Hundreds of thousands of people across the UK suffer from Neurological conditions. These diseases of the central and peripheral nervous systems include epilepsy, MS, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, ALS, Bell’s palsy and ADHD, amongst others. While conventional medicines and treatments are well-tolerated by many, for some these traditional approaches remain ineffective. In these cases, Releaf may be able to help, offering doctor-backed holistic alternatives for complex Neurological conditions.
Neurological
Many neurological conditions have no cure and can significantly impact speech, movement, and emotions. Conventional medicines and surgery often come with severe risks and side effects, and the NHS already prescribes cannabis-based treatments to some MS and epilepsy sufferers. However, evidence shows that these alternative treatments can improve the quality of life for people living with a wide range of debilitating neurological disorders.
How Can Cannabis-Based Treatments Help?
CBD’s antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties may promote the health and functioning of brain cells, and reduce symptoms associated with neurological disorders. Cannabis may also have neuroprotective properties which could help protect against nerve cell degradation and damage and reduce muscle stiffness, tremors, and pain. Some patients have reported increased clarity of thought, an elevated mood, and less anxiety due to taking CBD.
70%
of people with epilepsy could live seizure-free lives if properly treated.
1 in 5
MS patients have used cannabis to manage symptoms.
26%
of Parkinson’s patients surveyed have used cannabis-based treatments.
49%
reduction was noted in spasticity after 12 weeks of CBPM use.
05. 07. 2023
While cannabis is still classed as a Class B controlled drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, in November 2018, the laws surrounding medicinal cannabis shifted in the UK. After decades of lobbying by patient advocacy organisations, doctors, and scientists, medicinal cannabis was finally made available on prescription for patients suffering from certain conditions, with multiple sclerosis (MS) making it on the list.
05. 07. 2023
Sam North
12. 07. 2023
Every single hour, two people in the UK are diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease (PD), the world’s fastest growing neurological condition that currently has no cure. With an estimated 8.5 million people facing this incurable diagnosis across the world, increasing numbers of Parkinson’s patients are turning to medicinal cannabis to help potentially manage tremors and rigidity, relieve the symptoms of anxiety that can go hand in hand with the diagnosis, and improve their sleep quality.
12. 07. 2023
Lucy MacKinnon
14. 07. 2023
Neurological disorders. Varied, potentially devastating, and hard to group into one easy-to-digest category. They are essentially diseases of the central and peripheral nervous system conditions and include epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer's disease and dementia, ALS, Bell's palsy, and a huge range of separate neuromuscular disorders.
14. 07. 2023
Kerry Charron
"Medical cannabis can help manage neurological conditions by reducing muscle spasticity and rigidity, pain, and seizures.
While licensed CBPMs like Epidyolex for epilepsy and Sativex for multiple sclerosis can be prescribed by the NHS, private medical cannabis clinics like Releaf can prescribe medical cannabis for a wide range of neurological conditions.
Medical cannabis offers great flexibility in the delivery of cannabinoid therapy for these conditions and can be used in other areas such as migraine and cluster headaches, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, motor neurone disease, as well as neuropathy and fibromyalgia."
Dr. Michal Modestowicz
Neurology
Common symptoms associated with neurological conditions
Changes in sensation
Difficulty retaining information
Impaired vision or dizziness
Loss of coordination
Loss of feeling or tingling sensation
Memory loss
Mood swings or emotional changes
Muscle weakness
Persistent headaches
Seizures
Speech and language difficulties
Tremors
It's important to note that these symptoms are general and may not be exclusive to any specific neurological condition. Consulting with a healthcare professional is crucial for accurate diagnosis and tailored treatment plans based on individual needs.
Common neurological conditions
Medical cannabis contains various compounds that interact with the endocannabinoid system (ECS), a cell signalling network that we all have inside our bodies.
The ECS is a large, complex system that’s responsible for regulating various bodily processes.
From helping to manage our mood, maintain a good sleeping routine or regulate our temperature, the system functions using specific cellular receptors, known as CB1 and CB2.
But what does all this have to do with medical cannabis?
Medical cannabis contains cannabinoids, such as THC and CBD, which target the CB1 and CB2 receptors associated with the ECS.
In doing so, these cannabinoids mimic or block the natural endocannabinoids our bodies produce, altering how signals are transmitted throughout the nervous system and around our body.
For patients with neurological conditions, this process can help to alleviate various associated symptoms.
Whether that’s reducing the likelihood of seizures in epilepsy, easing the muscle stiffness associated with multiple sclerosis (MS) or relieving nerve pain linked to peripheral neuropathy, medical cannabis may help certain eligible patients lead a better quality of life when administered alongside conventional treatments.
After the UK government updated the law back in November 2018, medical cannabis has been legally available as a potential treatment for eligible patients with a wide variety of qualifying conditions.
Neurologically speaking, this includes a huge range of conditions, from diseases like Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s to genetic disorders like Huntington’s disease or Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease.
It also comprises various neurodevelopmental disorders, such as autism, ADHD and social pragmatic communication disorder, as well as conditions brought on by other health-related issues, like stroke-related pain or diabetic complications.
If you have been diagnosed with a neurological condition and aren’t sure whether you’re eligible for medical cannabis treatment, contact our team. We’d be happy to answer any questions you might have.
Being prescribed medical cannabis for nerve pain may help to minimise several related symptoms, such as sleep-related disturbances and pain intensity, to make living with the condition slightly easier.
While further research is still needed to fully understand the relationship between the two, recent findings are showing encouraging results.
You can learn more about medicinal cannabis for nerve pain in our dedicated blog article, which covers everything from how it’s administered to what the most relevant research tells us.
Since the world of neurology covers such an expansive range of conditions, it’s difficult to answer how effective medical cannabis can be in general terms.
This is because it really varies on a condition-by-condition basis, with factors like the symptoms it causes and how patients respond to treatment all influencing the overall treatment effectiveness.
For some conditions, the evidence is pretty strong. In fact, cannabis-based medicines are even available on the NHS for certain neurological conditions, such as rare, severe forms of epilepsy or treating the muscle spasms associated with MS.
For other conditions, the current evidence is far more limited or contradictory, with further research either being done or still needed to establish conclusive results.
Here at Releaf, we make a point of keeping up to date with the latest clinical research into medical cannabis and neurological conditions.
Check out our Decoding Cannabis blog series in particular to discover our insights into what the latest research actually means for patients.
Last year, we conducted the largest survey of active UK medical cannabis patients at the time, asking 1,669 people their thoughts on medical cannabis treatment.
Of this number, 494 patients were found to take medical cannabis as a treatment for either a primary or secondary neurological health condition, and their insights led to some fascinating statistics:
91.1% of patients described medical cannabis treatment as moderately, very or extremely effective
95.5% reported notable improvements in their quality of life
76.5% of patients reported no stigma from taking the treatment, with 70.1% feeling confident in administering it outside of the house
83.6% of patients said they experienced no side effects from their medical cannabis prescription
Check out our dedicated blog for a full review of the survey’s results.
Alternatively, visit our patient stories page to discover real-life insights into the impact that medical cannabis has made on our existing Releaf patients.
Medical cannabis prescriptions are legally available to patients with a qualifying neurological condition in the UK who meet strict eligibility criteria.
The treatment is also only available when prescribed by a specialist consultant and from a CQC-regulated private clinic.
It is currently only available on the NHS for three specific conditions, and your standard GP will not be able to prescribe it to you themselves.
While they can still be involved in supporting your overall care, you’ll generally need to book a consultation with a relevant specialist to receive a legal, clinician-led medical cannabis prescription.
For a complete list of what you’ll need to qualify for medical cannabis treatment, including which diagnoses will automatically rule you out, we’ve put together a dedicated guide on how to get a private cannabis prescription in the UK.
Or, if you’re looking for a quicker answer, why not try our medical cannabis eligibility checker?
It’s free, takes less than 30 seconds to complete and could be your first step towards finding relief from your neurological symptoms.
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