Science: THC Effective In Obsessive Compulsive Disorder According To Case Reports

[Truth Seeker]

Researchers from Berlin, Germany, reported two cases of obsessive compulsive disorder successfully treated with oral THC to the American Journal of Psychiatry. Both patients, a 38-year-old woman and a 36-year-old man, were refractory to conventional treatment such as neuroleptics and antidepressants. After the first patient had informed her physicians that smoking of cannabis relieved her symptoms, 10 mg THC three times daily was added to the ongoing treatment with clomipramine, which resulted in a significant decrease of symptoms within 10 days. The second patient received dronabinol, which was slowly increased up to a dose of 10 mg THC twice daily, also in addition to his ongoing treatment. A significant reduction of symptoms was observed within two weeks.

Obsessive compulsive disorder is a psychiatric anxiety disorder most commonly characterized by a subject's obsessive, distressing, intrusive thoughts and related compulsions (tasks or "rituals") which attempt to neutralize the obsessions. Many patients do not respond well to conventional medications, which also may cause significant side effects. Based on the observation that THC is effective in treating tics in Tourette's syndrome and the observation that Tourette's syndrome may be genetically linked to obsessive compulsive disorder, researchers hypothesized that THC might also reduce their symptoms.

Source: International Association for Cannabis as Medicine