Tourette syndrome (TS) is a neurological disorder manifested by repetitive, involuntary movements and vocalizations called tics. The disorder is named for Dr. Georges Gilles de la Tourette, the French neurologist who first described the condition in an 86-year-old French noblewoman in 1885.
The cause of TS is still unknown. Recent research points to genetic causes with about a 50% chance of parents passing the gene on to their children. Abnormalities in certain brain regions, including the basal ganglia, cortex and frontal lobes and in the neurotransmitters dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine have been found in persons suffering with TS and are a focus of current research.
Many patients who suffer with TS are finding relief of their symptoms with cannabis. A large percentage of people who have been diagnosed with TS also suffer with other significant conditions, such as OCD, ADHD, mood disorders and anxiety.
The conventional medications used to treat these conditions are not always helpful and often cause a wide array of unwanted side effects. Researcher Kirsten Müller-Vahl and her group at Germany’s Medical School of Hanover reported in 1998 that 82% of TS patients who reported prior use of cannabis experience a “reduction or complete remission of motor and vocal tics and amelioration of premonitory urges and OCD symptoms.”1 In 1999, the same researchers reported successful treatment of a 25 year-old male with Tourette syndrome who received a single dose of 10mg of THC with reduction of tic severity score from 41 pre-THC to 7 post-THC treatment.2
Müller-Vahl’s group went on to do a number of studies on the use of cannabis to treat Tourette syndrome. She published results in 2003, looking at a single-dose in 12 patients followed by a six week, randomized trial in 24 patients and found that “THC reduces tics in TS patients without any serious adverse side effects and no impairment on neuropsychological performance.”3
Most of my patients with TS have tried pharmaceuticals and either found them to be ineffective or found them to have too many negative side effects. The adult patients in my practice are using mainly THC-rich cannabis products to help decrease the number of tics and other symptoms of TS and its related conditions, and they report no adverse side effects and improved quality of life. A small number of pediatric patients brought for evaluation after trying pharmaceuticals that caused adverse side effects and/or were uneffective, have responded successfully to high CBD:THC ratio treatment of their TS symptoms.
Müller‐Vahl, K. R., et al. “Cannabinoids: possible role in patho‐physiology and therapy of Gilles de la Tourette syndrome.” Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica 98.6 (1998): 502-506.
Müller‐Vahl, K R., et al. “Treatment of Tourette's syndrome with delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol.” American Journal of Psychiatry 156.3 (1999): 495-495.
Müller-Vahl, Kirsten R. “Cannabinoids reduce symptoms of Tourette's syndrome.” Expert Opinion on Pharmacotherapy 4.10 (2003): 1717-1725.