Could Cannabis Help to Reduce Seizures In Patients with Epilepsy?
Cannabidiol, a molecule from the cannabis plant that does not have psychoactive properties, may help to reduce seizures in children and adults with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, according to the results from a controlled clinical study. The study will be presented at the 69th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Neurology.
“Our study found that cannabidiol shows great promise in that it may reduce seizures that are otherwise difficult to control,” said study author Anup Patel, MD, of Nationwide Children’s Hospital and The Ohio State University College of Medicine in Columbus.
There were 225 participants in the randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study (average age 16 years). Prior to the study, the participants averaged 85 drop seizures each month and had tried approximately 6 epilepsy drugs that had not effectively controlled the seizures.
For the study, patients received either a daily dose of 20 mg/kg of cannabidiol, or a daily dose of 10 mg/kg daily cannabidiol, in addition to the epilepsy medications they were already taking. During the study, participants took an average of 3 epilepsy drugs.
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After following the participants for 14 weeks, researchers found that cannabidiol may significantly help to reduce drop seizures, compared with placebo. Patients taking the higher dose (20 mg/kg/day) of cannabidiol had a 42% reduction in drop seizures overall. For 40% of the high-dose patients, seizures were cut by 50% or more.
Patients in the lower-dose group (10 mg/kg/day) had a 37% reduction in drop seizures overall. A seizure reduction of 50% or more was seen in 36% of the low-dose participants.
Fifteen percent of individuals in the placebo group saw a seizure reduction of 50% or more, and those taking placebo had a 17% reduction in drop seizures overall.
According to the researchers, side effects were reported by 94% of participants taking the higher dose of cannabidiol, 84% of those taking the lower dose, and 72% of those taking placebo. Decreased appetite and sleepiness were the most common side effects, and most side effects were mild to moderate.
The study’s authors believe cannabidiol may be an effective new treatment option for patients with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, and they plan to submit a New Drug Application to the FDA this year.
—Lauren LeBano
Reference
Cannabis-based medicine may cut seizures in half for those with tough-to-treat epilepsy [press release]. Boston, MA: American Academy of Neurology. To be presented from April 22 to 28, 2017.