Epileptic seizures severity and frequency can be lowered with cannabidiol (CBD) oil, based on findings from University of Alabama. The researchers presented their key finding that CBD oil significantly reduced frequency of seizures in most of the patients and two-thirds of patients saw a significant reduction in their seizure severity.
Researcher Jerzy P. Szaflarski explained, “It is encouraging that both frequency and severity of seizures appear to improve in the majority of patients in our study, patients who have limited treatment options. Our research adds to the evidence that CBD may reduce frequency of seizures, but we also found that it appears to decrease the severity of seizures, which is a new finding.”
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Results were based on a study of children and adults who experienced four or more seizures a month. After one month of CBD oil therapy, 68 percent of patients experienced a greater than 25 percent reduction in seizure frequency, 58 percent saw a greater than 50 percent reduction, 36 percent had a greater than 75 percent reduction, and nine percent did not have any seizures. Results were maintained at three and six months.
Co-primary investigator Martina Bebin explained, “These are encouraging results, but it is important to note that each patient may respond differently to CBD, and the dose for optimal seizures control varies. There appears to be an optimal CBD dose range where the patient achieves maximum benefit. If outside this CBD dosing range, the seizure frequency may not improve and may even increase. More research is needed, including determining why and how CBD helps some people with epilepsy but not others.”The studies used CBD oil produced in accordance with the stringent FDA requirements and contains mere traces of THC, the psychoactive component of cannabis.
