Cannabis as a Treatment Option for Children with Epilepsy

Cannabis may help children with severe epilepsy, according to research. In addition to lowering the need for conventional medications, British researchers found that medical marijuana reduced children’s epileptic seizures by 90%. Before using marijuana for medical purposes, however, it is always advisable to speak with an MMJ doctor. 

Discover the various forms of childhood epilepsy and the potential benefits of cannabis for kids with this illness.

Understanding Epilepsy in Children

In the US, about 3.4 million people suffer from epilepsy. 470,000 of these 3.4 million people are children.

Although the exact cause of epilepsy is frequently unknown, it is occasionally thought to be brought on by:

• Brain tumor
• Stroke
• Traumatic brain injury (TBI)
• A central nervous system infection (CNS)

Types

Although there are many forms of childhood epilepsy, cannabis has shown the greatest promise in treating the following:

• Lennox-Gastaut syndrome
• Dravet syndrome

Frequent and violent seizures are a hallmark of both Dravet and Lennox-Gastaut, two severe forms of epilepsy. In 2018, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Epidiolex as the first natural cannabis-derived medication to treat Dravet and Lennox-Gastaut syndromes. The FDA’s approval was revolutionary because, prior to 2018, only drugs made from synthetic cannabis, such as Dronabinol for cancer patients, had received approval.

Traditional Treatments

The following are the examples of conventional therapies for epilepsy:

• Nutritional therapy
• Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS)
• Prescription drugs that reduce seizures, such as valproic acid

Many adverse effects, including headache, nausea, diarrhea, thinning hair, weight gain, and stomach pain, are common with prescription drugs for epilepsy. Epidiolex and other cannabis-based treatments have the advantage of typically having negligible or no adverse effects.

How Medical Marijuana Can Help Manage Seizures and Epilepsy in Children

Certain children with epilepsy, particularly those who are resistant to treatment, may benefit from cannabis and CBD. The effectiveness of CBD stems from the unique distinctions between THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol) and CBD. 

In addition to influencing perception, learning, and motor control, THC usually affects a number of the body’s receptors and affects our sense of pain, anxiety, and memory. However, CBD does not interact with our bodies in the same manner as THC, nor does it have the same effect on CB1 or CB2 receptors. When combined, CBD can even lengthen the effects of THC while also blunting them, or it can even lessen many of the effects that THC has on the user.

It appears that CBD’s capacity to prevent seizures is linked to its capacity to counteract THC’s effects. 

Current theories explain why medical marijuana and CBD effectively lessen the severity of childhood seizure disorders that are difficult to treat. The exact reason why CBD lessens convulsions in so many kids with long-term seizure disorders is unknown to experts. Nonetheless, Dr. Ben-Zeev of Israel’s Sheba Medical Center is positive that: 

• After treating their children with CBD extracts, 150 parents in a Facebook group reported an 84% decrease in the frequency of seizures; 11% of them were seizure-free. 
• In a different online survey, 117 parents of kids with epilepsy who used CBD extract reported that 85% of them responded, and 14% of the kids were seizure-free. 
• Mexico surveyed 53 patients between the ages of 9 months and 18 years; the results showed that 83% of patients had better control over their seizures and 16% were seizure-free after using cannabis extract compounds. 
• One-third of 75 children and adolescents with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome and Dravet syndrome who received doses of oral cannabis extracts reported more than a 50% decrease in seizures, according to parental reports and a review of medical records. 
• 52% of patients in a multicenter retrospective study of three Israeli epilepsy clinics that treated 74 children with intractable epilepsy reported a more than 50% decrease in seizure frequency. 
• According to a chart review on the impact of “artisanal” cannabis on 272 children with epilepsy from California to Washington, 45% of patients experienced a more than 50% decrease in seizure frequency, with 10% going seizure-free. 

Cannabis as a Treatment for Epilepsy in Children

Children with epilepsy may benefit from a variety of cannabis treatments, such as prescription drugs, CBD products, and medical marijuana strains. 

Prescriptions

The only cannabis drug currently approved by the FDA for treating childhood epilepsy is Epidiolex. Since Epidiolex can cost over $32,000 a year out of pocket, the fact that most health insurance companies cover it, unlike over-the-counter CBD products, is a significant benefit for many. 

CBD

In addition to being effective, CBD-based medical cannabis has been used for decades to treat children and adolescents with uncontrollable epilepsy. 

The U.S. National Library of Medicine released a paper titled “Medical Cannabis for Intractable Epilepsy in Childhood: A Review” in January 2020. An overview of research on the effectiveness of using medical cannabis products to treat the symptoms of untreatable childhood seizure disorders over the past six years is given in this entry. 

Bruria Ben-Zeev, MD, a pediatric neurology specialist and author for the National Library of Medicine, points out that research on cannabis’s use as a treatment for epilepsy dates back to before the drug’s isolation and discovery. 

Dr. Ben-Zeev also connects Sumerian and Akkadian tablets dated to 1800 BC and Chinese historical records from 2700 BC to 19th-century publications by prominent doctors of the era, all of which praise cannabis’s anticonvulsant properties. 

Medical Strains

Studies on medical strains and THC’s impact on seizures have produced conflicting findings, according to Dr. Ben-Zeev. One such finding is that THC can cause proconvulsant reactions, which “makes it less attractive for clinical epilepsy treatment. 

A report from CBD Project claims that THCA, a non-intoxicating cannabinoid present in raw and live cannabis, has a lot of potential for treating epilepsy. THCA is thought to have the advantage of requiring lower dosages than other cannabis-derived epilepsy treatments. Though there is not enough scientific evidence to support THCA as a treatment at this time, anecdotal evidence suggests that THCA is a treatment to keep an eye on in the future. Nevertheless, THCA research is still in the preclinical stage. 

Discover how medical marijuana may help with childhood epilepsy and other conditions that qualify. For assistance with the online application process for an online medical marijuana card in Bakersfield, contact California Online Clinic. 

Nieka Ranises