ADHD and Cannabis

Attention Deficit Hyper-activity Disorder (ADHD):
A chronic condition including attention difficulty, hyperactivity, and impulsiveness.

I believe we all remember the huge epidemic that was all over the news in the late 90's early 2000's about how our school children are suffering from ADD (Adult Deficit Disorder) or, now changed to ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyper-activity Disorder). Once everyone realized this "disorder" isn't just happening in adults, it's emerging in school children too, the name was changed from ADD to ADHD. As parents and teachers of public school children all across the nation were becoming increasingly worried about their kids ability to keep calm and focus in school, the number of diagnosis and prescriptions had risen to an all time high! ADHD became a national epidemic.

"ADHD often begins in childhood and can persist into adulthood. It may contribute to low self-esteem, troubled relationships, and difficulty at school or work." ---- Don't we all have that? I understand there are very serious psychological conditions, but I believe this disorder must be analyzed through brain scans.

Now, I'm no one special here, nor am I claiming to be, I did get my college degree in Psychology and one thing for sure is that most doctors, or psychologists, make conclusions based off of the information that is given to them. Meaning, that a patient is to go and talk about what is on their mind, and how they are having troubles in their lives. This could be any body's condition, that would need to be evaluated by a brain scan and the patient go through counseling therapy where they meet with a professional or group and talk, discuss, educate, learn, share, and support. They don't specifically has a disease or a disorder, their just adults having a hard time adjusting to their world.

To be honest in my personal experiences, psychedelics like acid, mushrooms, and marijuana have collectively given me more therapy than any counselor or prescription could. It was ME that I had to evaluate and my perception of life and events. I am not encouraging anyone else to follow the path I took. But I will encourage EVERYONE to seek alternative therapy.

If looking into CBD and cannabis is the alternative therapy you choose, GREAT!!!
You came to the right place for information and at the bottom of this blog is a list of all the sites I researched so you can research it yourself if you like... or just continue reading.

*** Please understand, I believe the only person who can heal you is yourself! The mind is very powerful! ***
When it comes to psychological disorders, its all about connections in the synapses of the brain. When going through a brain scan it will be revealed what types of connections are missing. When you start rehabilitating through talk therapy, meditation, group supports, diet, exercise, and alternative medicines you have the ability to reconnect those synapses!

Your mind and your body has the ability to heal itself!

The link between ADHD and weed is pretty well established not just in teens, but in adults as well. Since ADHD symptoms are often treated with stimulants like Ritalin and Adderall, you might guess that folks with ADHD would be most drawn to other stimulants, like caffeine, cocaine or amphetamines. But in fact, alcohol and marijuana seem to be bigger draws. Anecdotally, marijuana (derived from cannabis plants) has been reported to improve focus in some people with ADHD.

During the early 2000's I started meeting new friends, of course always, and the friends I had all loved to smoke pot. So many of those friends (about 20%) have all at some point said that they had ADHD and that smoking marijuana helped to calm them down, center their thoughts and focus, and ween themselves off of the dangerous medication of Ritalin. All of my friends (pot heads of course) admitted that marijuana did better for their condition than any other form of medication could. So I decided to look further into this as not everyone enjoys getting high on marijuana.

Can is be possible to medicate for ADHD with cannabis in a way that doesn't bring the unwanted side effects of THC? 

Well lets bring some research to the table and see what CBD can do.

"More than one in 10 children in the U.S. will be diagnosed with ADD/ADHD, a figure that has grown exponentially in the last 50 years."

More than 1 out of every 10??? That's a huge number! Do these kids eat too much sugar? Are they getting enough exercise? Kids are full of energy! Aren't they supposed to be?

This is a good story, it pretty much sums up everything my MJ friendly friends have told me about their experiences with ADHD and cannabis...

"Antonio Rodriguez, diagnosed with ADD/ADHD at age six, had been among the masses prescribed stimulant medications. “I remember having headaches all the time to the point where I wasn’t able to sleep,” Antonio said, adding that his appetite was also nonexistent until treating with cannabis; and not only was cannabis lifting the stimulant side effects, it improved Antonio’s ADD/ADHD symptoms. “For the first time ever, I was in the state where I could really get my mind together.”
Having only been taught the dangers of using cannabis, Antonio was cautious about trying it for the first time. “I got scared about the whole ‘addiction’ side of cannabis,” Antonio said. “I was waiting for the moment my body asked me for weed, but it never happened.”
For those coming from an anti-cannabis background, explaining its therapeutic properties to friends and family can be difficult. This was no less true for Antonio, despite the fact that his performance in school had won him college acceptance with a scholarship!"

 One main physiological irregularity of ADD/ADHD is the brain’s shortage of dopamine, a chemical neurotransmitter involved in cognitive processes like memory and attention.

Dr. David Bearman, a figurehead of cannabis research, has studied the relationship between the cannabinoid system and ADHD and discovered potential therapeutic value as cannabinoids interact with the brain’s dopamine management systems.
** Thank you Dr. David Bearman!! **

“Cannabis appears to treat ADD and ADHD by increasing the availability of dopamine,” Dr. Bearman wrote. 

“This then has the same effect but is a different mechanism of action than stimulants like Ritalin (methylphenidate) and Dexedrine amphetamine, which act by binding to the dopamine and interfering with the metabolic breakdown of dopamine.”

Put simply, the compounds found in cannabis, called cannabinoids, could potentially correct the dopamine deficiency observed in ADD/ADHD patients if dosed appropriately and administered safely. Even in its raw form, cannabis is able to provide the mental slowdown necessary for concentration in many patients.

Here is a true story from someone special who shall remain anonymous...

"I'm 16 years old and I am from the United Kingdom where cannabis is currently illegal, I was diagnosed with ADHD at the age of 5, and with those eleven years of development and getting to understand ADHD, I can 100% say that the past 3 years of smoking cannabis has benefited me more than the prescription drugs I was taking up until 12 years old aka Ritalin Concerta and Methylphenidate, the prescribed drugs had huge side effects and consequences that were inflicted over so many years, I had headaches everyday I wasn't eating due to the loss of appetite which also meant I wasn't putting on weight so finally I made my own decision to stop the meds stop going to the doctors all down to being uncomfortable with the way i was living, about a year later I was introduced to weed by an older group of friends, after smoking it for quite a while I was starting to realize the side effects were the complete opposite to the legal drugs I was taking and it was helping with concentration, the eating, and it all around chills me out calms me down and makes my day more enjoyable without the constant hyperactivity. Of course being from a country where marijuana is illegal a lot of people have a completely different view on the subject than people from Canada or Amsterdam, because in the UK weed has been looked down upon so much for so many years that people would rather see it for its bad aspects rather than its benefits for people who need it the most. All in all from my own personal experience marijuana does co-operate with AHDH spectacularly well minus the side effects."

OK, So after doing a lot of extensive research on PubMed.gov I am a little annoyed at some of their language used for their "studies" that are posted on their site. Which I found, of course, through my most favorite source of CBD information - ProjectCBD.org. Let me warn you, this research is hard to understand specifically what they are looking for, and it brings me to the conclusion of worrying about their ethical views of marijuana.

First of all we all can agree that as of this date there isn't enough scientific research or clinical trials being done at this moment, in the USA due to the governing laws of our country. Once lifted more studies and trials can be done to more closely examine each individuals case.

So when I am reading these articles I get a bit frustrated when they refer to the use of cannabis as a Substance Disorder!!!??? WTF!? Using marijuana is NOT a disorder!

Dr. Bearman should be doing the writings for Cannabis on PubMed! At least he has actual research that was administered to ADHD patients.

You know, I don't even think you should keep reading! The rest of the information I found seems to be null in comparison to what I already wrote about. However research is research and I am here to share information whether I agree with it or not. I believe Cannabis can be used as therapy for ADHD, no one should feel like a substance abuser or an addict, it's not possible to be addicted to marijuana!!! AGH!! It's a freaking Plant our bodies and mind need sometimes to HEAL!!! UGH!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Anywho, I smoked a bowl and now I calmed down so I can prepare to bring to the table my research findings. I pray to God that one day I can find a better resource of correct, unbiased information.

* Childhood and current ADHD symptom dimensions are associated with more severe cannabis outcomes in college students.

BACKGROUND: Numerous studies have shown that attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is associated higher risk of cannabis use disorders (CUD). However, these studies are limited in that most did not: (a) differentiate the role of hyperactivity-impulsivity (HI) and inattention (IN); (b) control for associated psychopathology; and (c) consider more fine-grained CUD-related measures. Our aim was to clarify the unique and interactive contributions of inattention and hyperactivity symptoms to age of cannabis initiation and DSM-IV cannabis dependence, craving, and severity of problems related to cannabis use while statistically controlling for symptoms of comorbid psychopathology in a non-clinical sample of young adults.

RESULTS: Results indicate that current and childhood inattention were independently associated with more severe cannabis use, craving, and problem use-related outcomes in young adulthood (p's<.01) and that childhood HI symptoms were associated with earlier initiation of cannabis (p<.01). Further, current IN symptoms moderated the relationships between level of use and more severe outcomes (p's<.01), such that higher IN strengthened positive associations among use and problem cannabis use. Associations with ADHD symptom dimensions and current use of alcohol and cigarettes were also present.

CONCLUSIONS: Thus, current and childhood inattention symptoms as well as childhood hyperactive-impulsive symptoms emerged as significant factors in cannabis-related outcomes in young adults, even after statistically controlling for important confounding variables.

* ADHD Is Highly Prevalent in Patients Seeking Treatment for Cannabis Use Disorders.

(Cannabis Use is not a Freaking Disorder!!!)

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the prevalence of ADHD and determine an effective screening test for ADHD in a population-seeking treatment for cannabis use disorders.

METHOD: The Conners Adult ADHD Diagnostic Interview for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition(DSM-IV; CAADID) was used to generate sensitivity and specificity data for ADHD screening tests, which were then administered to 99 participants seeking treatment for cannabis use disorders to estimate ADHD prevalence.

CONCLUSION: The prevalence of ADHD in adults seeking treatment for cannabis use disorders is estimated to be between 34% and 46%. The WURS paired with the CAARS provides excellent sensitivity and specificity for the diagnosis of ADHD in this population.

Basically this study is saying that adults with ADHD are seeking cannabis treatment. Nothing wrong with that, until you start labeling the use of Cannabis for Therapy as a Disorder!! Its not a disorder!




I hope you can read the  information clearly, Its a picture, feel free to save Image!

"Adults with ADHD describe self-medicating with cannabis (thank you, that's what we call it), with some reporting a preference for cannabis over prescribed stimulant or other ADHD Medications.
30 adults were prescribed with Sativex  Oromuscol Spray (basically a Sativa based strain in a spray bottle) a cannabinoid medication containing a 1:1 ratio of THC-CBD. The analysis showed the Sativex treatment showed significant improvement in hyperactivity/impulsivity and improvement in inattention, activity, cognitive performance, and emotional liability."

Also notice the article about LSD and music and it's role on the Serotonin 2A receptor, but I can't get into that now, this is about Cannabis and ADHD. 

In my conclusion this is a good article. It brings up an interesting point about specifically which strain is best for ADHD. I always say Sativa in the morning and Indica in the evening, but cannabis effects people differently so you are going to have to find which works best for you. When talking about adolescence we should look into strains with less THC, since, as of this date, we are understanding the critical role of marijuana in developing brains.

Children with ADHD should be able to self-medicate with cannabis safely and effectively.

I use Weed for my ADHD!!

Investigative researchers are looking into online forums for information about adults with ADHD and what they do to self medicate:

"Despite that there are no clinical recommendations or systematic research supporting the beneficial effects of cannabis use for ADHD (gee I wonder why), online discussions indicate that cannabis is considered therapeutic for ADHD-this is the first study to identify such a trend. This type of online information could shape ADHD patient and caregiver perceptions, and influence cannabis use and clinical care."

He Appeared to be completely Normal with THC 

"People with ADHD are found to violate traffic regulations, to commit criminal offences and to be involved in traffic accidents more often than the statistical norm. Furthermore, they show more deviant behavior and have an increased co-morbidity regarding substance abuse and dependence. Hence, this disorder is of some forensic importance. The purpose of this case study is to demonstrate that in some cases people with ADHD may show unusual effects after the consumption of THC. A 28-year-old male, who showed abnormal behavior and seemed to be significantly maladjusted and inattentive while sober, appeared to be completely normal with a very high plasma level of THC. Performance tests conducted with the test batteries ART2020 and TAP provided average and partly above-average results in functions related to driving. Thus, it has to be taken into account that in persons with ADHD THC may have atypical and even performance-enhancing effects."

Strains for ADD and ADHD

* Sativas like Green Crack, Sour Diesel, and Cinex help with mental energy and engagement.

* Tru OG (Indica) and Blueberry Headband (Hybrid) help for calming focus.

* Harlequin (Sativa with high CBD-THC ratio 5:2) and Harle-Tsu (a high CBD hybrid) are good for cognitive clarity. 

* Also, Indicas like Goo and Jupiter OG are good for ADD/ADHD medication side effects. Best used before bed time.

If you have any personal stories about ADHD and self-medicating with Cannabis that you would like to share PLEASE add it to the comments below and SHARE!!

Our government may not like to pay for clinical trials to be performed, but we don't need to depend on them, we can all get together and find out ourselves through personal stories and network together!

Resources:
https://www.projectcbd.org/condition/3/ADD-and-ADHD
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17879702
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20520294
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27227537
http://www.europeanneuropsychopharmacology.com/article/S0924-977X(16)30912-9/pdf
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24332802
https://www.leafly.com/news/health/cannabis-and-addadhd
https://www.leafly.com/news/strains-products/best-cannabis-strains-for-focus-and-addadhd
https://medicalcannabisclinic.com.au/adhd-cannabis/