dronabinol THC
Dr. René Kurz and Dr. Kurt Blaas published a case report documenting improvements in hyperactivity, lethargy, irritability, stereotypy and inappropriate speech in an autistic child administered dronabinol.*
The authors conclude that this study showed that the use of dronabinol may be able to reduce the symptoms of autism.
To date there have been no other reports of the use of cannabinoids in autism. The authors point to anecdotal data in internet blogs and discussion forums where there are many reports of parents who have tried THC for their autistic children, but without medical monitoring and inappropriate administration.
The abstract is below but you can read the full article here
Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of dronabinol (delta-9-THC) as supplementary therapy in
a child with autistic disorder.Methods: A child who met the DSM-IV (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders)
criteria for a diagnosis of autistic disorder and who took no other medication during the observation
time was included in an open and uncontrolled study. Symptom assessment was performed using the Aberrant Behavior Checklist (ABC) before and after six months of medical treatment.Result: Compared to baseline, significant improvements were observed for hyperactivity, lethargy,
irritability, stereotypy and inappropriate speech at follow-up (p=0.043).Conclusion: This study showed that the use of dronabinol may be able to reduce the symptoms of
autism.Keywords: early infantile autism, autistic disorder, dronabinol, cannabinoid
This article can be downloaded, printed and distributed freely for any non-commercial purposes, provided the original work is properly cited (see copyright info below). Available online at www.cannabis-med.org
Science Editor Jahan Marcu is currently investigating the pharmacology of cannabinoid receptors. Contact science { at } freedomisgreen.com
* dronabinol is marketed under the name Marinol.