Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)

Benefits of Cannabis:
Medical cannabis can not only help to control some of the symptoms of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis but may slow the progression of the disease.

Risks of Cannabis:
Cannabis can increase the risk of falls in ALS patients, and caregivers must take precautions to minimize this risk. Anxiety may be made worse with using higher THC doses.

Suggested Initial Therapy:
Smoking should be avoided in these patients. Tinctures are likely to be the most effective method of ingestion. CBD, CBG and THC should be used.

• CBD Tincture: Start at 16mg dose of a whole plant extract use every 12 hours. The CBD will help with anxiety, depression and pain symptoms, improve interactions with caregivers and may decrease brain inflammation.
• CBG Tincture: Start at 8mg - 16mg CBG tincture administered with the CBD tincture. The CBG is to decrease brain inflammation and will help with anxiety when used with CBD.
• THC Tincture: Use an “indica” THC tincture to fully leverage the entourage effect. Start at a 2.5mg THC dose administered with CBD/CBG tinctures. The THC will help relieve some pain symptoms, spasticity, improve appetite and help to decrease inflammation.

Titration of Doses:
After 7 days of therapy, adjustment of dose may be considered. Tincture doses are modified based on response.

• If Anxiety, Depression and/or Pain are inadequately treated, an increase in CBD and CBG of 25% should be performed.
• If Spasticity, Appetite and/or Pain are issues, increase the THC dose by 2.5mg.
• Adjustment of dose should be considered based on the patient's response every week or two. If side effects are experienced, the last dose administered which was well tolerated should be used.

DISCLAIMER: Information provided is for educational purposes to assist medical cannabis patients in using the medication. These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA and cannabis is not approved by this agency for the use in diagnosis or treatment of any diseases.

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