ADHD patients say cannabis helps ease symptoms

Patients with ADHD report that cannabis helps mitigate some of their symptoms, according to a new study.

Survey data published earlier this month reveals that ADHD patients are self-medicating with cannabis to ease symptoms and reduce side-effects of their prescription medications.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a neurological disorder, which can affect people’s behaviour in that they can seem restless, have difficulty concentrating and seem impulsive. 

It is one of the most commonly diagnosed neurodiverse conditions in the UK. 

Read more about ADHD here 

Researchers at Washington State University conducted an online survey involving 1,738 students with ADHD. 

Participants who had used cannabis reported that it has “beneficial effects” on many symptoms of ADHD, including hyperactivity and impulsivity. 

Cannabis was also said to improve most of their medication side effects, such as irritability and anxiety. 

According to the NHS, there are five drugs available for ADHD that are stimulant based, but these come with side effects that include jitteriness, irritability, moodiness, headaches, stomachaches, fast heart rate, and high blood pressure.

Researchers reported that regular cannabis use was able to moderate associations between “symptom severity and executive dysfunction”

Authors concluded, “[P]eople with ADHD may be using cannabis to self-medicate for many of their symptoms and medication side effects and that more frequent use may mitigate ADHD-related executive dysfunction.”

Prior studies

An earlier UK study found that cannabis extracts were associated with improvements in cognition and behavior in people with ADHD.

Israeli data published last year further reported that ADHD patients with legal access to medical cannabis products were able to reduce their use of prescription medications. 

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