The use of cannabis in seizure treatment is of great interest as medical marijuana laws evolve. Approximately ⅓ of epilepsy patients are resistant to pharmaceutical medication treatment. “Sources as old as the 11th and 15th centuries claimed efficacy for crude marijuana extracts in the treatment of convulsive disorders”, states one study.

As the cannabis industry booms and medical providers are more commonly prescribing marijuana, newer studies on cannabinoids and their effect on patients with epilepsy or other seizure conditions are being published. The majority of these findings are in light of cannabis use. Let’s dive into some of those studies on the possible benefits of cannabis for seizure disorder

Cannabis and Seizures

In a 2020 article published online in the National Library of Medicine, researchers reviewed studies and literature on the therapeutic use of cannabis in drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE). The article mainly focused on cannabidiol (CBD) studies and its ability to treat DRE. In conclusion, the review found, “The benefit of cannabis use in patients with DRE has been demonstrated in these studies, the outcome of which was the achievement of more than 50% seizure reduction.” In addition to mood improvement, alertness, sleep, and language skills, the article added that the treatments improved quality of life. These are pretty significant findings.

An older but equally promising review from 1981 published in the Journal of Clinical Pharmacology looked at 1972 clinical trials of CBD in epileptic patients. The abstract stated during the study, “Seven out of the eight epileptics receiving cannabidiol had improvement of their disease state.”

A 2018 peer-reviewed literature review article may be one of the most comprehensive and promising articles published concerning cannabis treatment for epileptic seizures. In one study, “The median frequency of seizures decreased from 12.4 to 5.9 in the treatment group and 14.9 to 14.1 in the placebo group.” This review included six studies where CBD and a placebo were given to epileptic patients. In each study, there was a significant decrease in the majority of the subjects. The article concluded, “There is an increasing interest in developing cannabis preparations for the treatment of drug-resistant epilepsy as they are observed to be more efficacious with less side effect profile.”

A 2019 study published in Epilepsia Journal analyzed the antiseizure effects of CBD on models of acute seizures. While rat and mice studies are not as profound as human studies, the study showed great promise for CBD as an epilepsy treatment regardless. It found that “CBD was effective in a battery of acute seizure models in both mice and rats following intraperitoneal administration.”

As new studies emerge and medical marijuana becomes mainstream, more people are looking to cannabis and other cannabinoids for treating epilepsy and epileptic seizures. Rather than being taboo as it was just a few years ago, medical marijuana is an acceptable and effective form of treatment. An entire webpage on Epilepsy.com is dedicated to information on medical marijuana as a treatment for epilepsy. They state: “When conventional treatments do not work to control seizures, as is the case for roughly 30% of people with epilepsy, it is not unreasonable to consider CBD oil.” While most studies have shown CBD to be the most effective cannabinoid for epilepsy, factors like the entourage effect are sure to come into play.

Sources:
Rosenberg EC, Patra PH, Whalley BJ. Therapeutic effects of cannabinoids in animal models of seizures, epilepsy, epileptogenesis, and epilepsy-related neuroprotection. Epilepsy Behav. 2017 May;70(Pt B):319-327. doi: 10.1016/j.yebeh.2016.11.006. Epub 2017 Feb 9. PMID: 28190698; PMCID: PMC5651410.

Buchanan-Peart KR, Oribhabor GI, Khokale RV, Nelson ML, Cancarevic I. Cannabis, More Than the Euphoria: Its Therapeutic Use in Drug-Resistant Epilepsy. Cureus. 2020 Jul 20;12(7):e9299. doi: 10.7759/cureus.9299. PMID: 32832296; PMCID: PMC7437102.

Carlini EA, Cunha JM. Hypnotic and antiepileptic effects of cannabidiol. J Clin Pharmacol. 1981 Aug-Sep;21(S1):417S-427S. doi: 10.1002/j.1552-4604.1981.tb02622.x. PMID: 7028792.

Zaheer S, Kumar D, Khan M T, et al. (September 10, 2018) Epilepsy and Cannabis: A Literature Review. Cureus 10(9): e3278. doi:10.7759/cureus.3278

Patra PH, Barker-Haliski M, White HS, Whalley BJ, Glyn S, Sandhu H, Jones N, Bazelot M, Williams CM, McNeish AJ. Cannabidiol reduces seizures and associated behavioral comorbidities in a range of animal seizure and epilepsy models. Epilepsia. 2019 Feb;60(2):303-314. doi: 10.1111/epi.14629. Epub 2018 Dec 26. PMID: 30588604; PMCID: PMC6378611.

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