low-THC Cannabis & Epilepsy in Texas on Texas Public Radio

 ... Doctor Joshua Rotenberg, of Houston Specialty Clinic, agrees with Newmark. Rotenberg, who is also registered in the CURT, notes he senses “a lot of hesitation” and “fear” among physicians regarding the low-THC cannabis treatment in Texas, partly because of doubts about the legal aspects surrounding it, and partly because of what is still a lack of knowledge about the treatment itself by those not specialized in epilepsy or not familiar with the research yet. 

Cannabis Treatment Raises Hope For Parents Of Epileptic Children; But Costs, Side Effects Are A Matter Of Concern 

Full Article Here

Photo provided by Dr. Joshua Rotenberg

Dr. Joshua Rotenberg, who works at Houston Specialty Clinic, is one of the 21 physicians that have so far been approved by the Texas Department of Public Safety to prescribe low-THC cannabis treatments for intractable epilepsy.

Rotenberg says the discussion about low-THC cannabis treatments for epilepsy has increased over the last five years and adds that “this medicine is helping a group of people that are really suffering and are really impaired from their epilepsy.” There are over 20 other states in the country where cannabis has been legalized for medical purposes. 

An impactful illness

Rotenberg underlines an illness as impactful as epilepsy typically affects more than just the patient. “It’s not just them, it’s their whole families, these are kids that are having many, many dozens of seizures a day and they have no life, or they have very little quality of life and, so, most of the parents that I see are running towards it as an option to help their children,” explains the physician about the treatment. 

Rotenberg also notes several parents of children with epilepsy have gone to other states to buy low-THC cannabis treatments.

Buying the treatment in other states up until now is something Donna Stahlhut, CEO of the Houston office for the Epilepsy Foundation in Texas, is familiar with.....

Coughing? Wheezing? Asthma? Airway is FIRST ...then watch for developmental problems!

 t

  

Airway is always first. 

While this  study is an intersting observation, I think direct causation goes too far.

Could sleep apnea cause the developmental problems? Yes. Could reflux cause both asthma, and 

disrupted sleep? Yes. 

Regardless see your physician or a  pediatric pulmonary specialist to ask about asthma treatment. 

JR

J Asthma. 2016;53(3):277-81. doi: 10.3109/02770903.2015.1089277. Epub 2015 Oct 30.

The association of childhood asthma with mental health 

and developmental comorbidities in low-income families.

Arif AA1, Korgaonkar P1.

Author information

Abstract

OBJECTIVE:

The objective of the study was to determine 

the relationship of childhood asthma with mental health 

and developmental indicators in low-income families.

METHODS:

Parents/guardians of approximately 400 children, 

aged 2-14 years, were recruited from a charity hospital 

serving low income neighborhoods in the outskirts of Karachi, 

Pakistan. Mothers of children were interviewed in their 

local language by a trained nurse. Eight self-reported 

comorbidities were grouped into two constructs based 

on factor analysis and conveniently labeled as mental health 

(anxiety, attention and behavioral problems) and developmental 

problems (learning, developmental delay, hearing impairment, 

sleep and speech problems). 

Data were analyzed using multiple logistic regression, 

adjusted for age, sex, presence of older siblings, 

number of people in the household, child birth weight, p

resence of mold, and family history of asthma or hay fever.

RESULTS:

Children with asthma had 18 times greater odds 

of mental health problems 

(adjusted OR = 18.0, 95% CI: 9.2, 35.1) as compared to 

children without asthma. 

The odds of developmental problems were more than 

14 times greater for children with asthma 

(adjusted OR = 14.3, 95% CI: 7.8, 26.1) 

as compared to children without asthma.

CONCLUSIONS:

This study found mental and developmental

 adverse consequences of childhood asthma in low-income 

families. Identifying and treating asthma at an early age 

could reduce the burden of comorbidities in this population.

KEYWORDS:

Asthma; attention problems; children; developmental delay

PMID:

 

26365092

 

DOI:

 

10.3109/02770903.2015.1089277

[Indexed for MEDLINE]

Cannabis Treatment for Epilepsy: Where is the evidence?

Is there good evidence for cannabis efficacy and safety in treating epilepsy?  Yes.  - JR

Cannabinoids in the Treatment of Epilepsy: Hard Evidence at Last?

Evidence for cannabidiol / CBD superiority over placebo in treating
refractory epilepsy syndromes. 

The interest in cannabis-based products for the treatment of refractory epilepsy has skyrocketed in recent years. Marijuana and other cannabis products with high content in Δ(9) - tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), utilized primarily for recreational purposes, are generally unsuitable for this indication, primarily because THC is associated with many undesired effects. Compared with THC, cannabidiol (CBD) shows a better defined anticonvulsant profile in animal models and is largely devoid of adverse psychoactive effects and abuse liability. Over the years, this has led to an increasing use of CBD-enriched extracts in seizure disorders, particularly in children. Although improvement in seizure control and other benefits on sleep and behavior have been often reported, interpretation of the data is made difficult by the uncontrolled nature of these observations. Evidence concerning the potential anti-seizure efficacy of cannabinoids reached a turning point in the last 12 months, with the completion of three high-quality placebo-controlled adjunctive-therapy trials of a purified CBD product in patients with Dravet syndrome and Lennox-Gastaut syndrome. In these studies, CBD was found to be superior to placebo in reducing the frequency of convulsive (tonic-clonic, tonic, clonic, and atonic) seizures in patients with Dravet syndrome, and the frequency of drop seizures in patients with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome. For the first time, there is now class 1 evidence that adjunctive use of CBD improves seizure control in patients with specific epilepsy syndromes.

J Epilepsy Res > Volume 7(2); 2017 > Article Review Article Journal of Epilepsy Research 2017; 7(2): 61-76. Published online: December 31, 2017 DOI: https://doi.org/10.14581/jer.17012 Cannabinoids in the Treatment of Epilepsy: Hard Evidence at Last?

CBD & Epilepsy: Medical cannabis delivered in Texas - Interview with Epilepsy Specialist Dr. Joshua Rotenberg

Interesting times. - JR

Report on KHOU HERE

For those latter cases—known as intractable epilepsy—Rotenberg, a Houston pediatric neurologist, and 17 other statewide neurologists have a new treatment tool at their disposal: low-THC medical cannabis.

“It’s incredible for them, I think, to reduce the burden of seizures and increase quality of life,” Rotenberg said. “It changes the whole world.”

The cannabis comes in the form of oil with low amounts of tetrahydrocannabinol, the main ingredient in marijuana that causes a high. Instead, the oil contains high amounts of cannabidiol (CBD) that doesn't come with a high and is used to treat epilepsy and other medical conditions.

CBD Oil For Epilepsy Now dispensed in Texas

It was legalized in 2016 when Gov. Greg Abbott signed the Compassionate Use Act into law. Not only did it authorize the legal use of cannabis oil for patients who suffer from intractable epilepsy, but it created a state registry of neurologists to prescribe the oil and for the creation of three dispensaries to cultivate marijuana to be processed into cannabis oil and dispensed statewide.

FAQ: Texas Compassionate Use Act

A 6-year-old girl in Central Texas, who wasn’t identified, was the first recipient of legal medical cannabis after an order was delivered to her home Thursday.

“This is a great day for patients in Texas,” said State Rep. Stephanie Klick (R-Fort Worth), in a conference call Friday. Klick authored the Compassionate Use Act. “Many of these patients have exhausted all options—brain surgery, multiple pharmaceutical products—and their seizures are not controlled.”

Knox Medical, a Florida-based company with a dispensary in Schulenburg, made Thursday’s delivery. The company declined to release more details about the girl, citing patient privacy, but a spokesperson said the company is honored to make the “first delivery of medical cannabis to a patient in Texas.” 

About 160,000 Texans suffer from intractable epilepsy, according to Knox Medical, though Rotenberg estimates the number to be around 130,000.

Texas has long taken a hard stance against marijuana, even for medical purposes. Meanwhile 28 states  have legalized the use of medical marijuana, while nine states plus the District of Columbia have outright legalized the recreational use of marijuana.

There’s a growing trend among Texans who support marijuana’s legalization, too. Eighty-three percent of Texans support legalizing marijuana for some use, according to a 2017 University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll. 

Rotenberg said he’s aware of people who have traveled to states like Colorado, where recreational marijuana use is legal, to purchase cannabis oil to help combat intractable epilepsy. It’s long travel for families who swear by its benefits. Rotenberg said in some cases cannabis oil has cut a person’s seizures in half.

“If it helps in that way, that’s great,” he said.