vaporizing for seizures?

[CBDMomma]

My daughter has been using cannabis for a little over a year for seizures and spasticity. We use high CBD strains and deliver medicine through edibles (I make her infused coconut oil with our high CBD strains that we grow) and try to keep her at a treatable level of CBDs and then we have a home-made tincture for breakthrough seizures. The coconut oil is doing a pretty good job of keeping the seizures at bay but she still has breakthroughs a couple times a week (nothing like the daily multiple seizures of the past).

Currently, when she goes into a seizure, I can typically pop a dropper of tincture under her tongue and stop it within a minute. However, if I don't catch the seizure early enough (which happens since her seizures arrive between 2 and 3 am), it is very difficult (and possibly dangerous) to get the tincture positioned under the tongue to deliver sublingually. If that is the case, we are looking at 40 minutes of seizures. I know almost nothing about vaporizing so I am wondering if you all can help me. I know that, if we were to vape, we would need to do it at a higher temp to activate the CBDs (at least 340*... and I know those of you who like the high will be mortified that I kill off all the THC doing this but we are looking at a different situation so please be kind with me). So, if we were to do this, and deliver it through a nebulizer mask that goes over nose and mouth, would that stop the seizure? If so, how quickly? Is there something in the way that the tincture is delivered (sublingually) that would make it different in the way that impacts the brain? Or would vaping do the same thing?

Sorry, I honestly have no first-hand experience with marijuana except for what I have grown/processed/administered for my daughter. I just don't know exactly how vaping affects you other than it being like smoking, only with the lung damage.

Thanks in advance for the response.

 

[David Bowman]

I cannot answer your question regarding if vaping would have an effect on your daughter's seizures although I'd be surprised if it didn't given that tinctures work. I vape at 375° and there is still enough active THC/CBD components left in the mulch that I can get decent edibles so it is hard to totally consume all THC/CBD with vaping. In your daughter's case, I would vape at a lower temperature so as to not irritate the lungs with constant cannabis vapors. You could also regulate when you introduce the vape into the nebulizer so that she can get fresh air inbetween vape inhalations.

 

[CBDMomma]

Thanks so much for the response! I appreciate it! I was beginning to wonder if anyone would reply at all. I have felt like I am doing this all blindfolded so input from people with experience is greatly appreciated. Do you know if it is possible to rent a vaporizer or something. I really don't want to make the investment unless I know that it is going to do the trick (here I go, asking for the world).

 

[David Bowman]

I'm not aware of anyplace where you can rent cannabis paraphernalia. Unless you can locate one to borrow for a while, I'm not sure what else to tell you. You definitely want a good quality vaporizer to test out your theory and not all of them are that expensive, but I can understand where you are coming from though.

 

[Lester Freeman]

As you know, a tincture is an extract of the cannabis plant, and there is a given ratio of CBD to THC in the plant matter. Given you have the higher CBD strains, this ratio will be the same whether it is extracted via oil, or hot air.

Vaporization is considered a "hot air extraction", and the bioavailability of cannabidiol ranges from 13-19% when orally ingested, and between 11-45% for inhalation (30% average). (Cannabidiol - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia) I believe that with the vaporizer, the medicine should enter the blood stream quicker and with a more powerful effect compared to orally ingested where some of the dose is lost metabolically, as well as takes more time for it to enter the blood stream. I think that if you had the timing correct with the herbs, nebulizer, and vaporizer attached that it could end her seizures quicker in the heat of the moment, instead of having to wait 40 minutes. The boiling point of CBD is approximately 180 degrees Celcius, or 356 degrees Fahrenheit. So in essence, that would be the minimum temperature required to have a plentiful extraction of CBD, no reason to worry about the THC since it boils off at ~154 C ( lower), and your THC ratios are already (hopefully) much lower than the CBD.

So, in essence, since there is more bioavailability through inhalation, and quicker passing into the blood stream, it will also reach the brain quicker, and theoretically end your daughters seizure quicker. Though, the attachment of a high quality vaporizer to the nebulizer mask would have to probably be custom made, or rigged up. As well as little differences in how we use the vaporizer. For instance, when the herbs have been heating for ~5 minutes, there is a more plentiful extraction on the first inhalation, but if the herbs are not heated up, just passing the high temperature air through it won't plentifully extract. So I will say it could be logistically difficult, however may be something you want to consider as an emergency situation or preparation.

I am not an expert in the medical field, but I do know about vaporizing. Vaporizing is not the same as smoking, the process of combustion releases toxic compounds which aren't released with the hot air extraction, any temperature above 200 Celcius is going to start extracting un-wanted compounds. However, for somebody who doesn't constantly inhale hot air, she could cough, and may have to get used to the act of inhaling hotter air than she is used to, luckily that period of adjustment can be short. Just my opinions, hope some of it helps. I hope you and your daughter find the relief you are looking for. Free free to ask more questions and we will try to answer them as best as we can.

Be Well~

 

[oldchuck]

I have epilepsy and I stop seizures with Cannabis tincture.

Fortunately, just before seizure onset I get a warning aura of a few seconds. Not much but enough usually for me to safely lay down. There is no time for smoking a joint or vaping or eating. So I make a concentrated tincture (high THC, low CBD works for me) and put it in a small spray bottle which I am now never without. A few squirts under my tongue and the seizure stops dead. Works nearly every time. I was totally shocked the first time I tried it. It worked so fast. As you know, CBDmom, speed is important. There is no time to do much. The spray is faster than an eyedropper.