"CBD & Seizures in Lennox–Gastaut syndrome"

 

Researchers provide further evidence that the cannabis compound, CBD, is effective at reducing seizures in people with epilepsy.

The new study reveals CBD significantly reduced seizures in people with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome. Previously, the researchers demonstrated CBD was effective at seizure control in Dravet syndrome.

Cannabidiol (CBD), a compound derived from the cannabis plant that does not produce a “high” and has been an increasing focus of medical research, was shown in a new large-scale, randomized, controlled trial to significantly reduce the number of dangerous seizures in patients with a severe form of epilepsy called Lennox–Gastaut syndrome.

In the new study comparing 2 doses of CBD to a placebo, the researchers reported a -41.9% reduction in “drop seizures” (a type of seizure that results in severe loss of muscle control and balance) in patients taking a 20 mg/kg/d CBD,
-a 37.2 percent reduction in those on a 10 mg/kg/d CBD and
-17.2 percent reduction in a group given a placebo.

“This new study adds rigorous evidence of cannabidiol’s effectiveness in reducing seizure burden in a severe form of epilepsy and, importantly, is the first study of its kind to offer more information on proper dosing,”
says Dr. Devinsky.

"Use of CBD in the Treatment of Epilepsy: Efficacy and Security in Clinical Trials"

CBD has received a great scientific interest thanks to its medical applications. 

In recent years, the scientific community has shown interest in this compound also due to its good safety profile and neuroprotective properties  in several neurodegenerative diseases.

CBD also generating interest due to its therapeutic properties such as antidepressant, antipsychotic, analgesic, and antitumor. 


In addition, it has been shown that CBD can significantly reduce two important forms of anxiety, namely obsessive-compulsive disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder.

CBD shows anti-inflammatory properties in several experimental studies, modulating some pro-inflammatory cytokines and tumor necrosis factor as well as regulation of cell cycle and immune cells’ functions

Moreover, for a long time, the CBD has been investigated for its anticonvulsant effects. Several studies confirmed its efficacy in the treatment of epileptic seizures, especially in pediatric age. In 2016, the first results of  clinical trials showed beneficial effects of CBD in treatment-resistant seizure disorders, including Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome (LGS) and Dravet syndromes (DS).

The purpose of this paper wich published in  12 April 2019 from the 'Molecules Open Access Journals' is to evaluate the use of CBD, in addition to common anti-epileptic drugs, in the severe treatment-resistant epilepsy through an overview of recent literature and clinical trials aimed to study the effects of the CBD treatment in different forms of epilepsy. 

The results of scientific studies obtained so far the use of CBD in clinical applications could represent hope for patients who are resistant to all conventional anti-epileptic drugs.

"Safety and efficacy of cannabidiol in children and adults with treatment resistant Lennox-Gastaut syndrome or Dravet syndrome"

Since 2014, patients with severe treatment-resistant epilepsies (TREs) have been receiving add-on cannabidiol (CBD) in an ongoing, expanded access program (EAP), which closely reflects clinical practice.

Researchers conducted an interim analysis of long-term efficacy and tolerability in patients with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (LGS) or Dravet syndrome (DS) who received CBD treatment through December 2016.

The Study...

Children and adults with LGS/DS taking stable doses of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) at baseline were included from 25 EAP sites across the United States.

During the 4-week baseline period, parents/caregivers kept diaries of all countable seizure types. Patients received a pharmaceutical formulation of highly purified CBD in oral solution at 2-10 mg/kg/day, titrated until tolerability limit or a maximum dose of 25-50 mg/kg/day.

"CBD and Epilepsy"

Epilepsy is a common neurologic disorder, it is estimated that ∼50 million people are affected worldwide. 

About one third of those patients are drug resistant, defined as failure to stop all seizures despite adequate trials of at least 2 appropriate medications.

CBD (cannabidiol) has been shown to be an effective treatment for epilepsy, particularly in reducing the frequency and severity of seizures in people with certain types of epilepsy.

In 2018, the FDA approved a CBD-based medication called Epidiolex for the treatment of two rare forms of childhood epilepsy, Lennox-Gastaut syndrome and Dravet syndrome. Clinical trials showed that Epidiolex significantly reduced the number of seizures in patients with these conditions.

CBD works by interacting with the body's endocannabinoid system, which plays a role in regulating various bodily functions, including mood, pain, and sleep. It is thought that CBD may help to reduce seizures by interacting with certain receptors in the brain and nervous system.

There has been an enormous interest in developing antiepileptic drugs with novel mechanisms of action. This review discusses the evidence supporting the anticonvulsant properties of cannabis in humans, focusing on cannabidiol.

"CBD & Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome"

Patients with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, a rare, severe form of epileptic encephalopathy, are frequently treatment resistant to available medications. 

Until now there are few controlled studies that have investigated the use of cannabidiol for patients with seizures associated with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome.




But in this study, which was published on March 17,2018 in the Lancet Jurnals, the reserchers assessed the efficacy and safety of cannabidiol as an add-on anticonvulsant therapy in this population of patients.

 The study...

In 24 clinical sites in the USA, the Netherlands, and Poland, reserchers investigated the efficacy of cannabidiol as add-on therapy for drop seizures in patients with treatment-resistant Lennox-Gastaut syndrome.All patients had Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, including a history of slow spike-and-wave patterns on electroencephalogram, evidence of more than one type of generalised seizure for at least 6 months, at least two drop seizures per week during the 4-week baseline period, and had not responded to treatment with at least two antiepileptic drugs.

"9 year old girl has been nearly seizure-free since she started taking cannabis oil"

Teagan Appleby, from Aylesham, Kent, was born with the rare chromosome disorder isodicentric chromosome 15 syndrome, which led to her being diagnosed with severe Lennox Gastaut Syndrome epilepsy when she was just four years old.

The youngster's condition became so bad she was unable to eat and even had to be put in a medically-induced coma after she had five seizures over eight days last summer.

After having one of the worst cases of epilepsy her doctors have ever seen, Teagan has only had seizures while asleep, and none while awake, since she started taking cannabis oil in July. 

Teagan's mother Emma Appleby, 35, claims she was forced to call for an ambulance at least once a week before her daughter started taking cannabis oil. 

Speaking before, Ms Appleby said: 'It just got really bad, very quickly. She seizures every day and she can seizure up to 300 times a day.

'She's lost all of her skills – she didn't have many because she's been delayed anyway.

'Before she had epilepsy she could run around in the garden and feed herself but now she is completely dependent on someone to look after her.

"Cannabidiol Significantly Reduces Seizures in Patients with Severe Form of Epilepsy"

Researchers provide further evidence that the cannabis compound, CBD, is effective at reducing seizures in people with epilepsy. The new study reveals CBD significantly reduced seizures in people with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome. Previously, the researchers demonstrated CBD was effective at seizure control in Dravet syndrome.

Cannabidiol (CBD), a compound derived from the cannabis plant that does not produce a “high” and has been an increasing focus of medical research, was shown in a new large-scale, randomized, controlled trial to significantly reduce the number of dangerous seizures in patients with a severe form of epilepsy called Lennox–Gastaut syndrome.

Effect of Cannabidiol on Drop Seizures in the Lennox–Gastaut Syndrome

BACKGROUND

Cannabidiol has been used for treatment-resistant seizures in patients with severe early-onset epilepsy. We investigated the efficacy and safety of cannabidiol added to a regimen of conventional antiepileptic medication to treat drop seizures in patients with the Lennox–Gastaut syndrome, a severe developmental epileptic encephalopathy.