Posted by Johnny on May 17, 2000, at 0:59:46
I have a friend that smoked a large about of weed for the last ten years.
Two years ago, she got ill for about two weeks with the flu and was in no condition to be smoking. When she appeared to get better she went back to work she appeared to have had a seizure.
She claimed she started to have a lot of them. At the time there was publicity that marijuana had a medicinal property to surpress seizures. However the incidence of these apparent seizures and sleep disturbaces escalated. Particularly when she ran out.
She was off it for about four months when she had to live with her husband's parents. She and her husband observed that the seizures continued. A year ago she moved to her parents house who tolerated marijuana use. Her husband spent his entire paychecks to keep her supplied with about an ounce of high grade marijuana a week, which she'd go through in five days and be strung out and crazy for two days. She is plagued at such times with waves of nausea, strange sensations, sweats, strange odors, panic, and sudden tantrums when this occurs.
I think she downplayed the amount she is smoking, but she is seeing a neurologist who she claims told her that if pot helps her with the seizures and the nausea she couldn't recommend it and keep her liscence but she wouldn't advise against it either. My friend has taken this to mean that pot=medicine. She is now taking Tegretol with it.
I did some scanning the net and found that some of her seizures and other strange sensations might be withdrawl, and so I shared this info with her and her husband. She wasn't thrilled, but he stopped supporting her habit for now.
But now her neurologist is concerned that she has the symptoms of a seizure disorder I cannot find anywhere on the internet where her heart could stop and she could die at any time (her claim of what he doctor said). Is this for real? Does she have a severe, debilitating, and life-threatening illness, and my suggestion that she was merely going through with withdrawl an insensitive affront? Could the neurologist have mistaken symptoms that are withdrawl for something more severe?
Can someone lucidly explain to me what connection there is between marijuana and seizures? I cannot find any reputable studies one way or the other. I have heard even that marijuana has both seizure supressing and causing properties. Can someone refer me to relevant material from a good source on this?
I cannot tell if she is supressing seizures with marijuana, creating seizures with marijuana, or creating them with her withdrawl. All I know is that she is in a lot of anguish, her husband is always broke, and her parents are wishing they never let her move in. She can't work, drive, leave the home, and seems barely able to do simple chores. She is very depressed and feels worthless and like a burden.
please note:
She has also done before the seizures began recreational use of LSD and use of Ecstasy on a once a month or so basis, this ended about a year and a half ago.
poster:Johnny
thread:33737
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20000508/msgs/33737.html