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Toronto, Canada: The daily use of plant-derived cannabis extracts containing THC and CBD is associated with prolonged periods of seizure freedom in patients with refractory epilepsy, according to data published in the journal Frontiers in Neuroscience.
A team of Canadian researchers reviewed data from 19 patients with drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE). Following the daily use of cannabis extracts, all patients experienced seizure freedom for periods of at least 90 days. Five patients were seizure-free for more than one year.
Prior to cannabis treatment, patients’ median seizure rate was 6.5 seizures per month.
“The results of the study support prioritizing CBPMs [cannabis-based products for medicinal use] in cases of DRE,” the study’s authors concluded. “Our cohort’s SF [seizure freedom] periods were substantial, considering the patients’ DRE statuses, and the difficulty individuals with DRE have in achieving SF. … Future double blind, placebo-controlled studies should assess whether CBPMs should be prioritized as first-line medical therapy for DRE cases that lack established, evidence-based treatment options.”
In 2018, Food and Drug Administration officials granted market approval to Epidiolex, a prescription medicine containing a standardized formulation of plant-derived cannabidiol for the explicit treatment of Dravet Syndrome and Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome – two rare forms of childhood epilepsy.
Full text of the study, “19 patients report seizure freedom with medical cannabis oil treatment for drug-resistant epilepsy: A case series,” appears in Frontiers in Neuroscience. Additional information on cannabis and epilepsy is available from NORML’s publication, Clinical Applications for Cannabis & Cannabinoids.
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