Are you alleviating Autism with Cannabis?

[Hydro-Soil]

There's a thread going on over at an Asperger's Syndrome site and I was wondering how many medical users there are here that have some form of autism like I do.

Here's the link if you're interested.
http://www.wrongplanet.net/postt94178.html


Personally I've been self-medicating for Asperger's Syndrome and am looking forward to my first chance to make pills for myself, coming up soon.

 

[madrecinco]

Interesting...does it help you dear?

 

[Hydro-Soil]

Interesting...does it help you dear?

Definitely. Depending on the strain, how it was grown and how it was handled, etc.

Given the choice, I'd much rather have my doctor running me through various professionally produced types of cannabis pills than any of the pharmaceuticals I've tried so far.

I can say there are definitely active cannabinoids that have a direct effect on a variety of issues related to AS and Autism in general.

For AS I used it primarily for anxiety. Contrary to many reports of Sativas increasing anxiety it seems to act the opposite for AS. Not sure about autism in general though.

For Asperger's Syndrome, Indicas seem to aggravate and magnify the difficulty I have with verbal communication, focus and memory.

It decreases my hyper-sensitivity to the environment and allows me to function throughout the day, without being obsessed with how I feel physically in the space I occupy.

I have nausea issues related to movement and reading (carsick) that are completely eliminated by Indicas and Sativas. I spent several months on Rx opiates for pain in my back. Cannabis alone allowed me to stop puking regularly and eat while not feel completely whacked on the opiates.

Anyone else?

 

[The Bling]

Yea I am a fellow aspie with a 160+ IQ I feel like an alien who accidentally downloaded into a human body I have scoliosis and have also been diagnosed
OCD Bi-polar hypersensitivity. Cannabis changed my life really changed my life If it weren't for pot I would have killed myself at 15 It was december 15 I remember the day the Noise and pain had finally pushed me to the edge I remember going to the roof of the apartment that I was living in and walking to the edge of the building and I stopped I have no idea why but I stopped decided to give it one more day. The next night I smoked for my first time I felt alive for the first time that night really alive not some over labeled miss-understood half-life. So i'm with you. I always smoke a mix of indica and sativa but shy away from hybrids Meaning i mix the weed .

added note i also like to consume something that significantly raises the level of dmt in my brain bi weekly

 

[tenotoge]

i get panic attacks from being in closed areas like the bus or train, I get so tense my muscles tweak and my heard jerks n shit. I smoke the kick your asshole out indicas. They really help.

 

[madrecinco]

Interesting to me .....OCD also and bipolar disorder is so widespread these days that they are breaking down the bipolar d/o into categories even....Bipolar has a wide range from rather mild to severe with mania and psychosis with the more severe forms. Lithium and Depakote were the rage for a while and both drugs are toxic to body organs. Very happy you guys find relief with MMJ the WONDER NATUAL MEDICINE!

Do you guys think that childrens vaccinations are contributing to autism as the new hypothesis espouses???

 

[Hydro-Soil]

I seriously doubt there's any link between vaccinations and autism. It's been around for a looooong time throughout history and may even be a running genetic mutation.


Please be careful when self-medicating with cannabis as sativas and indicas have different effects and one may actually be harmful to you vs. the benefit the other would have. With the number of hybrids available the lines are becoming blurred and it gets more and more difficult.

As far as I can tell, there's a specific or several specific active compounds found primarily in Indicas that make my AS worse.... Generally only after a long period of time of continuous use. I'm now finding more sativas that have that same 'taint' as I'm referring to it personally.

Anyone here start taking a med that actually increased your confusion to the point you started doing little circles as you quickly bounced from forgotten task to forgotten task? Elavil does that for me. I've had cannabis that showed almost the same effect after a few weeks.

Please, until we can get this legalized and properly studied and understood, always err on the side of caution and seek professional help if any is possible.

Here's to a greater awareness of AS!

 

[JackTheGrower]

Having just watched Ben X this is an interesting thing.

He was forced to take ecstasy and it had an effect on him.

I believe we all have autism to some degree. LOL

No disrespect ment.

I totally think marijuana is good med.

Thanks for this thread.

Jack

 

[Tom.Foolery]

Hydro-soil, could you PM me? I have a few questions about AS. I believe that you may have unintentionally led me on the right path to finally discovering the source of my obsessions/social awkwardness/repulsion to intimacy.

Please send me a pm if you are able.

 

[JeffSpicoli]

i have a friend who has Asperger's and he without a doubt self medicates with cannabis.

 

[Hydro-Soil]

Hydro-soil, could you PM me? I have a few questions about AS. I believe that you may have unintentionally led me on the right path to finally discovering the source of my obsessions/social awkwardness/repulsion to intimacy.

Please send me a pm if you are able.

Sorry mate, can't send you a PM until you hit at least 50 posts. But I can suggest doing a search for Asperger's and going from there.

I read Tony Atwood's "A Complete Guide to Asperger's Syndrome" and nearly had a breakdown every couple pages. Keep in mind I'm nearly 40, so I have a lot of history that was hitting me all at once.

Definitely hit me with a PM when you hit 50

 

[The Bling]

BLING BLING BLING BLING BLING

 

[Captain420]

Count me in as a AS person using MMJ. A few thoughts come to mind:

1. What symptoms are you targeting? I probably use it for anxiety, insomnia, and most importantly soothing my CNS.

2. What strains do you like to use? I am a fan of hybrids that a have both some indica mellowing and little up sativa feeling.

3. What ingestion methods do you use? I am mostly a vape user, BC of the health implications, but I do occaisionally smoke or cook to get a more calming feeling

4. Are there are any other important issues related to AS and MMJ? I find I really need a good cure to make it worth worthwhile. Maybe my AS makes me super sensitive to uncured bud, but anything too fresh=makes my bad AS symptoms worse, whereas well cured almost always means soothing.

 

[Hydro-Soil]

Count me in as a AS person using MMJ. A few thoughts come to mind:

1. What symptoms are you targeting? I probably use it for anxiety, insomnia, and most importantly soothing my CNS.

Same here as well as focus and pain.

2. What strains do you like to use? I am a fan of hybrids that a have both some indica mellowing and little up sativa feeling.

I prefer Sativas. I've had issues with a large majority of Indica strains actually increasing my confusion. Sometimes only after a week of continued use with the strain.
Cinderella-99
Princess Diesel
Silver Haze
Jack Herrer
Sour Diesel
Lemon Skunk
Lemon Drop

There's a Lavender I get that's a really decent Sativa. Dunno what it really is since 'Lavender' is Soma's #10 and supposedly a powerful indica. Not this one. LOL

3. What ingestion methods do you use? I am mostly a vape user, BC of the health implications, but I do occaisionally smoke or cook to get a more calming feeling

Smoke mostly. Working toward making pills.

4. Are there are any other important issues related to AS and MMJ? I find I really need a good cure to make it worth worthwhile. Maybe my AS makes me super sensitive to uncured bud, but anything too fresh=makes my bad AS symptoms worse, whereas well cured almost always means soothing.

I've noticed the best medicinal coming from indoor grown. The outdoor and greenhouse (at least around here) seems to be missing something. I have my first run coming up under 55w 3000K PL-L CFLs so I'm definitely looking forward to testing that. I too have noticed a significant difference in 'medicinal' quality that increases with the amount of 'cure' it has.

I prefer strains that don't have too much of a 'High' effect. If I need to medicate a little heavier for any reason I don't appreciate getting whacked and having it affect my motor and mental response times.

 

[JamieShoes]

please help me understand... my little girl is autistic and cannot talk... how are you guys so literate?


I genuinely want to understand

 

[Hydro-Soil]

please help me understand... my little girl is autistic and cannot talk... how are you guys so literate?


I genuinely want to understand

There are many different levels on the autistic 'spectrum'. I'm sorry to hear your girl cannot speak and I hope that she learns to communicate in the future.

While I'm what's considered 'High Functioning' (No pun intended) and can converse and type normally, I still have extreme issues with my executive function skills. Verbally communicating to me what needs to be done can be extremely difficult. It's best to keep things simple and explicit in written lists and notes.

I'm very good with concepts but get bored easily when I have to do the nit-picky details. As an example, I understand the concepts of algebra and how to do calculus and can even help others learn. My issue is that I have extreme difficulties sitting down and doing the work, especially all the steps.

My priorities are skewed from what would be considered the norm and run primarily with my interests. Though everything I do is pretty logical, given the time for me to explain it, on the outside I come off as a space cadet goof-ball.

My son also shows signs of autism and is lower functioning than I am. He's an awesome child. When you see him in a conversation with his peers though you can see there's a tremendous gap in communication abilities. He understands concepts much better than he's able to express them verbally. He's a wonderfully talented artist leaning towards drawing and music right now.

My sister has several autistic children and one of them is nearly uncommunicative. I would highly recommend cannabis muffins or something for that situation to mainly reduce the anxiety levels of the poor darling. My sister is not of that mind though and would be horrified at the very suggestion. Nice world we live in.

Cannabis is an excellent way to alleviate that anxiety that can be observed through excessive rocking, biting fingernails and many other 'nervous' habit traits.

It's important to be very careful about using consistent meds and careful observation. Everyone reacts differently to cannabis and if I use Indicas it can often make my symptoms worse after a while (not always right away). Please treat it as any other medication and carefully observe their reactions and behavior, especially for the first 3-4 weeks.

You may find that after that first 3-4 weeks you can cut back slightly on the dosage. I wish you much luck and happiness in the future.

 

[JamieShoes]

many many thanks for your input... she's only 5 and I wasnt really considering cannabis as treatment for her.

I was just astounded at some of the contributors to this threads' ability to express themselves, as at this time, my little one cannot in the "usual" sense... she is a very happy child and always interacting with everything around her, usually on many levels that I can't grasp... she talks to her environment more than other people if you see what I mean..

she is also very musically orientated.. something she continues to develop at a faster rate than her "speaking sounds"... don't get me wrong, shes a proper lilttle chatter box...sadly I don't know what she's saying though.


be lucky
j :smile:

 

[Storm Crow]

Autism and Medical Marijuana
http://autism.com/treatable/drug/marijuana_org.htm

THE SAM PROJECT: James D.
http://www.letfreedomgrow.com/articles/james_d.htm

Medical marijuana: a valuable treatment for autism?
http://www.autismwebsite.com/ari/newsletter/marijuana.htm

Sam’s Story: Using Medical Cannabis to Treat Autism Spectrum Disorder
http://www.letfreedomgrow.com/cmu/SamsStory.htm

 

[Captain420]

please help me understand... my little girl is autistic and cannot talk... how are you guys so literate?


I genuinely want to understand

I would concur with Hydro Soil's assesment of things. In addition, here is my 'answer' to your questions.

Austism is complex: we are really talking about something referred to as Autism Spectrum Disorders (note the plural) and that means that there are many manifestations. At the center are always neurological issues, things that make us seem in some way deviant from the "norm" aka median human behavior. These can include social withdrawl or extreme focus, tendency toward blow ups and tantrums, odd physical ticks such as hand flapping (guilty!), obsessiveness, etc.

As for communication, there are many ways in which people with AS/autism can differ from the norm. Some autistics really don't like to communicate. I am sometimes this way and chalk it up to needing to calm down, since not engaging others helps in that respect. That being said I am highly verbal, mostly because one of my AS traits is difficulty with non-verbal communication. This has particularly worrisome implications when navigating major negotiations, like job interviews or romantic encounters. Mostly my strategy involves lots of talking at the other person. If I am relaxed and less sensitive, then it is easier to work around my issues and actually understand them.

One thing I have heard is that many autistics can be late to speech. Einstein,often speculated to have been autistic, is supposed to have talked first at some relatively old age. I mention this to highlight what I think most autistics want: some basic respect and appreciation for people who handle things differently and understanding that there is a tension between navigating in the world and respecting unique individuals. I have benefited a lot from coming to terms with difference and learning to take responsibility for my weakness and take pride in my strengths. Just know that these strengths and weaknesses can be in a what seems to be odd balances: that is what is meant by "idiot-savant"!

A couple of moderately famous autistics, Temple Grandin and Daniel Tammet, have a lot of interesting videos about them on youtube.com. If you are interested in the smart/stupid paradox many autistics can seem to exhibit, the videos about them can be very informative.

 

[LLCoolBud]

When I was in school there were two autstic children in my class. It was really sad can't believe it's being attributed to the shots that they give us! Thank got I have got some holistic friends who schooled me on the dangers of the heavy metals in shots so i stopped getting them aftermy last booster.