduce, slow, or otherwise positively affect the cascade of injury after the injury has happened. The study on rats only showed it to have a benefit when on board before the injury.

In the study, they looked at rats who had CBD before the trauma, immediately after the trauma and at later times after the trauma. They did not see benefit from CBD after the injury. But, that does not mean it does not help humans. The researchers readily admit that even though rat's brains have many similarities with human brains, they do not behave the same in every aspect.

You appear to be confusing/combining neuroprotection and neurogenesis and neural repair. You also appear to misunderstand what plasticity is. It is a commonly over-used term. All brains, whether healthy or injured have plasticity.

We often address tinted lenses for those who may benefit. The Gunnar study only included 2 subjects. It is interesting but anecdotal only. Tinted glasses help some but not all. Some use F-Lux or other ways to dim or change color temp on computer screens.

You make many of the same anecdotal claims of the benefit of cannabis as others claim but the studies do not support. Many PCS symptoms simply resolve over time. As the researchers say, correlation does not mean causation.

Don't get me wrong. I would love to see evidence of CBD helping with PCS in a consistent way. I can go to my neighborhood health food store and buy CBD oil Over the Counter, with no medical prescription. How they get away with that with Idaho's restrictive laws is beyond me. Only a dozen or so patients have been approved for a study.

For those who have been found to benefit, the therapeutic dose costs about $30 to $40 per day at current market prices if vaped or used sublingually. Smoking requires substantial use throughout the day and edibles would simply make one overweight due to low absorption levels. Smoking it is a hard way to get the benefit.

High CBD, Low THC strains like Harlequin, Charlotte's Web, AC/DC, and such may give a small benefit with a reduced risk of anxiety from THC. Reducing anxiety does help with recovery. It only requires a single puff of a normal THC strain to achieve the anti-anxiety benefit. The recommendations are 10:1 CBD:THC or better. I see a new hybrid, Ringo's Gift is 24:1.

The blood thinning effects can be obtained from aspirin, ibuprofen, and Omega 3 fish oil and others. The anti-inflammatory effects are considered more important. There is a limit to the amount of blood thinning and anti-inflammatory value. More is not better.

You appear to have been given some erroneous information. PCS is usually not a diagnosis until 6 weeks or longer after a concussion since 85% recover within 6 weeks. Before that, it is a normally expected recovery time.

So, how are you doing now ? How long has it been since your concussion ? How were you concussed ?

What do you do besides cannabis ?

sorry this is so delayed ..... everybody's mg is different. they say to go by how much improvement your seeing with your symptoms. I am starting with 4 drops under the tongue in the morning and a stronger tincture at night 4 drops.

If you came up with a dosage that works for you please share. And what symptoms it is helping .....

My son went the CBD oil route for pcs. He got a prescription for it in Canada where its legal. He almost exclusively used the indica dominant strains. The Sativa added to his anxiety. The oil did help some with the symptoms. I observed that it helped relax, calm his mind and helped him sleep. He did get used to it and he had to increase the dose over time. It also is just helped with the symptoms. There are many sites that have peoples personal experience with it and concussions symptoms so you should research it.

i preferred that he used this rather then the pschyc drugs they were offering him. those drugs can cause permanent issues.

in the end he had hormone imbalances caused by his concussions. when he was being treated for this he started to get better. he hasnt used the cbd since this time.

There is some misinformation on this post.....A high CBD should not give any of those side effects......It wont matter if its an Indica, or a Sativa if it has a much higher CBD rating...
The CBD I buy are 20 to 1....20 parts CBD, to 1 part THC...when you first start you may feel a very small high, but your body gets used to it in a few weeks.....You should get no other problems if you stay with a high CBD.
And yes most of the time an Indica is used for sleep, PTSD, nightmares, ect.
And CBDs from hemp (legal) can not have more that .3% THC.

davOD is correct. I should have clarified this happened when he started adding in some THC to the mix or purchasing some strains with a higher level of thc which were sativa dominant. this did not happen with cbd oil.