Night after night, his legs tingled. Stefano had to get up and walk around to make it stop, but as soon as he lay down, the tingling started again. Now 40, he could barely sleep. When his career as an office clerk came to an abrupt end in 2017 with burnout, a doctor explained what had been driving him to exhaustion for years: restless legs syndrome. The medications usually prescribed for it had no effect. He was considered to have exhausted all treatment options.
Seeking a way to alleviate the tingling in his legs and the accompanying, agonizing urge to move, he began researching the effects of cannabis for the second time in his life. He had smoked marijuana as a teenager and experienced how it helped him manage the effects of his ADHD: "It makes me more focused and less hyperactive." Years earlier, he had tried unsuccessfully to obtain a prescription for medical cannabis. He obtained his medication on the black market.
Long road to cost approval
Stefano hoped that his RLS diagnosis would finally allow him to obtain an officially approved medical cannabis preparation: products from pharmacies are standardized, and the active ingredients are precisely declared. Different products are chosen and dosed according to the indication. "Although there is no study that clearly proves its effectiveness for RLS, I placed great hopes in these medications," he recalls. He was greatly relieved when he finally received a prescription from the addiction center ingrado in Lugano, which enabled him to obtain medical cannabis.
The results proved his research right: the tincture noticeably alleviated his symptoms, and Stefano was able to sleep again. Although his health insurance initially refused to cover the costs, and he paid 230 francs out of his own pocket every month, he continued with the therapy. Only since 2020 have the costs been reimbursed – after an actigraphy to monitor his sleep-wake cycle confirmed the positive effect on his sleep.
More effective products thanks to a change in the law
The real breakthrough came in 2022 when the narcotics law was amended. From then on, pharmacies were allowed to sell flowers that patients could vaporize. Since different methods of administration have different therapeutic effects, ailments can now be treated more effectively. Stefano, too, has since switched from tinctures to vaporizing flowers and taking them orally via gummy bears.
Thanks to his thirst for knowledge and his persistence, Stefano has been able to build a supportive network of sympathetic medical professionals and like-minded individuals. His current family doctor supports his cannabis therapy. He also finds the exchange with other members of the Association s Medcan helpful. While his self-therapy with cannabis led to conflicts in his social circle—at least until he received an official prescription—he found kindred spirits here who not only met him with understanding but were also able to provide him with useful information.
Uncertain future
Even though he is still unable to work and receives disability benefits, he is doing much better today; for example, he has been able to resume his hobby of roller skating, feels more balanced, and has more joy in life. He still misses his job. He doesn't dare to predict whether he will ever be able to return to work.
What also troubles him is the uncertainty about whether his therapy will be permanently covered. Approval for coverage must be renewed every five years and involves extensive assessments. "When it was renewed last year, I had to wait three months," Stefano recalls. He bridged this gap with the tincture he still had left at home – an unsatisfactory situation he doesn't want to experience again. For him, who was considered to have exhausted all other treatment options, cannabis is the only effective medicine.
He is aware that approval is not a given and that most other cannabis patients go through such assessments without ultimately succeeding. According to estimates from the Federal Office of Public Health, only 11 percent receive financial support from their health insurance. Stefano advises everyone not to give up prematurely and to persevere.
