Can a THC tincture help with ADHD?

Getting the right answers in your cannabis journey can be tricky. But with The Cannigma’s Ask the Expert, you can find questions from readers like you, answered by a real cannabis pharmacist.

Question:

I was listening to Episode 39, ADD & Cannabis, with Max Simon and learning about how a THC tincture might be good for concentration and sociability of individuals suffering from ADHD. I’ve been trying to test this for myself, but I’m not sure which tincture Mr. Simon recommends. Would you be able to share more information about this? Are there any vendors or specific brands you or he might recommend? Thank you. I’m eager to find something that will help me manage the challenges of ADHD

Answer:

Thanks so much for your question. Max has indeed found a dose that works for him, but I am not sure I could speculate what that is. I know that he has also noted that as he gets older, his medical cannabis needs have changed as well. I have heard Max explicitly say CBD doesn’t help him much at all, but THC does. That’s about all I can give you as far as speculating on max’s recommendations.

Here is how our expert recommends trailing on a dose that fits you:

Inhalation: Take one puff immediately prior to studying, and trial that mindfully for about 45 minutes or an hour of studying. If after about an hour the effects were not helpful — try another dose (consider two puffs) and trial that for an hour. If the higher dose (2 puffs) was worse than one puff, then you have your answer on your max dose for studying. If 2 puffs made studying easier, then consider trialing an hour with 3 puffs to see if it makes it better or worse.

Oral: Take a small dose of your edible (less than you would “feel”) about an hour prior to studying. Make note of how you are concentrating every hour or so. Do not take more cannabis before 4 hours to ensure you’ve tried the experience appropriately. If your focus was not adequate, try increasing the dose next time. Because it’s difficult to predict the effects of edibles, doing things consistently (like taking the edible with a snack) is important to the find tuning process. And obviously be careful not to stack edibles too soon, as the effects can start to build rather quickly.

For both oral and inhalation, This pharmacist recommends starting with a balanced, type II product — with a ratio of about 2:1 CBD:THC. Remember everyone responds differently and to different doses. Many patients do find relief with THC dominant products, but in my experience the balanced product helps avoid racing thoughts from THC. The real magic to cannabis medicine is fine tuning it to meet our needs.

Codi Peterson, PharmD
Scientific advisor, The Cannigma

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