Hemp in the treatment of epilepsy - finally an effective medicine?

How does CBD fight epilepsy?

CBD is a non-psychoactive cannabinoid that acts in the endocannabinoid system to trigger effects in the human body. In principle, mechanisms of action can be observed in the treatment of epilepsy that lead to an improvement in the patient's symptoms. First of all, cannabis is anticonvulsant (against seizures). Another advantage is the neuroprotective (protective effect on the nervous system) properties of cannabis.

According to available studies:

• CBD affects gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) levels, low levels of which are associated with seizures. CBD reduces the absorption of GABA, which in turn leads to an increase in GABA levels in the brain.
• CBD stabilises the function of ion channels in the body (the same effect as some antiepileptic drugs). Proper function of these channels is essential for proper tissue and organ function.
• CBD changes the way nerve cells in the brain communicate with each other and absorb other substances. As a result, CBD can increase the effectiveness of other drugs prescribed to treat epilepsy.

Epidiolex and epilepsy

Did you know that there is a Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved CBD-based epilepsy medication for children? It's called Epidiolex.

It is a prescription medication, Epidiolex is used to treat two rare forms of epilepsy in children under the age of 2: Dravet syndrome and Lennox-Gastaut syndrome.

How to dose CBD for epilepsy?

The recommended daily dose is based on the experience we have gathered in our hemp counseling over the last 10 years:

• If you cannot determine exactly what time of day your epileptic seizures occur, or if they occur sporadically, we recommend taking 10% CBD oil ideally twice a day (for children, start with 5% CBD oil and gradually increase the dose). We recommend starting with 1 drop twice a day and increasing the dosage at intervals of a few days until the desired effect is achieved.
  
  
• If your seizures occur at certain times of the day, it is a good idea to concentrate the dosage at these times and apply CBD about an hour beforehand. So if you have seizures in the morning, split your daily dose between morning and midday. If you have seizures in the afternoon, we recommend taking it after lunch and in the evening.
  
  
• If you are mainly affected by epileptic seizures at night, take 10% CBD oil before going to bed and in the morning after waking up.

At the same time, if you have an attack at any time of the day, regardless of the daily dose, you should apply the sum of the entire daily dose between your lip and gums and massage it into the gums with circular movements of your fingers.

Do you need some advice about hemp and epilepsy? Don´t hesitate co contact us. The Cannadorra team of professional consultants is here for you.

Did you know that CBD also helps with epilepsy in animals?

How long does it take for CBD to take effect in the treatment of epilepsy?

How long it takes for CBD to take effect in the treatment of epilepsy can depend on various factors, including:

• Type of epilepsy: Different types of epilepsy may take different lengths of time to respond to CBD treatment. Some forms of epilepsy may be more sensitive to the effects of CBD than others.
• CBD dose: The effect of CBD can be dose-dependent. Some patients may require higher doses of CBD to achieve the desired therapeutic effect, while others may benefit from lower doses.
• Individual variability: Each person has unique biochemical and genetic factors that can affect how quickly they respond to CBD treatment. Some people may experience the effects of CBD very quickly, while others may require a longer period of time to see positive results.

In general, some patients may see relief from their seizures and other epilepsy symptoms within a few days or weeks of starting CBD treatment, while for others it may take longer.

It is always a good idea to be patient and allow a few days for the effects to fully occur.

What is the difference between CBD and THC and how does it affect the treatment of epilepsy?

The fundamental difference between CBD and THC is psychoactivity - while CBD is not psychoactive, THC is.

THC is not recommended for the treatment of epilepsy but can exacerbate the symptoms of the disease, especially the frequency of seizures.

Taking CBD together with medication for epilepsy

When taking medication for epilepsy, a minimum interval of 2 hours should be maintained between antiepileptic drugs and CBD products. If you keep this distance, there will be no contraindications and no reduction in the effect of antiepileptic drugs.

 

The clinical picture of epilepsy

There are a number of epileptic seizures by type. Patients have either major seizures (disturbed consciousness, convulsions) or minor seizures (sight).

Today, however, the most widely used division according to the International League Against Epilepsy, which divides seizures into two main groups: partial (partly) and generalized.

Partial seizures (focal) begin in a certain restricted area of the brain and their manifestations are determined by the location of this area (the so-called epileptogenic zones). This type of seizures is the most common in adulthood and the most commonplace of origin are sleep lobes. Some of the patients feel the foreshadowing, or aura, before the attack. Aura often appears as an uncomfortable feeling in the abdomen, upper abdomen, upwards; furthermore, as feelings already experienced, seen, feelings of alienation, olfactory hallucinations, etc.

If the seizure spreads further, it develops into a so-called partial complex picture where consciousness is already broken (partially or completely), the patient performs automatic and ineffective movements (licks, swallows, chews, manipulates surrounding objects, adjusts clothing), it can aimlessly go on or even continue the more complex activity that it started before the seizure. He can even speak, mostly unintelligible, meaningless. Sometimes, on the contrary, physical activity is minimal and the patient gets stagnant.

Confusion, agitation, and aggression are no exception after a seizure. The patient usually does not remember the seizure. Even this seizure can spread further and become a “large” seizure, secondary generalized. Partial seizures from other lobes tend to have consciousness preserved and manifest themselves, for example, with twitches or convulsions on only one side of the body, or even in a particular muscle group from which they can “travel” further.

In a generalized seizure, the entire cerebral cortex of both hemispheres is affected by epileptic activity. Therefore, the patient immediately loses consciousness. There are more such types of seizures. In adulthood, the most common seizure with convulsions. In the beginning, the sick often shouts, tries his tongue, falls down. He is stiff, not breathing and turns blue. Gradually breathing, salivation and rhythmic symmetrical twitches appear in all limbs. At the end of the seizure, they often get wet and remain slack and unconscious (or deep sleep) for some time.

Even in adults, absenteeism (typical of childhood) may occur, characterized even by brief gaze and “blackout”. Myoclonic seizures are manifested by an involuntary violent jerking of the head, limbs or the whole body.

Seizures occur day and night, in sleep. One patient may have multiple seizures.

How can hemp help epileptics?

In principle, mechanisms of action can be observed in the treatment of epilepsy leading to an improvement in the patient's symptoms. First of all, hemp is anticonvulsant (it acts against convulsions). In the long term, health professionals have been aware of the anticonvulsant properties of hemp. They have even been demonstrated in animal experiments. Even with the use of CBD without psychotropic effects, it is already possible to effectively combat seizures.

Another advantage is the neuroprotective (protective effect on the nervous system) properties of hemp. It is believed that epilepsy can be countered by hemp consumption. This is a consequence of the developing endocannabinoid system of our body. Patients whose endocannabinoid system is unbalanced or otherwise impaired (which may also be genetically predisposed) often suffer from temporal lobe epilepsy, which is characterized by sensory disorders of all kinds.

It has been found that hemp can partially reduce particularly severe seizures better than traditional medicine (for example Phenobarbital). Patients who regularly fall under “status epilepticus”, i.e. seizures lasting more than five minutes, could, therefore, benefit from hemp treatment.

From theory to practice

In theory, hemp is therefore very suitable for the treatment of epilepsy, especially in severe cases where conventional medicine fails. This research showed that some people were already able to “heal” themselves, such as an eight-year-old girl who had more than 150 epileptic seizures per day. Although doctors did not expect to be older than ten years, she and her family did not give up hope and opted for an "emergency solution" - hemp oil.

Eight-year-old Tara experienced a tremendous improvement in all her symptoms. For one year, it consumes small, safe amounts of hemp every day and now has no seizures of any kind, without the side effects of benzodiazepines or other conventional epilepsy medicine. Sometimes she suffers from fatigue and loss of appetite, which she likes to accept. Tara's brother, Sean, also suffered from epilepsy, albeit with weaker symptoms, and was able to benefit from cannabis treatment within a very short time.

Resource:  https://www.hanf-magazin.com/medizin/hanfmedizin-bei-erkrankungen/cannabis-bei-epilepsie-endlich-ein-wirksames-heilmittel/?fbclid=IwAR1FuMBFEaLRNY_C8xAfGJ4IyeRfWB0JIWeyCFGHes6adddQdJHu5Q0xpG8