The world is now seeing just how effective medical marijuana can be in treating neurological disorders such as epilepsy. But along with the breakthrough comes a string of issues- how legal and safe is cannabis use? Which among the many different kinds of cannabinoid product proves to be the most effective in treating seizures?
How Cannabis May Help In Seizures
Contemporary research has found out that a non-psychoactive component in marijuana called cannabidiol had been effective in treating and controlling seizures.
Because of legal constraints, Epidiolex, which is a derivative of CBD is being used on open-label studies. This drug, approved by the US Food and Drug Administration, is being distributed across the nation's epilepsy centers as a "compassionate treatment" for certain patients suffering from epilepsy.
Gold standard studies include more than 200 epilepsy patients whose current treatments were ineffective in controlling seizure episodes. In a 12-week treatment span, the patients were given Epidiolex, a 99% CBD oil extract, which then reduced the occurrence to a staggering 54 percent.
The patients who ranged in age from 2 to 26, responded better when they were given an anti-seizure medication along with the CBD oil.
Epidiolex as a treatment for LGS in both adult and children who were suffering from Dravet's were found to be statistically promising. The number of seizures dropped a significant 40 percent as compared to 20 percent from a placebo group.
When all else fails, should patients pursue cannabinoid treatment for curing seizures and epilepsies?
About 30 percent of people suffering from epilepsy are not responding to current medical treatment. For this reason the government is finally opening up to the idea of medical marijuana providing "compassionate access". However, this course of action may only be done if exhaustive medical treatments are done and the patient is not getting any better, and once the patient has been thoroughly evaluated at specialized epilepsy centers.
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