Cannabinoids are a safe and effective treatment for Tourette syndrome and should be considered in treatment-resistant cases. - GreenMedInfo Summary
Severe motor and vocal tics controlled with Sativex®.
Australas Psychiatry. 2016 Aug 24. Epub 2016 Aug 24. PMID: 27558217
David Trainor
OBJECTIVES: A single case report on cannabinoid treatment for treatment-resistant Tourette syndrome (TS).
METHOD: Our subject received 10.8 mg Tetrahydocannabinol and 10 mg cannabidiol daily, in the form of two oro-mucosal sprays of 'Sativex(®)', twice daily. Assessment was pre-treatment and at week one, two, and four during treatment. He completed the Yale Global Tic Severity Scale as a subjective measure, and was videoed at each stage. The videos were objectively rated by two assessors, blind to the stage of treatment, using the Original Rush Videotape Rating Scale.
RESULTS: Both subjective and objective measures demonstrated marked improvement in the frequency and severity of motor and vocal tics post-treatment. There was good interrater reliability of results.
CONCLUSIONS: Our results support previous research suggesting that cannabinoids are a safe and effective treatment for TS and should be considered in treatment-resistant cases. Further studies are needed to substantiate our findings.
