Studies show the benefits of cannabis in treating epilepsy

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Continuing research brings good news for epilepsy sufferers who want all-natural solutions

Epilepsy is a chronic neurological disease. Although it is diagnosed and the patient receives appropriate treatment, a large majority of cases may not be successfully controlled. Studies conducted in recent years have shown the high effectiveness of cannabidiol (CBD) derived products. This cannabis compound has been shown to be highly effective in reducing the frequency of seizures in epileptic patients, as well as in reducing their symptoms. In fact, a review published in Experimental Neurology explains some of the benefits of these therapies based on CBD and the cannabis plant.

CBD has been shown to be effective in controlling seizures in Dravet syndrome and Lennox-Gastaut syndrome. These are two types of epilepsy with seizures of various types, which are frequent and often have little response to medication, commonly known as refractory epilepsy.

Epidiolex, a CBD-based drug, received approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) some time ago. This product has changed the lives of many people suffering from epilepsy. In addition, the drug Clobazam was found to optimize the CBD response. In clinical trials, a majority of patients who showed improvement were taking the combination of CBD with Clobazam.

CBD, already known for its anticonvulsant properties, also has other beneficial effects, such as the treatment of chronic neuropathic pain, tremor, headaches, Tourette’s syndrome and sleep disorders related to neurological diseases. The medicinal use of cannabinoids has been highly controlled for a long time due to their possible use as a drug of abuse. Still, in recent years progress has been made in its safe use and in the responsible prescription of medical cannabis for different conditions such as epilepsy.