{"id":275486,"date":"2026-02-09T17:22:13","date_gmt":"2026-02-09T17:22:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/275486\/"},"modified":"2026-02-09T17:22:13","modified_gmt":"2026-02-09T17:22:13","slug":"drug-you-may-think-is-illegal-has-changed-my-life-i-recommend-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/275486\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Drug you may think is illegal has changed my life, I recommend it’"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sonia has been using the therapy since 2024 to control her epilepsy<\/p>\n

11:13, 09 Feb 2026Updated 14:02, 09 Feb 2026<\/p>\n

\"Sonia<\/p>\n

Sonia has been using an alternative therapy since 2024<\/p>\n

A 46-year-old mum says a new medication has changed her life after years of struggling with illness and the side-effects of strong drugs. Sonia Hosking has found it hard to balance working night shifts in a Plymouth factory and caring for her children with dealing with epilepsy.<\/p>\n

Sonia says the drugs she previously took to manage her epilepsy – as well as frequent fits – left her unable to work. She was regularly admitted to hospital. Sonia said he illness was making it difficult to maintain the independence and routine she needed for herself and her family.<\/p>\n

She began using medical cannabis, a legal treatment option in the UK since 2018, in 2024 and says it transformed her life.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Sonia said: \u201cI have epilepsy, but I have a very functioning lifestyle for someone with my type of epilepsy, and that\u2019s because of what I use for medication.\u201d Sonia said that she experiences an aura before a seizure, allowing her some warning. \u201cMy body tells me when I\u2019m about to have an epileptic fit,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Sonia struggled to manage daily life while dealing with the effects of other treatments. \u201cThere were some crazy-name prescriptions that the hospital gave me. They were just not good. After effects,\u201d she explains. The impact was immediate and disruptive. I couldn\u2019t work,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

For Sonia, the turning point came when her condition began affecting her independence and mental wellbeing. \u201cI was neglecting myself in the hospital and still having fits,\u201d she said. \u201cI need to function. I need to be able to go to work. My mental health matters too. \u201cI needed something that would let me still get up and be me: go to work, earn a crust every week, feed my kids myself, not rely on anyone else.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Sonia had already been aware of cannabis being used for epilepsy before her own diagnosis. \u201cI had already looked at things with children because they were using cannabis liquids when kids were having epileptic fits,\u201d she said. Sonia began to explore different clinics and signed up with Releaf<\/a> in May 2024. She now uses a combination of medical cannabis flower and oil, containing THC, the psychoactive compound in cannabis.<\/p>\n

Since starting medical cannabis treatment, Sonia says the impact has been ‘life-changing’. She said: \u201cNow I\u2019ve got what\u2019s suitable for work and what\u2019s brilliant to help me get sleep. It has been truly life-changing for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Friends, family and colleagues have noticed changes too. \u201cApparently, I\u2019m a lot more spritely. A lot more happy,\u201d she says. \u201cWhen epilepsy isn\u2019t controlled, there\u2019s a lot of what ifs. Now it\u2019s dealt with. Not a problem.\u201d Sonia has been open about her treatment and says her employer is supportive. \u201cI don\u2019t take it to work. I don\u2019t feel like I need it at work. But I know I\u2019m allowed to.\u201d<\/p>\n

Looking ahead, she hopes her experience will encourage others to explore their options. \u201cIf someone is in the same boat as me, I would definitely suggest they at least consider trying a medical cannabis treatment plan.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Sonia has been using the therapy since 2024 to control her epilepsy 11:13, 09 Feb 2026Updated 14:02, 09…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":275487,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[134,524,111,139,69],"class_list":["post-275486","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-medication","tag-health","tag-medication","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/275486","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=275486"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/275486\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/275487"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=275486"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=275486"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=275486"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}