To CBD or not to CBD
[Note: Many thanks to this Mom for sharing this anonymous blog submission — in the spirit of helping us all out]
I’d heard about CBD from other parents online and started researching it for our fast-growing neuro-atypical child when meds were not providing enough support and we wanted to avoid reaching medical dosage ceilings on his prescriptions. We feared the progress we’d made through prescription support was at risk of slipping away.
Once I started looking around I found that thousands of families were having success with it, and realized we had overlooked a significant option.
I learned that we ALL have cannabis related receptors in our bodies — called the endocannabinoid system. No wonder it is ancient and ubiquitous. CBD is commonly used for serious pain relief or to relieve seizures. I wish I had found it for my father, who suffered so much pain that the medication necessary to get along negatively affected his quality of life. But how could it help our child? Is it legal? How can I make sure it is safe? How to administer it? So many questions!
Fast forward several months and here’s what I have to tell you. After some trials we’ve found that it can indeed provide an ADHD or ASD kid support for flexibility and positivity and even for anxiety. The impact for each person is individual, and so is each CBD solution. We’ve also learned how to trial it safely. Here’s some best practices:
Hemp!! Start with Hemp based products: Many CBD products are hemp rather than cannabis derived which eliminates the THC concern as they have less than the legal threshold of .3% THC, and have been made legal under the 2018 Farm Bill. Try hemp based products and/or no detectible THC products. I’ve seen that some parents do use a CBD solution that has some THC in it. While the solution for each person is different, CBD products with .3% or higher are schedule 1 regulated drug and illegal for minors.
Find the voice of experience: Good place to start is to learn from the invaluable experience of other parents. There is a whole group of families who have vetted these products which can be found online. Search Facebook for “CBD oil for kids” their home/announcement pages contain a ton of information, which I am not repeating here and the conversations are also searchable. Some other helpful groups are also “CBD for Autism adhd and more” and “CBD oil for Autism”. These are closed, private groups to join in the conversation.
Safety: Look for organic companies that publish the lab certificates for each of their batches — this means they are screened for pesticides also. (The previously mentioned online parents group has a list of vetted companies that do this).
Dosing: We were advised that you can’t evaluate if the supplement helps until getting to what is deemed a ‘therapeutic dose’. The Naturopath said the goal should be about half the body weight of the child in mg, distributed throughout the day (we were told 3 times). So for example, if your child is 80 lbs that would be 40 mgs. You will need to get a feel for how long the dose lasts also (for our child it is about 4 hours and the onset is under an hour). Like with other meds, this should be titrated — approaching the therapeutic level slowly over time. Subjects can be dose sensitive, so paying attention while titrating over time will help find the right amount. If there is an onset of irritability for example, then you would back off the dose. Consider working with a knowledgable doctor or naturopath to ensure you are using it properly and to review any possible interactions.
Trial and error. There are so many strains and producers, (even among those narrowed and recommended by other families) that it takes persistence to find the one that provides real support. If the first one isn’t helpful, then don’t give up. Some families have reduced or even replaced medication for their child because they found one so effective.
Code word: If you don’t want your kids walking around talking about CBD, then consider developing a code word - that your entire family consistently replaces the name with.
Traveling: hemp-derived CBD was recently deprioritized by USA/TSA. Travel with a letter from your doctor or naturopath. Make sure you have evidence of non THC label and labs. It is more legal in many countries than in the U.S. You can search the customs policies of many countries for details.
Some informative links
https://www.healthline.com/health-news/parents-using-cbd-to-treat-kids-with-autism
https://www.leafly.com/news/health/research-cbd-autism-therapy-promising-results
https://www.today.com/video/parents-say-cbd-is-helping-their-children-with-autism-1502112835568