gwenny
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Joined: 21 Oct 2000
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 Posted: 03/16/05 - 03:00 Post subject: My son is suffering from Epilepsy |
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Hello!
My son is suffering from epilepsy (he is 19 now). Things got better in past two years (less and less seizures), but now I think he is hanging with guys that drink and smoke marihuana. This is not a good thing for him. His seizures are more frequent again and more serious, especially when he drinks alcohol. Doctors were planning getting him slowly off medications, but when think of his self destructive behavior, this is not possible.
Please, what am I to do?
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paxv
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Joined: 17 Nov 2007
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| Posted: 11/17/07 - 12:56 Post subject: Re: My son is suffering from Epilepsy |
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| gwenny wrote: |
Hello!
My son is suffering from epilepsy (he is 19 now). Things got better in past two years (less and less seizures), but now I think he is hanging with guys that drink and smoke marihuana. This is not a good thing for him. His seizures are more frequent again and more serious, especially when he drinks alcohol. Doctors were planning getting him slowly off medications, but when think of his self destructive behavior, this is not possible.
Please, what am I to do?
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Hi, I'm Ronald (PAXV)
I'll take some time to react to your question. I get series of Tonic Clonic attacks once every 2-3 months (normally 1 every 1.5 hrs from the start until sedated....) and also have partial (complex) seizures and in rare cases light absence and myoclonic attacks (= when problems with my medication/digestive system arise)
I'm a 33 yr old male from the Netherlands, I suffer from Frontal Lobe Epilepsy, and I am user of mariuhana. I will not say this is a good thing but it's an old and proven medication (abt. 5000 yrs now and this is NOT a typo),
I wrote down a list of personal and scientific opinions;
note also that most is retraceable. either throught your pharmacist/neurologist or else through other routes.
LET'S GET STARTED.
I'd like to mention a few things....
* Alcohol
ALCOHOL will be MORE dangerous than mariuhana!!
It will cause variations in the medicine levels and damage the liver, creating ''backups'' in the body and more load for the liver. In severe cases this can lead to liverfailure and in less cases also kidney problems.
ALCHOL in combination with several anti epileptic drugs is no more than pure TOXIN!!!
The alcohol WILLl destroy braincells when too long in the body and can worsten the type of epilepsy already present. PERMANENTLY.
* Mariuhana:
* What is it:
Hemp (lat.: Cannabis Sativa , provides marihuana (=the dried & cleaned flowers of the female hemp plant) a.k.a. pot, grass or weed.
Hashish is the resin of the plant, pressed and packed
If you use a lot of hashish and warm it & press it well you get hash-oil (= expensive and VERY illegal)
* What do cannabinoids do:
Cannabinoids are compounds not only found in marihuana, they function as regulators for the brain.... These are essential compounds regulating body temperature,
waterhousehold, memory functions, and generally speaking the activity of the brain....
* Overdose:
For an overdose on cannabis you'll need to consume (= eat) 1.5-3 KILOGRAMS (= 3-6,5 pounds) of marihuana in 1 day... and then you'll be in danger.
Overdosing by smoking isn't really possible, you'll probably go out (faint of low blood pressure) or suffocate on the amount of burning plants before dying of any toxic effects caused by the cannabis.
Hashish is more potent, Hash oil FAR MORE & is a hard drug, and will cause addiction problems when used as a normal drug, daily against epilepsy. (weed 4.5-28 % THC based on weigth, hashish (good quality) 12-65% THC... Hash oil 85.0 - 99.5% THC
* Working principle:
though cannabis has been used for almost 6000 yrs now by human race, and it's working principles are known, there haven't been much relevant studies regarding cannabis in the modern western world. Animal studies have shown there is improvement in the depth, duration and a lessening in the amount of damage caused by seizures.
The effects seem to be caused by the cannabis influencing the CB1 and CB2 receptors in the brain. Secondary effects are the muscle relexant functions to lower muscle aches after attacks, the increased appetite after attacks, the pain killing effects. THC isn't the only cannabinoid found in mariuhana smoke; the human race knows over 350 different kinds of cannabinoids. There are many indications there is more benifit from CBD (=Cannabidiol) than from THC for example. THC is said to be advantageous in some forms of epilepsy but to be a trigger as well, for CBD there is a more one-sided positive effect.
* Use:
About 2/3rd of epilepsy patients USING cannabis have noted benifits (e.g. less destructive attacks, less attacks, shorter attacks, less pain after attacks, and a faster recovering after attacks. People having epilepsy and smoking mariuhana are almost a double percentage compared to non epileptics is using cannabis...
* But the dangers further can be:
- the usual working time of a joint is about 1.5-4 hrs depending on strength... when finished you'll NEED another one. EACH 3-4 hrs after you started!!! this as this functions like most other medication and is coupled to the saturation levels in the blood...
- when under the inluence it works as a painkiller, muscle relaxant, anti epileptic agent, can cause the will to eat and works as a non-hallucinogenic drug.
- Driving is not very wise!
1st you are probably not insured because you're under the inluence of drugs,
2nd you are breaking the law,
3rd you'll pobably be slower from normal antiepileptic medication and any cannabis product will worsten this effect!!
- diazepam and comparable anti seizure drugs will be influenced and work better, longer and with a little more side effects
- some medication (e.g. diphantoine) works more effectively but only when under the influence (= an effect comparable to variable bloodlevels).
- The LAW... Most certain if you want to take it abroad! In some countries (e.g. in asia, middle east and south america's you can will be tried and get life sentences!
- The dangers of cannabis use are comparable of using coffee, except for the smoking part. Smoking a PURE joint will make a joint comparable to 5-10 cigarettes at once...
- In a lot of countries the only cannabis you find is bought on the street. The quality of this cannabis compared to medicinal grade is POOR or even dangerous. ( If mixed with other drugs use can be LIFE threatening for epilepsy patients... (this as a depressant isn't very dangerous but STIMULANTS and/or Hallucinogenics ARE! (e.g. cocaine, lsd, crack, xtc and so on.)
- PPL with a higher risk of psychosis should NEVER EVER use cannabis!!! (it can cause very severe disruption of the mind and can make ppl scizophrenic in severe cases...
This could mean a permanent confinement to a mental hospital if you have a bad episode)
LAST you can get medicinal cannabis in holland and we have a semi legal system enabling ppl to buy standard cannabis in LEGAL shops.
I hope this proves of use. If not I also hope he will have fewer problems, this as his dealing with the epilepsy could be the issue why this started.
The Netherlands lies in GMT +1 timezone. Sorry for any typo's, this as English is not my native language... |
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