Medical cannabis for Tourette Syndrome may be prescribed in the UK by specialist clinicians listed on the GMC Specialist Register for eligible adults whose motor or vocal tics, or secondary symptoms (anxiety, sleep issues or chronic pain) continue to affect daily living standards despite standard care. It is not a first-line treatment option and will not cure Tourette's syndrome, but it may be considered alongside behavioural therapy and prescribed medications as part of an individualised treatment plan for neurological disorders.
Releaf’s world-class clinical team takes a collaborative approach to prescribing and will review your diagnosis, symptoms, current medication, and full treatment history alongside your wider health needs. This is all done before a prescription for medical cannabis for Tourette’s is considered.
1 in 100
school children in the UK are estimated to be affected by Tourette's syndrome, with more than 300,000 children and adults living with the condition. It is more prevalent in boys than girls.
85.7%
In a study of 1,374 people with Tourette syndrome, 85.7% had at least 1 lifetime psychiatric comorbidity. 72.1% met the criteria for ADHD or OCD.
8.9 points
The average reduction in tic severity after six weeks of a THC:CBD oil in a 2023 trial, with the researchers concluding the treatment also reduced tic-related impairment, anxiety, and OCD symptoms.
21.9%
of participants in a 2023 trial of 97 adults with chronic tic disorders met the study’s tic-improvement threshold, compared with 9.1% in the placebo group.
Symptoms
Blinking and/or eye rolling
Coughing
Jerking limbs or head
Repeating sounds, words, or phrases
Shoulder shrugging
Sudden movements and/or reaches
Throat clearing and/or grunting
Tongue clicking
If you are suffering from any of these symptoms. Please speak with your GP to find out more.
Treatment options:
There is no cure for Tourette’s syndrome, unfortunately, but treatments like behavioural therapy and medication can be prescribed to help people control their tics and better manage their symptoms.
Aripiprazole
Exposure with response prevention (ERP) therapy
Habit reversal training
Neuroleptics
Pimozide
Risperidone
Whether you’re new to cannabis-based medicines, switching from another medical cannabis clinic, or self-medicating, we’ll put you back in control of your health.
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"Tourette's syndrome produces involuntary tics and vocalisations. Emerging research suggests medicinal cannabis might help reduce the frequency and severity of tics by interacting with the endocannabinoid system, improving patients' quality of life."
Dr Michal Modestowicz
Neurology
07. 06. 2024
Today, June 7th, is International Tourette's Awareness Day. A day dedicated to raising awareness and understanding of Tourette's Syndrome (TS) and to also celebrate the strength and resilience of those who live with it.
07. 06. 2024
13. 05. 2024
This year’s Mental Health Awareness Week, taking place from 13-19 May, 2024 is all about movement — and why it’s so important for our mental health. Can medical cannabis help get people moving more? We take a look.
13. 05. 2024
05. 07. 2023
If you’ve ever found yourself wondering ‘What are the potential medical benefits of cannabis?’ you’ve come to the right place. Medical cannabis is a term used to describe the medical application of cannabis or cannabis-based medicines to help relieve symptoms associated with certain health conditions.
05. 07. 2023
Yes. Medical cannabis may be prescribed for eligible adults with Tourette's syndrome in the UK, but must be done so by a specialist doctor. It has been legal to prescribe cannabis-based treatment options in the UK since late 2018, although never as a first-line treatment option.
If you have Tourette's and are considering pursuing a medical cannabis prescription, you will need to have tried at least two conventional treatment options before a specialist can consider prescribing medical cannabis. Before a prescription is considered, our multidisciplinary team will review your medical records to better understand your current symptoms, medications, recent treatment history, and your wider health goals and needs.
If a prescription is subsequently issued, the prescribing specialist will talk you through all of the formats available to Releaf patients, including THC vapes, medical cannabis strains, medical cannabis oils, and pastilles.
Yes. Releaf currently assesses adults aged 18 and over for medical cannabis treatment. While people of any age can develop Tourette's, it commonly begins in childhood, and many people find their tics change over time. For some, they become less noticeable in adults. For others, vocal tics, motor tics, and other related symptoms can continue to have a real impact on their daily life, work, relationships, general confidence, and sleep. The mental health toll that Tourette's can place should also not be overlooked.
If you're considering treatment as an adult, one of our specialists will look at the whole picture. That doesn't just include your diagnosis and your symptoms and how they affect daily life, but the behavioural therapy you've gone through and the medications you've previously tried. They will also ask you about the efficacy of previous treatments and whether you have experienced any side effects.
Yes, medical cannabis may reduce the severity and frequency of vocal tics and/ or motor tics. It is not a magic bullet and will not help every single patient, but it has been shown to have a positive clinical impact for some patients.
Motor and vocal tics can be extremely physically and mentally tiring, along with causing feelings of shame and embarrassment. They can also be painful and almost impossible to predict, particularly when they interrupt conversation, sleep, work or social situations. If your symptoms continue to affect your everyday life despite conventional treatment, medical cannabis may be considered as part of a holistic treatment plan.
|
Study |
What the research found |
Important context |
|
In 22 adults with severe Tourette’s syndrome, tic severity scores fell by an average of 8.9 points after 6 weeks of THC:CBD oil, compared with 2.5 points with placebo. |
A small double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Researchers also reported possible improvements in tic-related impairment, anxiety and OCD symptoms. |
|
|
Sixteen adults with treatment-resistant Tourette’s syndrome recorded an average tic improvement of more than 20%, equal to a 7-point reduction on the Yale Global Tic Severity Scale. |
An early-stage study without a placebo group, but improvements were seen within 1 week. |
|
|
Several clinician and self-rated measures of tic severity favoured THC over placebo across 6 weeks of treatment. |
A small but positive double-blind trial, with 17 participants included in the final analysis. |
|
|
21.9% of participants prescribed nabiximols achieved at least a 25% reduction in tic severity, compared with 9.1% of those given a placebo. |
The largest controlled study here, involving 97 adults. It did not meet its primary endpoint, so the findings remain encouraging rather than conclusive. |
Research findings can help show where medical cannabis may have a role, but they can't really capture the difference the changes in tick severity can make at home and to a person's self-confidence. For Harry and his mum Laura, reducing the intensity and frequency of his ticks was only part of the picture; it also meant more focus, better control, and a greater sense of connection for this mum and her son
“The medical cannabis flower has been amazing. As soon as he started vaping the flower, he stopped ticking, which was amazing. He really calmed, and he suddenly focused. He’s so much more engaged.
The fact that it helps reduce his tics so much makes a huge difference to his ability to focus for longer periods. Before medical cannabis, we were struggling to control anything, really. It hasn’t got rid of his problems, but we’ve got it to a point where we control his issues so much better.”
Laura, speaking about her son Harry’s experience - Harry’s Releaf patient story
THC and CBD are the two major cannabinoids produced by cannabis plants. They affect the body differently and play separate roles in a prescription for Tourette's syndrome. Research into tics has focused mostly on THC-dominant treatments, although some studies have offered THC and CBD as a combined treatment option.
The endocannabinoid system network of naturally occurring signalling molecules and receptors that helps regulate processes including movement, mood, sleep, pain, and the stress response. This is particularly relevant to Tourette's sufferers, as cannabinoid receptors are found in brain regions involved in movement control, including the basal ganglia.
They can also affect other systems involved in brain signalling, including the dopamine, GABA, glutamate, and serotonin systems.
|
Cannabinoid |
How it interacts with the body |
What this may mean for Tourette’s |
|
THC |
THC directly activates CB1 receptors, which are highly concentrated in the brain, including areas involved in movement control. It can also influence dopamine, GABA and glutamate signalling, which are involved in how nerve cells communicate and may be relevant to tic expression. |
THC is the cannabinoid most often studied in Tourette’s research. Some small trials suggest it may help reduce tic severity or premonitory urges for some adults. It can also cause drowsiness, dizziness, changes in concentration or anxiety. |
|
CBD |
CBD does not directly activate CB1 receptors in the same way. Instead, it may influence the endocannabinoid system indirectly, while interacting with serotonin receptors, TRPV1 receptors involved in pain signalling, and other pathways linked to stress and inflammation. |
There is less Tourette’s-specific research on CBD alone. A specialist may consider CBD alongside THC where anxiety, sleep disruption, pain or tolerability are also part of the overall picture. |
You can also read how it works before getting started.
Tourette's syndrome is classed as a neurological condition but is increasingly being described as a neurodevelopmental condition because it affects how the brain develops and regulates movement. It causes involuntary motor and vocal tics, which usually begin in childhood, but can emerge later in life.
Tourette's is not a mental illness. That said, it can occur alongside conditions that affect mood, attention and behaviour, including anxiety, depression, ADHD and OCD. The impact that involuntary tics can cause may also add to the overall mental health toll.
Not having control over your movement, the noises you make, or the words that you say is understandably extremely stressful and often leads to Tourette's sufferers trying to avoid social situations, work or education. This doesn't mean that Tourette's is a mental health condition. It simply shows that the practical and emotional impact of living with tics deserves to be recognised and supported.
Your diagnosis should always be viewed as a whole picture rather than a label. Your wider clinical team, along with your Releaf specialist, will help you understand which symptoms are linked to Tourette's, which may relate to co-occurring conditions, and how different forms of support can work together holistically
Tourette's can exist in isolation, but many patients are also managing OCD and anxiety issues or ADHD, and it is this wider mix of symptoms that can have the greatest effect on your work relationships, sleep, and self-confidence. Tics often become harder to manage if you are stressed and exhausted. The effort of just suppressing them can be mentally draining in its own right.
The symptoms and impact of co-occurring conditions will present differently for each patient, but they may include;
ADHD, which can make concentration, organisation, restlessness, and sleep more difficult
Anxiety, often linked to social anxiety and worries about tics being noticed or misunderstood
OCD, which can involve a wide range of symptoms including intrusive thoughts, compulsions, or a need for things to feel just right
Medical cannabis is not intended to replace the care or treatment options available for these conditions. But if you are finding that symptoms continue to affect your daily life despite your current treatment plan, a Releaf prescribing specialist may consider offering medical cannabis as part of a more holistic approach.
For some people with Tourette's, the most meaningful outcome is not simply fewer tics. It is having more capacity to sleep, focus, and spend time with their loved ones without worrying about those outside thoughts.
A medical cannabis prescription is never intended to be a direct replacement for established Tourette's care. Behavioural therapies, including comprehensive behavioural intervention for tics (CBIT), habit reversal training, and exposure with response prevention, can help some people recognise tic urges and develop practical ways to manage them.
Pharmaceutical treatment options may also be prescribed when tics are causing pain, distress, or disrupting daily life. Depending on your particular circumstances and symptoms, this may include medicines such as clonidine, guanfacine, aripiprazole or risperidone. Some patients find these approaches helpful, while others experience limited benefits or side effects that are difficult to live with long term.
Where potentially beneficial, medical cannabis may be considered as an addition to your current treatment options. Before a prescription is issued, our multidisciplinary clinical team will consider your full treatment history, your current health goals and needs and whether you continue to receive support from your GP, neurologist, or mental health team.
As with all prescribable options, medical cannabis is not suitable for everyone and can cause certain side effects, particularly when treatment first begins. These can include issues around fatigue, dizziness, dry mouth, red eyes, changes in your appetite, reduced concentration, anxiety, and changes in blood pressure and heartbeat.
Medical cannabis treatment involving THC may also not be appropriate for people with a personal or family history of psychosis, or those with a diagnosis of schizophrenia or bipolar.
In some of the Tourette's studies quoted above, some participants also reported slight cognitive effects such as slowed thinking memory lapses and difficulty concentrating. That said, there were no reports of an increase in tics as a side effect of the treatment. Individual responses do vary and if you see any worsening symptoms or an increase in tics you should discuss this immediately with your clinical team.
Medical cannabis may interact with other prescribed medication including antidepressants, antipsychotics, sedatives, and blood thinners. This highlights why it's so important to make sure your prescribing specialist has a full understanding of your previous treatments and any current medication.
While medical cannabis is legal, there are regulations around driving that you must be aware of. You must not drive if THC is impairing you in any way, even if you hold a valid prescription.
If the direct or secondary symptoms of Tourette's syndrome are affecting your mental health or day to day quality of life, you may be eligible for a UK medical cannabis prescription. Feel free to head over to our medical cannabis eligibility checker.
It comes with zero obligation or costs attached, and will give you a clearer understanding of your potential eligibility for medical cannabis treatment in the UK moving forward.
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