Autism
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THE ADVICE
With cannabinoids for autism, you have three different ones worth trying: CBD, THC & PEA.
I would try them in that order – and of course, with something as varied as autism, you will experiment to find what works best for you.
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CBD
Start with CBD. It’s the easiest & the safest. Begin with 10 mg of CBD in a hemp extract each morning for two weeks. I recommend a gummy or an oil that can be dropped in a drink. (I recommend the products from CV Sciences because I’ve worked with them & know they have good quality – but you can go with any company that has third party testing of all their products).
Once the CBD has had time to balance out the endocannabinoid system, you might have already started to see some behavioral improvements. Now you can start increasing the amounts looking for a sweet spot. To actually start changing the brain pathways, it seems to take higher levels of CBD. In some of the studies below, they have kids taking 600 mg of CBD per day. But at those levels, you could start to be seeing stomach upset or fatigue. Anywhere from 50 to 200 mg per day is a reasonable range. However, since these changes take time, it can be months before the brain really starts to adjust. Don’t worry too much about making sure to have the exact amount. Just keep taking a good amount each day and it should slowly work.
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THC
Some parents will consider THC – others will not. It’s up to you. Obviously, psychoactive effects are not what we’re going for – but taking 1 or 2 mg a day can help a kid control extreme emotions. Plus, it seems like the THC helps the CBD to work better – and like CBD, THC also causes new brain cell growth (neurogenesis). An easy way for anyone to access THC is the Reserve Gummies from CV Sciences. They have 2.5 mg of THC in them. For a kid, cut them in half when starting. The most likely first effect isn’t “feeling high” but feeling tired. So if they’re feeling that, dial it back or discontinue. THC is nice – and might be helpful in your situation – but if you don’t notice any changes, feel free to discontinue – or just give them a minimum of 1 mg a day as a microdose.
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PEA
This is an endogenous cannabinoid already produced in your body & brain. In fact, it seems to be found in every cell in the body & is an important regulator of the immune system (neuroinflammation is one symptom of autism). PEA might even be safer than CBD – which is saying something – and it has a long history of being used to protect from colds & other illnesses.
PEA would be a simple one to add to your current regimen because I would recommend just taking one pill of CV Defense a day. It contains PEA as well as CBDA, a cannabinoid from the hemp plant that helps the guts.
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Other treatments
I don’t know much about these alternatives, but one study found additional help from combining melatonin & oxytocin with CBD. CV Sciences happens to sell a melatonin product that’s well made – but for kids, I’d cut that gummy in half. Melatonin is a strange drug – and often given at higher levels than necessary. Explore it with caution.
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Book a session!
If you’d like to learn more about using CBD & cannabis for your health, book a session with me today…
The Science
Articles about parental anecdotes
video: treatment for severe autism rage
http://www.theweedblog.com/cannabis-as-an-effective-treatment-for-severe-autism-rage/
Why I Give My 9-year-old Pot
https://medium.com/@MarieMyungOkLee/why-i-give-my-9-year-old-pot-part-i-1324de1f5ec7
Forbes: desperate parents
http://www.forbes.com/sites/debraborchardt/2015/06/10/desperate-parents-of-autistic-children-trying-cannabis-despite-lack-of-studies/
An anecdotal story of an autistic boy to started to speak for the first time after a few days of CBD oil
http://trueblog.net/autistic-kid-started-to-speak-after-just-few-days-of-c-b-d-oil-treatment-2286/
Reviews
2021: This review looks at PEA for autism & suggests that it may help via several different mechanisms
Palmitoylethanolamide and Its Biobehavioral Correlates in Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Systematic Review of Human and Animal Evidence
https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/13/4/1346/htm
2021: A review of the evidence so far
Cannabis and cannabinoid use in autism spectrum disorder: a systematic review
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34043900/
2021: Compare & contrast with other medications
Safety and Efficacy of Medical Cannabis in Autism Spectrum Disorder Compared with Commonly Used Medications
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34432543/
2021: This review of the ECS & autism looks at all of the human studies & finds that anandamide levels are lower in people with autism (CBD raises anandamide levels)
Endocannabinoid Markers in Autism Spectrum Disorder: a Scoping Review of Human Studies
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0165178121005515
2021: A review of targeting the ECS for the treatment of autism - with lessons from animal models
The role of the endocannabinoid system as a therapeutic target for autism spectrum disorder: lessons from behavioral studies on mouse models
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34813825/
Clinical & preclinical evidence
2022: Among humans with autism, they were more likely to be using CBD than the rest of the population
Cannabis and cannabidiol use among autistic and non-autistic adults in the UK: a propensity score-matched analysis
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34916323/
2022: In children with autism, the use of low doses of CBD & trace amounts of THC decreased behavioral problems, improved cognition & increased social interactions
CBD-enriched cannabis for autism spectrum disorder: an experience of a single center in Turkey and reviews of the literature
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34911567/
2022: In children with autism, treatment with cannabis caused 65 biomarkers to shift towards more typical development
Cannabis-Responsive Biomarkers: A Pharmacometabolomics-Based Application to Evaluate the Impact of Medical Cannabis Treatment on Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34874191/
2021: In a mouse model of autism, long-term treatment with CBD-rich medical cannabis oil lessened anxiety & repetitive behaviors
Behavioral aspects and neurobiological properties underlying medical cannabis treatment in Shank3 mouse model of autism spectrum disorder
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34645786/
2021: According to this survey, about 20% of people caring for a child with autism give their child CBD
http://www.autismparentingmagazine.com/autism-cbd-products/?msID=2a1b4913-c633-491a-9c8f-504d0051ef0e
2020: In a study looking at children with autism, help was seen by the addition of CBD, melatonin and oxytocin (30 patients)
A Neuroendocrine Therapeutic Approach with the Pineal Hormone Melatonin, Cannabidiol and Oxytocin (MCO regimen) in the Treatment of the Autism Spectrum disorders
https://www.maplespub.com/webroot/files/A-Neuroendocrine-Therapeutic-Approach-with-the-Pineal-Hormone-Melatonin-Cannabidiol-and-Oxytocin-MCO-regimen-in-the-Treatment-of-the-AutismSpectrum-disorders_1582215771.pdf
2020: brain imaging study of autistics looks at how 600 mg of CBD alters via the GABA & glutamate pathways
Effects of cannabidiol on brain excitation and inhibition systems; a randomised placebo-controlled single dose trial during magnetic resonance spectroscopy in adults with and without autism spectrum disorder
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30758329
2019: In humans, 600 mg of CBD altered brain connectivity in those with autism (34 participants)
The effect of cannabidiol (CBD) on low-frequency activity and functional connectivity in the brain of adults with and without autism spectrum disorder (ASD)
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31237191/