For nearly 50 years the founder of Nana’s Secret of Washington state, Cecilia Sivertson, medicated with pharmaceuticals for epilepsy. Diagnosed at the age of 12, she had been prescribed 15 types of drugs over that time in an attempt to control the seizures. “In 2013, at the age of 55, I began getting sick from […]
For nearly 50 years the founder of Nana’s Secret of Washington state, Cecilia Sivertson, medicated with pharmaceuticals for epilepsy. Diagnosed at the age of 12, she had been prescribed 15 types of drugs over that time in an attempt to control the seizures.
“In 2013, at the age of 55, I began getting sick from the side effects of these drugs and learned that cannabis and CBD oil would control my seizures without the addictive and damaging side effects,” she shared. “I created Nana’s Secret and began reducing the pharma drugs, namely Lamictal and Topiramate.”
After two years, in 2015, Sivertson said she was hospitalized with a brain trauma, which took away her memory and left her with severe anxiety and depression.
According to Cecilia, her pharmacist advised that the drug Lamictal should have been reduced by 12.5 milligrams every three to four weeks, to be on the safe side. Today, she is down from 400 milligrams to 100 milligrams of Lamictal.
Sivertson emphasized the learning curve of titrating down pharmaceuticals while adding cannabis to her regiment.
“Always talk to your doctor about how to lessen your prescription medications before replacing or going off of them,” she informed. “I believe the brain trauma I suffered was due to going off the meds too quickly, while not having the right dosing protocols when I added the cannabis.”
After being released from the hospital she began taking whole plant extract of cannabis, as she contracted aseptic meningitis – one of the symptoms listed in fine print for Lamictal, with multiple people hospitalized from the side effect, and class action lawsuits pending.
“I’m still battling the withdrawal from this drug,” she continued. “I was told my entire life I would die without these drugs, but my quality of life had been greatly reduced. Knowledge is power, and people need to educate themselves.”
Sivertson said she took cannabis concentrate every day for more than a year, switching to CBD oil capsules morning and night.
“I had to re-learn about my personal life, as well as my business, and am now more convinced than ever that cannabis is the only medicine I need to control my epilepsy.”
Sivertson shared that she now takes 40 milligrams of CBD capsules each morning and night to control the seizures and subsequent symptoms from the pharmaceuticals she took for decades.
The type of CBD oil she takes is referred to as Hemp, as it contains less than .03 percent THC, hybridized from cannabis.
“I smoke cannabis during the day, as needed – if I feel shaky, anxiety or am experiencing nausea,” she explained. “CPC in Seattle provides me with a mustier of cultivars. Micro-dosing works best for me.”
CPC is a CBD concentrate company based in Seattle, and have been providing Sivertson with remedies, keeping her alive since she discovered them in 2013.
“Harlequin is just one cultivar I’ve used,” she explained. “I’m currently using True OG, a high THC cultivar for smoking, with a mixture of cultivars currently being processed for my products by CPC. I’m still learning, but I have flashbacks from the past, daily. I spend most of my time learning about my business and how I can use this knowledge to help other children avoid the horrible drugs I was on.”
Harlequin is a CBD cultivar, developed in Southern Humboldt by the late hybridizer, Lawrence Ringo, who developed many of the CBD only cultivars we have today. This includes Charlotte’s Web of Denver, with its lineage from Southern Humboldt and Ringo’s farm.
Sivertson’s products have not launched yet, but will include cannabis-infused sodas, a transdermal patch, and a skin care line being developed for her brand now.
“My favorite product is my transdermal patch, as It allows mothers the ability to treat their children with medicine that is as simple to apply as a band aid!” she joyfully exclaimed. “It has 25 milligrams of cannabis and can last up to 12 hours, before replacing.”
Sivertson said she would like everyone to understand how simple medicating with cannabis can be, asking patients and parents of children with epilepsy to do their own research on their individual medical conditions. She also encourages patients to read the fine print of the side effects of the pharmaceuticals prescribed.
“I was not even aware of the side effects until my pharmacist handed me the paperwork,” she informed. “I would encourage anyone on these damaging drugs to try cannabis or CBD just one time. If you have a condition like cancer, epilepsy, diabetes or more, cannabis can help. The pharma drugs were killing me slowly, and cannabis saved my life.”
For more information on Nana’s Secret visit, www.nanasecret.com
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