A Clinical Case Study of a 45 y/o Female Suffering with PTSD, Bipolar D/O, Depression, Anxiety and Chronic Pain Syndrome Taking 42-58 Pills Per Day and Weaned off of All Medications Using Medical Cannabis

Abstract

Joseph Rosado

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a prevalent, chronic, and disabling depression and anxiety disorder that may develop following exposure to a traumatic event. Although the use of Medical Cannabis for the treatment of physical and psychological disorders is controversial, medical marijuana is currently legal in Canada, 33 states in the United States and many countries around the world. Studies published in Molecular Psychiatry and Science Daily showed that treatment using particular compounds found in cannabis may benefit those with PTSD, and that “plant-derived cannabinoids [psychoactive chemicals] such as cannabis may possess some benefits in individuals with PTSD by helping relieve haunting nightmares and other symptoms of PTSD” and as a result of taking medical cannabis, participants reported a decrease in re-experiencing the trauma, less avoidance of situations that reminded them of the trauma, and a decline in hyper-arousal, respectively. There’s also convincing evidence from multiple studies for reduced endocannabinoid availability in PTSD, i.e., reduced levels of the endocannabinoid anandamide and compensatory increase of CB1 receptor availability in PTSD, and an association between increased CB1 receptor availability in the amygdala and abnormal threat processing, as well as increased severity of hyperarousal, but not dysphoric symptomatology, in trauma survivors. Other studies suggest that Medical Cannabis therapy, as an adjunct to a traditional analgesic therapy, can be an efficacious tool to make more effective the management of chronic pain and its consequences on functional and psychological dimensions. The patient in this case study had been treated for over 20 years with multiple opiates, Selective Serotonin Re-Uptake Inhibitors (SSRIs), Serotonin Norepinephrine Re-Uptake Inhibitors (SNRIs), typical and atypical antipsychotics, antiepileptics, etc. to manage her multiple medical conditions, i.e., migraine headaches, seizures/tremors, general anxiety disorder with panic attacks, major depressive disorder-moderate and recurrent, attention deficit disorder, fibromyalgia, hot flashes and generalized edema. We will review how she was weaned off of the majority of the pharmacological treatments solely using Medical Cannabis in less than one year

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