A New Cause of Seizures: Synthetic Marijuana

Epilepsy News From: Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Synthetic marijuana goes by many names: common ones are “spice” and “k2.” Spice is a recreational drug that is popular because its reported euphoric effects similar to that of marijuana, the ease that it is obtained at head shops, gas stations, or over the internet. It is sold as “not for human consumption” and marketed as herbal blends, air fresheners, or incense. Their packaging and naming makes them attractive to children and adolescents. Furthermore, it is marketed as “a legal high” although there has been a recent crackdown on its distribution. It is made from dried plants (of various kinds and which can be different from batch to batch) sprayed with synthetic chemicals similar to those found in marijuana. To avoid legal restrictions, current manufacturers continue to modify the chemicals sprayed onto the dried plants, and many of these chemicals have not been studied. The negative effects of these drugs are not yet known. Common side effects have been fast heart rate and palpitations, nausea and vomiting, psychosis, confusion and hallucinations. These are also more dangerous reactions such as seizures, status epilepticus, irregular heart beats, heart attacks, suicide, and death (such as from drowning).

Spice has been used by consumers since 2004, but first came to the attention of the drug enforcement agency in 2008. Many of the chemicals used in making spice were banned in the United States in March of 2011. Approximately 1 in10 high school seniors and college students admitted to using spice. Unfortunately, spice can be very dangerous, as it is not a regulated drug and it can be contaminated with any number of toxic chemicals. Consumers would never know what chemicals are in the drug, as the manufacturers are not required to list them on the labels. Since these are new drugs, and because they are ever changing, we cannot predict the possible effects of using spice.

Though the spice available is marketed as safe, herbal, and legal, it is not a safe drug to consume. We at our hospital have had a number of patients with seizures and psychosis after consuming spice. Some patients had such persistent seizures they had to be put into a medical coma for days to let their brain calm down. As noted above, many young people have tried this substance, and this likely includes people with epilepsy, who are already at risk for dangerous seizures. Standard drug testing does not identify the compounds in spice, and so monitoring is not possible. Patients with epilepsy should be counseled on the potential dangers of using the drug, including relentless seizures.

Authored by

Melissa Freeman MD

Reviewed Date

Wednesday, March 19, 2014

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