During nearly a quarter of a century of military service, much of which I spent in either the desert or the jungle, I incurred a series of injuries that cause me to have seizures. To date, I have had 4 seizures and 1 grand mal. I separate the two, because if you are familiar with seizures, there is a difference. I’m fortunate that I’ve only had 1 grand mal, many of those who suffer from seizures only have grand mals. Those are the grand daddy of all seizures – and one usually doesn’t wake up from one of those for a very long time, assuming they survive.
I’m retired from military service, so I receive my care from a private physician (thanks to private health insurance) but the only drug they can dispense for my seizures is some form of opium. I would probably be OK with the some form of opium, but for me – it’s like drinking 12 ounces of whiskey and then trying to go to work. Could you imagine trying to work while drunk off your ass on 12 ounces of Cuban rum? To make matters worse, I live in Texas where if one utters the words, “Medical Marijuana” they might be arrested.
In Texas, it’s illegal to discuss Marijuana with your physician. Simply having a positive and honest conversation may cost him his license to practice medicine. He knows me, and he knows I use Cannabis to keep my seizures at bay, but he can’t discuss it with me. That first awkward conversation kind of went this,
Dr: If you won’t take hydrocodone then I don’t have anything else that won’t cause the same symptoms.
Me: I can’t work on hydrocodone, ergo, I won’t be able to make my house payment and take care of my children.
Dr: What do you want to do?
Me: I have been using Cannabis successfully for almost 1 year and I haven’t had a single seizure since I started.
Dr: Well, I am not allowed to respond. I would be more concerned about the consequences with getting caught. If you are concerned about providing for your family, then you should reconsider. If you are caught, then you won’t be able to make your house payment and take care of your children.
Me: With Hydrocodone, it’s a guarantee. Maybe – just maybe – I can continue to get away with this until it’s either legal, or I can afford to move to another state – or you find a cure for me.
Dr: I’m prohibited by law with discussing anything regarding Medical Marijuana with you. I would love to ask you a litany of questions including dosage, type of use, but understand, my hands are tied but I’m glad you found an herbal remedy to help control the seizures.
[Dudemaster, I'm hoping you can press your doctor as to what law he thinks he's breaking. The Conant v. Walters decision made it clear that government cannot intrude on a doctor's First Amendment right to discuss any form of medical care with his patient. Maybe he's got some clause in his contract with his clinic, hospital (he's not a VA doc, so the federal law doesn't apply), or malpractice insurance. --"R"R]
While surfing the web, I came across one of Dr. Phil Leveque’s posts (I love his posts) as he talks about the usefulness of Cannabis as it relates to Seizures. It simply confirms something I already knew, and many of you have learned, Marijuana can help control seizures.
Dr. Phil Leveque Salem-News.com
(MOLALLA, Ore.) – I must thank the Oregonian, even with my left hand. Thy supply me with medical marijuana stories I could not dream up by myself.
On June 17th 2009 they published that now EMT’s could inject anti-seizure drugs, which are valium type drugs Lorazepam and Midazolam which given soon enough will stop the seizure and save the life, into seizure victims without permission from anybody.
Well, yes, this is a good idea because seizures can be lethal and otherwise very dangerous for the powerful thrashing of the patient and helpers and bystanders. We have 50,000 + cases per year.
The Oregonian has been continually insidiously skeptical about medical marijuana despite the fact that Oregon has the MOST successful program in the U.S. with about 22 thousand patients using it successfully for every kind of disease they can think of which obviously isn’t many. Their snide remarks about “JUST GETTING HIGH” no longer has any validity. Besides that 3000 doctors in Oregon are signing applications – marijuana works very well for seizures.
Their SEIZURE remarks require positive debate and correction. All of the standard drugs are brain depressants. In other words they make a patient slow where good brain function is necessary.
Marijuana was discovered to be effective against seizures more than one hundred years ago and it doesn’t make victims feel stupid as do most anti-seizure drugs. One of the most important features of marijuana is that if the victim inhales the VAPOR or smoke the good effects are within seconds. This is very important.
All epilepsy/seizure patients will know before they have a seizure. There is a medical poem which tells them. The poem goes like this:
- The aura ———- Flashes of light
- The cry ———- Involuntary call
- The fall ———- They fall down
- The fit ———- They struggle
- The tonus ———- Stiff arms and legs
- The clonus ———- Flapping of arms and legs
- The p**s ———- Urination
- The s**t ———- Defecation
If the patient is using or uses marijuana with the Aura, it is likely they will not have the rest of the seizure.
Skeptics, like the Oregonian, will ask what is the proof of this benefit?
In Oregon about 600 seizure patients are using medical marijuana successfully. They are even willing to pay the State of Oregon and the marijuana clinics about $300 per year for the PRIVELEGE of using a medication which really works.
Contact your elected representatives and urge them to 'Stop Arresting Marijuana Smokers'. 
I have seizures to and I have been researching and thinking about if marijuna would help my seizres but I am afraid it would mess up my lungs or cause cancer do you have any other suggestions on how I could use the plant where it would help the seizures.Kristen
I suffered from seizures most of my life. It started when I was a child, but they were mild form of staring into space, not a clue as to what was going on around me. When I started High School I started smoking Marijuana, to my suprised my seizures stoped.
After I got married, and had babies I stoped smoking and my seizures returned but instead of the mild ones I got the grand mal. These were awful. It prevented me from driving and leading a normal life. The pills I was givin were awful, they made me feel strange, all of them. I do not know which was worse the seizures or the pills.
To shorten the story a bit, my husband was killed going to work one day and to calm my nerves I went back to smoking. Low and behold the seizures stoped. I went ten years with out any seizures, or pills. I am not a drug addict, and did not smoke much. But what little I did worked.
Due to recent events in my life I had to quit again. After 10 years seizure free and low and behold I had a seizure at work, and one again the other nite at home. After long talks with family and freinds they all think the the marijuana has kept my seizures in check for the last ten years.
I am a helthy person. I do not drink, or do any other drugs. I grow and can all my vegatables, and have not had a single bite of fast food of any kind in almost 12 years. I even bake my own bread. Maybe once a month I will have a cola. I will not eat any meat unless it is grass fed, and deer meat.
I wish they would legalize marijuana and make my life better. I have refused to take the pills. I can not function on them. If anything the pills are bad drugs. Read the side effects of the pills, then list the side effects of marijuana.
My God had provided us with a natural remendy, not a chemical one, and given the choice I will use his.
Steven 32 – When i was 18 months old i crawled behind an electric stove that was wired wrong. I was electricuted, the power went in my jaw and out my forehead. I spent my whole life on the pills doctors prescribed and nothing worked. When Colorado passed the medical marijuana laws but before they went into effect i had a neurologist surprise me by bringing up marijuana as a medication. My whole life i was told by parents, schools, law, and many others “Weed is bad!”, so when a doctor broached the subject with me i didnt know what to say. Simple conversation. “Did you know they are doing studies of medical marijuana for seizures?”. “No i didnt, is there any value to marijuana for seizures doc?” “Do you have internet? ….. Please come back next week, i think we have said all that needs be said for now” With that my life changed. My seizure have never been and will never be under control, but they no longer ruin my life. I can leave my apartment without worrying about waking up in an emergency room, cuffed to a bed for “my safety”. Throw a few joints in my pocket lock box and head out into the world. And if the worst starts to happen, i just find a place away from site, take my medicine and go back to what i was doing. Where as with Valuum, i would feel it coming, take the pill and do my best to make my last thought… “Dont freak out, you wont wake up here, you will be in another hospital when you wake with a god awful bill you cant pay”. I have had many doctors since then, due to relocation out of and back into the state, and have had to have the “talk” with each doctor along the way. I found this works best for me and the doctor for starting the conversation. “Did you know they have done a lot of research into marijuana for seizures?”. This lets your doctor know you are open to the discussion, and yet that fear of the law that we have been raised with is satisfied that you didnt blurt anything out. I hope this helps at least 1 person, and sorry if i dont make much sense, words were never my thing.
Check Paul Armentano’s constantly-evolving booklet, Emerging Clinical Applications for Cannabis and Cannabinoids:
http://www.norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=7002
Dudemaster, can you help me find some data on any of the studies being done?
There’s now less than two years left before the Tx. legislature looks at the medical and ag uses of marijuana and hemp respectively. That means we have less than two years to locate the data, write about it in an intelligent manner (this is why I’m writing you), and get the info into the hands of the people that can do something positive with the info.
Two yrs will be upon us fast…Now is the time for us to be in the drivers seat.
Thank you
Dudemaster, Blessings on you and yours. I wish that I had the courage to tell my tale. So I thank you for telling yours.
Yes the plight to find a doctor that understands the medical use of cannabis in a state without med laws can be hard. It took me years to find a doctor that would treat it seriously and not laugh or treat me as a criminal.
Dudemaster, thank you so much for your service to our country.
I’m both a patriot and a pothead and there are more of us out there than many people think.