Kelly Hughes

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The problem:  People with autism experience a broad range of symptoms, including deficits in social skills and communication, depression, hyperactivity and self-injury behaviors.  To date, there are only 2 FDA-approved treatments for autistic symptoms, and both are approved only for the treatment of irritability.

 

Why do this study? CBD and THC have shown promise in treating some symptoms associated with autism. For instance, CBD extracts have been investigated specifically for the treatment of autism and seem to be well tolerated, safe, and may improve symptoms. However, data have been limited to small studies and case reports.

 

The study: This study of 154 people examined the safety and effectiveness of marijuana, THC and CBD products for treating individuals with autism.  The authors used data from two online surveys: one preexisting survey about the effectiveness of treatments for autism, which included questions about cannabis, and a new survey that also asked about THC/CBD products and CBD. The surveys asked patients to rate benefits and adverse effects, and also asked which symptoms were most improved and which were most adversely affected. Cannabis, THC/CBD products, and CBD were reported as having moderate to good effects (2-3 on a 0-4 scale). The greatest benefits were reported for anxiety, irritability, aggression, and insomnia.  Adverse effects were uncommon, especially for CBD-only treatments. The authors report that respondents described greater positive impact for cannabinoid therapies compared to medical therapies.  They also calculated a “net benefit” score (benefit score minus adverse effect score) and report that this statistic is superior for cannabinoid therapies compared to other medications.

 

Conclusions: This study suggests that cannabinoids could offer a wide range of benefits, with minimal side effects, for individuals with autism.

 

What does this study add? These findings suggest that prospective studies should be explored to define optimal formulations and treatment regimens, laying the foundation for potential clinical trials.

 

Funder: Realize Therapeutics, Autism Research Institute

 

Author Conflicts: No conflicts stated, although one author, David Cooper, is CEO of a company that focuses on hemp-derived products.

 

Commentary: This intriguing study describes benefits and adverse effect profiles of cannabinoid therapies that compare favorably to those of FDA-approved medications.  However, this study has several limitations that should be noted.  First, it’s an online anonymous survey, so we don’t know how representative this sample is.  It’s possible that it over-represents people for whom cannabis was effective, which would skew the results.  Second, we don’t know anything about the people who completed these surveys.  Even basic information such as age, gender, autism severity isn’t available.  Third, we don’t know anything about the contents of the cannabinoid therapies they were using.  So although this study is intriguing, it raises more questions than it answers.