Cannabis and Epilepsy

Journal of Dual Diagnosis (2019)

Cannabis and Epilepsy

Alexander Doyle and Jay Harvey

In recent years, the use of cannabidiol in the treatment of refractory epilepsy has been increasingly investigated and has been gaining public support as a novel way to treat these disorders. Marijuana has been used for medical purposes for thousands of years, and a lot of research has been conducted over the last several decades into the chemistry and pharmacology of marijuana and its many compounds, including cannabidiol. Using PubMed, we performed a review of the literature regarding the history of cannabinoid use in treating epilepsy. There are historical and recent scientific developments that support the use of cannabidiol in rare severe epilepsy syndromes.

Información extraída de: Cannabis and Epilepsy: Journal of Dual Diagnosis: Vol 16, No 1 (tandfonline.com)

Cureus Journal of Medical Science (2018)

Epilepsy and Cannabis: A Literature Review

Sidra Zaheer, Deepak Kumar, Muhammad T. Khan, Pirthvi Raj Giyanwani, FNU Kiran

Epilepsy is considered to be one of the most common non-communicable neurological diseases especially in low to middle-income countries. Approximately one-third of patients with epilepsy have seizures that are resistant to antiepileptic medications. Clinical trials for the treatment of medically refractory epilepsy have mostly focused on new drug treatments, and result in a significant portion of subjects whose seizures remain refractory to medication. The off-label use of cannabis sativa plant in treating seizures is known since ancient times. The active ingredients of this plant are delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD), the latter considered safer and more effective in treating seizures, and with less adverse psychotropic effects.

Clinical trials prior to two years ago have shown little to no significant effects of cannabis in reducing seizures. These trials seem to be underpowered, with a sample size less than 15. In contrast, more recent studies that have included over 100 participants showed that CBD use resulted in a significant reduction in seizure frequency. Adverse effects of CBD overall appear to be benign, while more concerning adverse effects (e.g., elevated liver enzymes) improve with continued CBD use or dose reduction.

In most of the trials, CBD is used in adjunct with epilepsy medication, therefore it remains to be determined whether CBD is itself antiepileptic or a potentiator of traditional antiepileptic medications. Future trials may evaluate the efficacy of CBD in treating seizures due to specific etiologies (e.g., post-traumatic, post-stroke, idiopathic)