FDA Approves New PTSD Study with Medical Marijuana

Source: Santa Cruz Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS)

PTSD is an extremely difficult medical condition to treat, and it currently effects around 7.8 percent of Americans. It is caused by exposure to dangerous and highly stressful situations, which can result in lasting symptoms that include disturbing flashbacks, distressful emotions, panic attacks, and nightmares.

On April 28th the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) accepted MAPS' protocol design for their study of cannabis as a treatment for symptoms of PTSD in war veterans. This approval from the FDA represents another important step forward in PTSD research, although there is still a major hurdle to overcome before the research can actually begin. The FDA stated that MAPS’ current protocol successfully addresses all of their concerns, as long as the researchers can obtain cannabis for the study.

MAPS has been trying for years to continue their medical marijuana vaporizer research, and although the FDA has approved that next study as well, the DEA has prevented them from conducting it by not allowing the researchers to obtain the necessary cannabis. (For more information about this, see the in-depth article that I wrote for High Times on the subject: www.maps.org/media/view/crop_blockers/) There is concern that this could happen again with the PTSD study that was just approved by the FDA.

Read more: http://santacruz.patch.com/articles/fda-approves-new-ptsd-study-with-medical-marijuana

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Once again the DEA flexes its Muscles...
These Guys are the first cut I would make to the American Financial Crisis...
80% of the DEA is eclusively about Cannabis eradication...
This is insane...
Just like our two parties in Congress... Just refuse to do the right thing for America and its people..

because they will then be subjected to arrest for using their approved MMJ and further ruin their already damaged lives. Insult to injury----literally

Since NIDA has acknowledged that they do not exist to further good science in this regard, and the DEA is nothing more than jack-booted, gun-toting church ladies unfit to be grade school crossing guards, the prospects of success are dim.

Furthermore, as you no doubt know, even if NIDA/DEA got out of the way, MAPS would only be allowed to use the "approved" schwag produced at the government's pot farm at the University of Mississippi, marijuana that is so inferior (and dangerous) in every way that it wouldn't find a buyer anywhere if it was available on the streets.

Better that MAPS work with WAMM and Valerie Corral to provide safe and effective medical cannabis for the study. It was my honor to meet Valerie recently at the NORML convention. Quite a bundle of courage and compassion that woman is.

PS: Since you're new here at DU (welcome), you might want to run the "spell check" function on your OP before the time limit for edits expires.

Damn your Vulcan logic anyway! It clashes with legally established prejudicesprecedents!

I work with addicts, quite a few of whom have PTSD. Alcohol "helps," but marijuana just contributes to their anxiety and makes it even more difficult for them to go outside. While the study is worthwhile, I'll be really surprised if marijuana is helpful to the tx of PTSD in any way. After all, the person with PTSD is trying to control his or her memories and lives in fear of things most of us take for granted. I can't see how pot would help.

personally, i think it's a great idea. and i hope the study yields un biased results towards using it more for these types of issues.

Besides, don't you think that working in substance abuse treatment gives you a skewed patient sample from which to draw conclusions? I do know how important it is to keep marijuana illegal for the fiscal stability of substance abuse treatment centers and to keep filling your chairs with compliant patients (having run substance abuse treatment programs, including drug court programs, myself.)

As for the use of cannabis to treat PTSD and one of its major causes, Traumatic Brain Injury, you should read some of the papers presented at the Sixth International Conference on Cannabis Therapeutics held last year in Providence, RI. In particular, the work of Dr. Raphael Mechaulem of Israel was most persuasive.

Thank you for your work with addicts. One day at a time ...

Weed was the only thing that kept me eating during my PTSD meltdown after Hurricane Katrina, and my former Iraq vet roommate kept his PTSD panic disorder at bay by smoking indica strains.

Edited to add: I see you live in Massachusetts, where I grew up smoking street weed. Compared to the mmj here in Colorado, I would say most weed in Massachusetts falls into the dirt weed category. When I visit back home and friends pull out their stash, I don't even want to smoke it. It tastes like it's been treated with chemicals, and the "high" just gives me a headache that doesn't go away until I nap. So there could be some regional/quality issues clouding this discussion.

I agree. Many vets with PTSD use cannabis to relax. There is unbelievable tension from having your head on a swivel 24/7. Every loud noise, strange person, new situation can trigger intense anxiety accompanied by racing, pounding heart. Cannabis helps some vets more than anything that psychiatry can offer. It's also true that for some it makes their fear worse. Just like SSRI's help some and make others worse, so it is with cannabis.

The VA is also experimenting with Ecstacy with exposure therapies and discovering that can be very effective too. If the VA wants to get serious with PTSD treatment they are going to have to get off the Big Pharma plantation, cuz it ain't cutting it.

I've had PTSD from early childhood abuse.

Started smoking it in eighth grade.

Prior to that I banged my head against a wall and questioned realty.

Now taking my meds and still smoking and drinking but much less.

I hold a tech job down and live for my wife and little girl.

You haven't walked a minute in my shoes.

Now you've met one.

A$$hole.

-p

I usually feel like a citizenx about his but thank you.

-p

I have PTSD and I have avoided all medications and substances. I just sense that my brain needs
to "naturally" unfurl and learn how to deal with basic emotions and life.

I don't look at the PTSD as an illness. I look at it as a series of very astute coping mechanisms. I
developed PTSD as a child, due to abuse. I was very high functioning as a child and as I grew up
and went to college, etc. I think the PTSD helped me to "shelve" the trauma and unbearable emotions, so
I could live my life.

The symptoms came--when I got strong and when I was in a safe place in my life. So really, the painful
healing came when the emotions and memories started coming through that wall. I look at this as a really
positive sign. My mind believes that I'm strong enough to process.

It's all very amazing to me. I adapted (by developing PTSD), not by conscious choice. My mind did this FOR me. I was lucky.
And now that I'm older and healthy/strong--my mind senses this and is giving me back the emotions and
memories--and allowing me to process. I feel space being freed up in my head--like weights being lifted
from my mind.

I can't imagine that marijuana, or any other drug--would help this process. In fact, I think any
altered state--whether with alcohol or drugs--would cover up functioning--taking a person into
an artificial state and away from the centered/calm space from which you need to heal and work
with your mind to process the past.

Sorry to drone on, but I agree with you and it's nice to see someone else who understands PTSD.

:)

and has related benefits from this medication (and/or others.) There are quite a few people here who deal with this and understand it very well.

This variety of experiences indicates, as someone else said, that some people do benefit from medications and some people don't. One person's experience doesn't determine the right course of treatment for everyone.

Someone who is an addict is going to have very different responses compared to someone who is not, for instance.

There was a really good thread here the other day that also linked to a therapist who talked about the ways that people are able to process the experience of PTSD and get beyond the trauma that had nothing to do with any drugs - but such therapy, for PTSD and other mental conditions, may be treated with a combination of factors.

That's really understanding the workings of treatment for anyone - one size does not fit all.

I am glad to read that you are able to deal with your PTSD without drugs...
As for me.. I will always need Cannabis as it is the Only Natural medicine I have used that shuts down the mechanism that triggers those Nightmarish dream thoughts and intense alien Feelings I get every single day.. It also always me that good deep sleep... The Drugs I used prescribed by my Doctor made me a living Blob who felt nothing.. Oh and these Drugs always made me feel tired and gave me a sense of never getting that good sleep at night. These drugs also never removed the thoughts of death and gore either.. In time these legal drugs changed my personality in negative ways... My wife was ready to ask me to leave..
My use of Medical Cannabis help me rid my life of all those things... I now can cope with those nasty symptoms as they never leave anyway..
Instead of feeling like a hopeless Blob.... I have found Cannabis is my tool or coping Mechanism that works so well as to let me have back some of the Joy in my life back and give me a clearer prospective on my symptoms...

diagnosed at age seventeen after two brutal attacks in three years and an ongoing abusive relationship and then another. Thanks to the cost and legal status of pot she usually ends up drinking for relief. Alcohol does not help her anywhere near as much as the pot does. I will agree that alcohol may help some more than others, but the same can be said about weed.

I believe that much of the anxiety you mentioned may be caused by the illegal aspect, rather than the actual physical effects, jmho.

for years, even decades now.

Except those still fighting the war on drugs. God.... so pathetic.

When will people admit that their are no cures for certain things in life. The best you can hope for is something that allows you to get through some stuff. In this case, it's marijuana.

I mean, is this something we really need to be discussing still? Can't we move on to more important things?

It's time to end this insane so called war against cannabis, which in fact is directed against the American People.

Thanks for the thread, DreamSmoker.

So ... if this works for the Army, it can't be on Schedule 1, right? Right? Hello? Is this thing on?

is a convenient dumping ground for politicians getting government jobs for friends and contributors. Drug rehab for reefer madness is another scam. Let the parasites who make a living fighting cannabis or treatment for its addiction go out and do real work that contributes to the greater good.

hasn't received more attention. No, I'm not wondering. I know. It's the drug companies.

ttp://www.alternet.org/drugs/11794/

http://www.biopsychiatry.com/cannabinoids-neogenesis.htm

We show that both embryonic and adult rat hippocampal NS/PCs are immunoreactive for CB1 cannabinoid receptors, indicating that cannabinoids could act on CB1 receptors to regulate neurogenesis. This hypothesis is supported by further findings that HU210 promotes proliferation, but not differentiation, of cultured embryonic hippocampal NS/PCs likely via a sequential activation of CB1 receptors, G(i/o) proteins, and ERK signaling. Chronic, but not acute, HU210 treatment promoted neurogenesis in the hippocampal dentate gyrus of adult rats and exerted anxiolytic- and antidepressant-like effects. X-irradiation of the hippocampus blocked both the neurogenic and behavioral effects of chronic HU210 treatment, suggesting that chronic HU210 treatment produces anxiolytic- and antidepressant-like effects likely via promotion of hippocampal neurogenesis.


The benefit of cannabis may lie in its capacity to deal with the neurological effect PTSD seems to have on some people.

http://universityofcalifornia.edu/sites/uchealth/2010/03/01/hippocampus-ptsd/

March 2010 -

The researchers used magnetic resonance imaging to scan the brains of 40 veterans – 20 with combat-related PTSD and 20 without – and found that the region known as the CA3/dentate gyrus was more than 11 percent smaller on average in the veterans with PTSD.

“This is the first time in human subjects that PTSD has been shown to be associated with changes in certain specific hippocampal regions and not in others,” says Schuff.

The hippocampus, a finger-joint size structure found in both hemispheres of the brain, is essential for laying down memories, as well as for retrieving them, explains study author Thomas C. Neylan, MD, director of the PTSD program at SFVAMC and a professor of psychiatry at UCSF. He notes that recurring or intrusive memory of traumatic events is a common symptom of PTSD, “and thus the hippocampus is of great interest in PTSD research.”

The DEA has gotten to the point at which it is actively harming research that may provide relief from pain and suffering - and perhaps even a cure for some veterans - because of its irrational insistence on continuing to erroneously schedule cannabis as a substance with no medical usage.

This is when you know you've lost moral authority. When you prevent others from benefiting from medical care because of your own self interests and greed. (this also describes the entire American health care system too, of course. Our govt and our betterment at a nation are being held hostage by flat earthers in all areas of national life.)

and I don't even have PTSD! :P

No really though it works better than any benzo or anti-depressant ever did for me. your mileage may vary of course. :evilgrin:

I do deal with it as a result of a propane explosion and fire a few years ago. The medical marijuana helps me greatly.

The same way using alcohol or other addictive substances is not the answer.

The only thing that has worked for me... and its a lot of work and committement...is therapy that works on teaching me what my PTSD triggers were and how to manage the symptoms when I'm triggered. (This took a few years) It involves self soothing techniques, auditory and visualizations that get my heart rate down, relaxation breathing techniques, avoidance of triggers, etc.

But the thing that has helped the most, is EMDR, because EMDR neuralogically rewires the traumatic events so that they are processed and no longer an intense triggering event.

The other most important thing is support groups, and working the road of recovery with fellow survivors.

Smoking pot or drinking my way through triggering relapses may help soothe in the short term, but it creates a compounded worse problem down the road. Learning non addictive ways to self soothe is IMO better. My family is full of alcoholics and drug addicts, it was a matter of survival for me to not become one too.

when there are studies that indicate that cannabis, unlike addictive drugs like alcohol or opiates, encourage the brain to create new cells in the region of the brain that is impacted by PTSD. IOW, since 2010, research has indicated that cannabis may have healing properties for the physiological component on PTSD. If there was a substance that could allow stroke victims to heal the part of their brain that was damaged after a stroke - would you also claim using that medication is not the answer for that condition?

Within therapy for various conditions, it is medically valid to treat some people with anti-anxiety drugs, too - not just PTSD. Those drugs may be addictive if not properly administered - but that doesn't make them worthless as treatment (under the supervision of someone who can monitor use) to make it possible to use things like CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy) to alter/retrain thinking processes.

One value the VA has found with cannabis is that it can help to wean veterans from more harmful addictive substances like opiates that are used to manage symptoms. Opiates and barbituates, which are toxic at certain levels and present a pathway to more self-destructive behavior if someone with PTSD becomes suicidal, are much more dangerous as a class of substances.

Cannabis has no medically recognized lethal dosage because cannabinoid receptors in the brain are not located in the areas which control autonomous bodily functions (i.e. breathing) - iow, no one will overdose on cannabis. Instead, cannabis may help the brain to heal itself.

It is shortsighted to view cannabis as merely a way to numb emotional trauma. The implications for treatment are much more sophisticated than that view.

I've been actively recovering from my PTSD for years and have made a lot of progress. Before I was diagnosed I self medicated with pot and booze, never to the point of being addicted to either but if I kept going I surely was on the road to addiction and not on the road to recovery. Smoking pot or drinking never helped me to learn coping skills to deal with triggers, such as when I have to drive in tunnels or fly. Getting high didn't help with my nightmares or chronic insomnia either, in fact they can exasperate symptoms.

The reason I combine pot and booze in the same sentence as: "self medicate" and "addiction" is because I also sit in recovery meetings with people who have to get clean from pot, booze, prescription drugs, etc before they can get EMDR therapy. These people developed a dependency to pot, drugs, booze, prescription pills etc, because they couldn't cope with their symptoms. EMDR is the only thing that has helped me combined with a therapy plan and support group. But for one to even get to the point of being able to receive EMDR treatment, one has to have the capacity to recognize when they are triggered instead of going into rage, or blacking out into a disociative state. Otherwise the EMDR won't work, or the patient is left in a psychologically frightened state as the brain is processing/rewiring trauma.

I know my point of view or opinions would not be popular in this thread, and maybe medical marijuana has its place in the medical field. From my own experience with PTSD and others who also suffer, I don't believe pot gets to the core of treatment for those that suffer from flashbacks, rage, and other debilitating symptoms related PTSD beyond a short term relief.

But I had to speak up in here as someone who has tried the route of getting high to help cope with my PTSD. For people with a family history of addiction in their families such as I do, it is not an option to medicate with any substances that get me high - prescription or otherwise. Its a matter of life and death to be clean.

and you're right - it's not right for you.

I'm familiar with problems addicts have - I was married to a bipolar person who used alcohol to self medicate and could not deal with his bipolar disorder until he quit drinking.

Alcohol is not considered a drug for the treatment of anything - some people may benefit from a glass of wine (those who don't have problems with addiction) but the only way alcohol is used in medication that I know of is a way to make other medications accessible (suspension in alcohol.)

However, cannabis has medical value for people who suffer from muscle spasms - people with CP and MS can and do use cannabis to stop their muscle spasms. It helps people with glaucoma to maintain sight and who, without it, can go blind. It helps people with cancer who are wasting away b/c of chemotherapy to be able to keep food in their systems. Cannabis has been identified as an anti-depressant and anxiolytic.

Alcohol is not identified with any of these things.

In these medical uses, it does not cure the problem (MS, glaucoma, CP, cancer - tho in some cases, with cancer it might - tho not when administered as a plant - but rather in concentrated liquid that is injected into the sight of tumors - this is research that is ongoing.)

But this is important to note: parts of the cannabis plant that deal with some of these symptoms do not cause the effects that make people feel like they're high. I assume you take aspirin, for instance - which would be comparable, in terms of the "mood-altering" capacity of some cannabinoids that may be medically significant for people with PTSD as well.

The cannabinoid used in the research on PTSD that indicates it may cause new cell growth in the hippocampus is not the one derived from THC - but the two cannabinoids act together to mitigate the effect of the other.

So, yes, I definitely think that cannabis has a use in medical research - for a variety of problems - just because one person reacts negatively to a medication, we don't make it illegal for everyone - as in the case of penicillin. It can kill people who are allergic to it. It can save others' lives. That's the reality of life - not all of us have the same reaction to various substances in this world. What may be good for one person is bad for another.

While treatment for brain damage from PTSD may be relieved by medical usage - again, this isn't talking about someone firing one up - this is talking about chronic and concentrated dosages of cannabinoids - the use of cannabis as an analgesic or mood stabilizer, just as with the use of an SSRI - isn't going to cure anyone without changes to the ways in which our brains have learned to process information - how to recognize what's dangerous and what's not - how to recognize when a memory is creating a physiological response that makes it hard to function - those are learned skills that come from interaction with people who know how to treat various illnesses.

I find that CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy) is the most useful to deal with causes and create changes.

That doesn't mean there's no value from medication that makes it possible to hear the information someone needs in order to change their thought processes.

especially this part:

"But this is important to note: parts of the cannabis plant that deal with some of these symptoms do not cause the effects that make people feel like they're high."

for people with glaucoma, MS, chemo side effects...

this is something I have known from my association with people who deal with addiction - a lot of times their thinking, sort of like their actions in relation to a substance to which they are vulnerable, is all or nothing.

All or nothing thinking is recognized as a problem in itself for people with various mental illnesses like bipolar disorder or depression.

when krabgirl noted cannabis is not physically addictive - how did that translate into wondering about giving cannabis to someone who is underage?

I recognize that someone who deals with addiction has to take that "all or nothing" view in relation to the substance(s) to which they are vulnerable - but that reality doesn't extend to everyone else's life.

Some people are able to enjoy one glass of wine and not care about having a drink for another six months or.. ever. I'm fortunate that I'm one of those people. - But I do feel for those who struggle - I have struggles in other parts of life. And I also feel for those who struggle with side effects from illness who can benefit from judicious use of cannabis for relief of symptoms.

And with addictions - even with alcohol prohibition, this nation didn't stop people from drinking. In the case of cannabis, when prohibition prevents research into medical uses that may provide relief from pain and suffering - well, it's not just about my interaction with a substance that matters, it seems.

http://www.slate.com/id/2294072/pagenum/all/#p2

...sure to make some heads explode.

however, children are regularly given powerful anti-psychotic drugs that can cause permanent damage to try to deal with the same symptoms - using cannabis seems much more humane to me.

anyone who wants to judge this mother should go and live with her family and experience the situation for him or herself.

if I had a choice between cannabis and an anti-psychotic, I have no doubt which one I would use.

http://www.slate.com/id/2251174/pagenum/all/#p2

for relief of his autism symptoms (pica, aggression, unwillingness to make physical contact, withdrawal)

White Russian, so his mother says. I have no experience with various strains but it appears to be a hybrid indica/sativa.

This issue is about so much more than the weed someone gets off the street.

Not physically addictive. Sorry.

:think:

Time to take it out of the cellar and use it undera controlled environment. I have seen too many people benefit from it's use.

If the truth in it's effectiveness on the hippocampus is true,it maay very well benefit ME,too.I had my left hippocampus removed with my brain surgery,leaving me with memory deficits.
I'll watch with great interest.