Epilepsy and Seizure Therapy: Marijuana Vs 22 Dangerous Drugs

Marijuana wins hands down.

Courtesy: www.theweedblog.com

(PORTLAND, OR) - Why we have to suffer epilepsy and/or seizures is not very acceptable to me but epilepsy has been with us a long time. The list of famous names includes Hercules, Socrates, Plato, Muhammed, Bud Abbot, of the comedian duo Abbot and Costello, Lenin, Neal Young, the Artist known as Prince, and President Grover Cleveland. I could give you a lot more, but most of you know somebody afflicted.

Courtesy: epilepsyfoundation.org

Many years ago it was considered a "sacred" disease, but most victims were kept in the back room and hidden.

In America we have about 50,000 cases per year. One of the first drugs used was Sodium Bromide, which is a brain depressant. In fact, all of the 22 medications act the same, with some being very strong and actually quite dangerous.

Marijuana/cannabis has been known and used in western medicine as an anti-convulsant since O'Shaughnessy brought it from India to England in about 1840.

Cannabis has been used concurrently and successfully with many of the standard drugs but apparently no combination of these drugs has been found to be 100% effective.

I wrote my first article, Marijuana: Good for Seizures, on June 25, 2009, in Salem-News.com. After reading an article in The Oregonian that EMT's in ambulances were now permitted to administer Valium-like drugs to patients who were having seizures. This type of drug acts successfully and quickly withing minutes if administered intravenously.

It is not strange to report that inhaled marijuana with "a joint" or better a vaporizer, relieves seizures withing seconds.

In Oregon about 600 medical marijuana patients with epilepsy and/or seizures are using it very successfully, usually at the start of a seizure. Some people even use it constantly to prevent seizures from even starting.

Checking my computer, other than my own article, I found several other sites while searching the words 'marijuana and epilepsy' on Web MD with 15 positive responses.

The list of the standard anto-convulsive drugs are given in several online sites. The statement that they are all powerful brain depressants - this is a euphemism because even a slight overdose is frequently fatal.

Got a question or comment for Dr. Leveque?
Email him: Newsroom@Salem-News.com

More information on the history of Dr. Leveque can be found in his book, General Patton's Dogface Soldier of WWII about his own experiences "from a foxhole".
Order the book by mail by following this link: Dogface Soldier<

If you are a World War II history buff, you don't want to miss it.

Watch for more streaming video question and answer segments about medical marijuana with Bonnie King and Dr. Phil Leveque.

Click on this link for other articles and video segments about PTSD and medical marijuana on Salem-News.com:
Dr. Leveque INTERVIEWS & ARTICLES

Salem-News.com Marijuana Coverage

Where and How to Smoke Legal Marijuana without Fear of Arrest in the U.S.

Eulogy of a Great Warrior: Hoss Plourde

The Ripple Effect How Marijuana Laws Are Impacting Society

Audit the Audit

Welcome Home, Tom

Comments Leave a comment on this story.

Name:

All comments and messages are approved by people and self promotional links or unacceptable comments are denied.

[Return to Top]

---

©2024 Salem-News.com. All opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Salem-News.com.