Weed!

Well, actually not weed, but cbt oil, but doesn’t weed make a catchier title?  Anyway, Boo Bear is now a very happy cannabis user.  I spent all summer slowly weaning him off an antipsychotic drug he has been on since age 4.  In retrospect, I have no clue why he was on the drug, except that as a toddler he never slept. But, there are other drugs that can help with this.  This drug is used, off label, for kids on the spectrum with problems with aggression.  Well, okay then, except Boo Bear is not aggressive, and the long term side effects of this drug are pure evil.  So, I spent the summer weaning him off of it, with no ill effects.  I had two goals for this process: one was to get him off the med I did not want him on and two, I wanted to try him on a low dose of medical cannabis.  Cannabis is legal in MN for patients with epilepsy and also for persons on the autistic spectrum.  The process to get on the cannabis is rather lengthy and expensive, but very much worth it.

Nine days ago Robert and I met with a pharmacist at Leaf Line Labs.  She asked what we hoped that cannabis would do for Boo.  I told her I wanted it to hold the seizures at bay and to reduce his anxiety.  She said that sounded entirely possibly.  We gave her a large sum of  money, she gave us a small bottle and a syringe and sent us on our way.  I gave him his first dose that night.  The only thing I noticed was that he put himself to bed soon after and slept soundly for 12 hours.  I followed up with another dose the next morning, not really expecting to see anything different.  I was in for a surprise.  From the start, Boo Bear’s anxiety has decreased, he is making more and deliberate eye contact and using a lot of signs.  He has not had any seizures.  For years, I have tied bandanas around his neck to give him something to chew other than his clothes.  He no longer needs them, bandanas and his incessant need to chew have become something of the past.  To say that I am pleased is a vast understatement.  Both the anti psychotic and the anti seizure meds can cause cognitive dulling.  CBT oil does not do this.  It seems to me that the real Boo is emerging from some sort of a fog.  He is here, he is present, and he is very happy.  Is he still on the spectrum?  Well, of course!  That is written into his DNA.  But, he is very happily on the spectrum.  A mom is only as happy as her saddest child.  At the moment, both my teens are well and happy, and so is this mama.