Marijuana: My way of coping with severe PCS
 

Hello, I am Sarah and I suffered a concussion on September 25th at work when I slipped backwards with a heavy crate and hit the back of my head on the metal floor and the crate fell onto me and onto my head. It has now plagued me with horrible Post Concussion Syndrome symptoms.

I am 23 but I have been threw a lot of illnesses and deceases(skin cancer, Tonsillectomy, Epilepsy, liver failure, kidney failure, shingles, hospitalized for H1N1, etc, just to name a small amount of them) for my age with a number of surgeries and time in the hospital, so I am very used to bed rest, but in shorter periods of times and I usually am able to ignore the pain but this has made me feel so fragile.

I had not improved in my symptoms for over a month, if anything I have become worse. I have constant headaches, most of the time they are a pain level 6-7 but they often throughout the day jump up to a 9-10 which was making me become nauseated and violently ill daily, this caused dehydration and I lost weight and my skin became a grey colour. I had been seizure free for about 5 years but since the accident they have now begun again. I have bad confusion and memory loss and experience short term memory loss on a daily basis, I have to keep a list of things I need to remember now. I am rarely able to leave the house, once or twice a week at most, otherwise the symptoms become much worse. Due to this I have become depressed.

This depression is difficult for me because I am generally a very positive individual and I cope easily with stress. I am usually a very busy person and before this I was working 8-10 hour days and had a good social life. I was put on Amitriptyline for the migraines, headaches, insomnia, difficulty eating, and irritability. But this was making my depression worse, was making me have no appetite, and was making my irritability much worse, it was improving the migraines but thats about it.

I am a pro marijuana individual and believe it has a lot of healing power and I often turn to it for treatment and I brought this up to my doctor. He agreed and then told me the benefits of Marijuana and he researched its effect on a Post Concussion Syndrome and it said that it helps with a number of the symptoms and can help in healing the brain. I began to use marijuana on a regular basis to combat headaches and nausea. I immediately noticed a difference, I still have the headaches but I am able to tolerate them, they now are at about a level 3-4 pain, I am more alert, I am able to handle the depression with a brighter outlook, my irritability is gone as well. Also I am finally able to eat again.

I am still far from returning to my normal life but I have found what can help me to get threw it with a more positivity and I believe it should be used by more people who are suffering from PCS.

I know this can be a controversial topic but thats alright.

CBD oil is readily available over the internet. It is a legal version refined from commercial hemp. Only the CBD component has been show to have benefits.

You should ask your doctor about Zyprexa. It also can help with appetite and depression.

I bet you are getting the 'just better than worthless' medical care common to Work Comp doctors. Has anybody suggested that your neck can be injured and adding to your head aches and other symptoms ?

I second Mark's suggestion of CBD oil or at least the closest to a 100% indica strain you can find.

I was a daily smoker before my first concussion. I often used it to medicate my celiac disease. I quit after I had a major panic attack trying to smoke two weeks after that concussion.

I look forward to shops opening up in Oregon so I can pick and choose strains and stay away from those with high THC contents. I'm glad it's helping you! I just figured I'd throw in a warning about THC causing panic.

I am concerned about the psychosis and other problems associated with long term use. Plus, driving while high is a issue that has harmed people I know leaving them with permanent brain injury based disability.

Oh and I am too. I never plan on going back to my daily habit. Nor would I ever drive while using. I just look forward to being able to occasionally use CBD-heavy strains for GI distress and muscle tension in the future. I may look into getting CBD oil. I'm past the point in my life where I'm seeking out a recreational high.

The psychosis I am concerned about is not about me. Research shows that routine cannabis use during the teen years leads to psychosis later in life, usually in the mid 20's. Studies have already shown the legalization has caused it to be much more accessible to youth.

I have thought about lighting up because I've heard that it can aid in recovery from TBI. The exact mechanism of action is not well understood. For me, I have enough paranoia and anxiety from PCS already that I have decided against it for now. I'm sure it would only complicate things. Plus, the smoking process would be detrimental to my heart and lungs. It's definitely a factor to consider. Maybe, a vaporizer or brownies?

Mark, I would be hesitant to dismiss cannabis from being a neuroprotective substance. There are so many compounds, mainly cannabinoids, in smoked cannabis that researchers are still sorting out. This includes potential health benefits and hazards. Many times patients don't respond to THC pills because they lack all the wonderful cannabinoids that are contained in marijuana smoke. I'm not suggesting that concussion patients should all smoke weed but there is research being done that may suggest some benefits.

I would love to take a look at the research showing that cannabis induces psychosis. It's the first I've heard of it. Any chance you could send a link?
I'm also interested in the benefits of CBD oil as this is available on the Internet.

I mentioned the CBD oil because that is the part that has shown neuroprotective value. THC has been shown to increase anxiety so it should be avoided. Its only value is at very low, non-psychoactive doses. It has shown no neuroprotective value.

I've found it to be helpful. I'll bump up my earlier post which as lots of links, some may find it interesting.

CB just stands for cannabanoids, and there are quit a few of those. THC does not cause anxiety, but it does have medical value- the studies are very clear in this. Cannabis is neurorotective, anti-inflammatory, and encourages neurogenesis.

Genetic pre-disposition in the indivudual will always alter how our bodies react/up-take drugs. In this instance the relationship between cananbis and genetic schitophrenic latency is unclear. On one hand it certainly does act as a potencial trigger to behaviours, on the other drugs like Sativex are being formulated as a treatment.

If possible a 50:50 strain is best I've heard, though some prefer up to :75 indica.

The Harvard research I read says THC, although it may be an anxiolytic at first at low doses, can have a rebound effect that often causes anxiety and even paranoia, especially at higher doses. It has been shown to trigger manic events in bi-polar persons. CBD, canabidiol, has the neuroprotective value. There are trace other elements in marijuana that may also be therapeutic.