THC And CBN For Autism: Genevieve’s Protocol Is Necessary For Many

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With the world on fire talking about CBD treating all types of health issues, THC is often left behind:

Many will ask what type of cannabinoid medicine protocol Genevieve uses. It’s intense to see how people will respond differently to the exact same protocol when facing almost identical health issues – for this reason, I generally don’t go into detail about what she uses. But we’ll make an exception this time and generalize. As we read about clinical trials being held with CBD for Autism, in our house that wouldn’t be considered. This doesn’t mean we don’t believe the cannabinoid can work alone – especially when paired with others in small amounts as well as with terpenes. Genbug requires a specialized program with her medicinal cannabis that does not include the ingestion of CBD. If it is ingested it’s only to mitigate the effects or reduce the appearance of being medicated, by both THC and CBN. There are no universal dosages that work with Autism with any medication – and that would include medicinal cannabis. One size fits all approaches have never worked in western medicine which is why so many of us have issues with treatments and side effects. The beauty of cannabinoid medicine is the ability to custom tailor what you’ll use – or what your child will use.

Genevieve’s typical day starts off with a dose of 2ML of an MCT infusion. This is an affordable way to medicate with the whole plant infused into Medium Chain Triglyceride Coconut Oil. Very therapeutic. We use whatever strains available – preferably Indica’s. This works good to hold her over through school or through the morning if she’s not in school. There’s heavy detail on that type of home-brewed low-cost medicinal cannabis infusion in another article previously written: – if you haven’t read it yet here it is.

Why Do We Need MCT Oil And What Is It?

I also make both infused honey drops and gummy items for her with Rosin or whatever concentrates we can get that are high in THC. She does very well with these throughout the day when she’s not in school or before therapy after school. Genevieve’s focus is intense with THC, but with CBD it causes problems that we simply won’t go into. She’s just not a kid that tolerates that cannabinoid well – we’re all different and it depends on our endocannabinoid system and it’s own make up. This is why we simply can’t state that one dissected part of the plant is better than another. That holds true for THC as well – but Genevieve doesn’t use a single cannabinoid. What we create for her is a full spectrum of cannabinoids high in both THC and CBN – as CBN is known to promote sleep and relaxation. It’s imperative for many kids like Genevieve to feel relaxed so the autistic type of behaviors are less and the maladaptive ‘fight or flight’ behaviors are no more. She’s a good girl!

The old adage “If you’ve met one child with autism – that’s what you’ve done, met one child” is so true when it comes to creating protocols for kids with Autism. One can’t assume CBD will be the dream come true every time nor can one assume that THC will cause ‘developmental delay’ as some soap box scientists tout – as that only applies to smoking of cannabis by juveniles. It does not apply to feeding the endocannabinoid system in any study available anywhere. Every single shred of science that states cannabis is ‘bad for kids’ is based on inhalation – which is not the route for kids with medicinal cannabis. It’s a great ploy for the anti crowd to run with – but it’s quickly a myth debunked by kids like Genevieve who make substantial developmental gains with the use of high THC and CBN – paired with terpenes and the balance of the plants nutrients/constituents.

Generally speaking, Genevieve’s doses are between 25 and 50 milligrams of THC with an additional 10 of CBN. This can vary depending on what type of concentrate is used. She’s on absolutely no pharmaceuticals and has been free of convulsive seizures for quite some time – with a severe epilepsy diagnosis cannabis extracts are her only medicine and allow her to continually grow and learn more by the day. It’s important to note that THC alone isn’t the answer either – I use THC distillate when I can get it and it’s great to add to infusions so there’s a much broader spectrum. But what many don’t know is THC distillate can be oxidized or manipulated just like any other THC item. Easily with temperatures adjusted – I can turn part of a THC only concentrate into a THC and CBN combo – and that’s exactly what works for Genevieve. This can be achieved in so many ways as CBN is basically over heated (but not burned) THC. Light, heat, and time are the 3 things that cause degrading of THC into CBN. Although many find that it takes a bit to get used to higher THC protocols – one thing that most patients report back is their doses don’t increase quickly, they stay steady with THC protocols unlike what others report back with CBD which is a need for increased dosing rather quickly. This is due to a well known ‘bell curve effect’ with CBD only.

We do use CBD and other topical products with Genevieve that work rather well for skin and other issues such as on her back as she sits for long periods of time. She doesn’t complain of pain but just looking at the cover photo on this story you can see how she prefers to spend hours on end – on the edge of her bed. We see no reason to remove her from her comfort zone – why encourage meltdowns when she rarely has one and hasn’t had any type of major one in years. I can remember when we first became a family and Genevieve would get really mad and storm through the house and stand on the table – we’d have to turn all chairs and tables upside down. She’s came so far since then. Her continual smile is due to an individualized protocol which all should attempt to create on their own or with some help. Sure you can attempt to duplicate what another uses but ultimately a patient will determine their own best cannabinoid medicine protocol. Even Genbug does – some days she’ll actually go to where oil is stored and wait – seeking medication. This tells me she knows when her body needs more. When treating epilepsy you don’t wait around until the last-minute any seizure could be our last – literally. Cannabis is great medicine and requires some care in utilizing it to its fullest as well as some knowledge – if you need help reach out and ask!