The Leaf THE LEAF November-December 2019 | Page 25

Cannabis Treatment For Tourette’s Syndrome By Casey Riley Green Rush Daily 2018
Cannabis For Tourette’s
Gilles de la Tourette’s syndrome, more
commonly known simply as Tourette’s (TS),
is a neurological disorder that causes physical
and vocal tics in sufferers.
According to the Centre for Disease Control,
about 138 thousand children have been
diagnosed with TS.
We’ll give you the rundown on Tourette’s
Syndrome, how it’s usually managed, and
how cannabis can help.
Tourette’s Syndrome Explained
TS is characterised by the manifestation of
tics. Motor tics are sudden, repetitive
movements that are done involuntarily.
Vocal tics, on the other hand, are involuntary
sounds made by the sufferer.
Tics can be separated into two types: simple
and complex.
Simple motor tics can include eye blinking,
head jerking, or shoulder shrugging.
Simple phonic tics can be as simple as a
sniffle or grunt.
The more troublesome tics are those that are
complex.
Complex motor tics are usually longer and
appear more purpose-driven, such as pulling
at one’s clothes, touching objects, or imitating
another person’s movements.
Complex vocal tics include repeating words
someone else has said or repeating oneself.
Perhaps the most well-known symptom of
Tourette’s Syndrome, coprolalia is the
spontaneous uttering of taboo or unacceptable
words like obscenities or curse words.
Fortunately, though, only about 10% of TS
sufferers exhibit this symptom.
While the cause of Tourette’s Syndrome is
unknown, there is a definitive genetic
component in that it is usually an inherited
disorder.
Additionally, if a person has TS, it will
invariably manifest in childhood, making
Tourette’s Syndrome a well-known disorder
in paediatrics. TS has no cure.
While treatment is not always necessary, the
goal of therapy is to manage symptoms should
that be required.
Traditional Treatment
Most cases of TS do not require medication to
treat, and the goal of these cases is therapy and
education.
For those that do, treatment is directed at
either treating the tics themselves or treating
another condition that is present in the
sufferer, such as ADHD (attention deficit
hyperactive disorder) or OCD (obsessive-
compulsive disorder).
Risperidone is a common medication for
treating severe tics, but using this medication
comes with a host of adverse side effects.
These includes:
• Movement problems
• Sleepiness
• Difficulty seeing
• Constipation
• Increased weight
• Increased risk of suicide
• High blood sugar
Additionally, stimulants and anti-depressants
may be used to treat a Tourette’s Syndrome
patient who also has ADHD, but these
medications to come with serious side effects
many want to avoid.
As such, researchers have begun looking to
cannabis as an effective and much safer
alternative.