Physicians often prescribe medical marijuana for tremors and other movement disorders. There are about 20 different types of tremors that range from mild to crippling. They can be classified as either a resting tremor or an action tremor.
A resting tremor occurs in relaxed muscles and often affects only the fingers and hands. Most tremors are action tremors that occur when a muscle is voluntarily moved. Patients with tremors receive treatment to help manage symptoms, since most types of tremor have no cure. In this article, we will explore some of the research supporting the use of weed-based medicines for alleviating tremors and other movement disorders.
Patients who treat their tremors with marijuana may see improved motor coordination, but the research is still inconclusive on the effect marijuana has on tremors. MMJ has been observed to improve other movement disorders such as spasticity, and treatment plans involving marijuana for tremors hold a lot of promise. A tremor is an involuntary and rhythmic muscle contraction that causes shaking in one or more parts of the body. They can occur constantly or intermittently.
Tremors are considered a movement disorder that may happen sporadically or because of another disorder. Hands are most commonly affected by tremors, but the disorder can also affect patients’ arms, legs, torso, head and vocal cords. Another movement disorder is spasticity, a condition where specific muscles remain contracted. The constant contraction can lead to muscle tightness and can impede normal movement, speech and gait. Spasticity is typically caused by damage to the area of the brain or the spinal cord that controls voluntary movement. Spasticity has a negative effect on joints and muscles of the extremities. Movement disorders can occur on their own but are more often symptoms of a neurological disorder, such as:
Marijuana is a medicinal plant that contains chemical compounds called cannabinoids, such as THC and CBD, and aromatic compounds called terpenes, both of which have medicinal properties.
Marijuana produces flowers that are dried, trimmed and cured to make buds. Dried buds can be smoked or vaped. The flowers can also be turned into medicinal oils that can be ingested or taken under the tongue. Marijuana oil is a concentrated form of marijuana that combines concentrated, decarboxylated cannabinoids with a liquid oil carrier. Marijuana oil can be more potent than dry flowers. It can also be administered through a capsule, a vaping cartridge or in edibles. Licensed providers provide high-quality oils to medical patients in Florida.
Can THC Help With Tremors
THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) has research-backed effects for the following conditions: acute psychosocial stress, anorexia, anxiety, asthma and other breathing difficulties, Crohn’s disease, glaucoma, Huntington’s disease, nausea, pain, PTSD, Tourette syndrome and multiple sclerosis. Patients disabled by tremors and ataxia have been observed to have improved motor coordination when they took oral doses of THC and when smoking a marijuana cigarette. Spasticity, a movement disorder related to tremors, is also improved by THC.
In another clinical research study, researchers orally administered THC to patients with spasticity and central nervous system lesions. They found that 10 mg of THC significantly reduced patients’ spasticity, especially for patients with tonic or continuous spasms. While these findings did not focus on how THC helps tremors specifically, they did observe improvements in motor coordination and spasticity.
Parkinson’s is a disease of the central nervous system associated with progressive degeneration of the basal ganglia region of the brain and a deficiency of dopamine. The disease is marked by stiffness and tremors. In a clinical trial on patients with Parkinson’s disease, researchers assessed the clinical effect cannabis had on motor and non-motor symptoms of the disease. 22 patients smoked cannabis and were evaluated 30 minutes later. Researchers found significant improvement in the patients’ tremors, sleep quality and pain scores.
This study involved the whole cannabis plant and not just CBD, but other studies have looked at the effects of just CBD on motor symptom scores in addition to other effects like neuroprotective outcomes and quality of life measures. The researchers concluded that there were no statistical differences in the motor symptom scores between the three groups, suggesting that cannabis oil for tremors may not be effective without THC. The researchers also stated that larger samples were needed to verify the findings. Some researchers believe that the known neuroprotective characteristics of CBD may prove to be an effective therapy to stem the progression of the disease due to a combination of CBD’s anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties.
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