14 DAY TRIAL // Not all epilepsy sufferers respond to existing treatment options. In a recent study, researchers with the American Academy of Neurology tried using a medicinal form of liquid marijuana to address epileptic seizures.
Thus, they attempted to treat a group of epilepsy sufferers with a liquid form of cannabidiol, one of the active ingredients in marijuana, over the course of 12 weeks.
Of the study participants, about 10% experienced side effects such as drowsiness, tiredness, decreased appetite and diarrhea, and had to stop taking the liquid marijuana.
The remainder, however, experienced a noteworthy improvement in their overall health condition. Specifically, they suffered about 50% fewer seizures than they normally would have.
The volunteers who responded positively to the drug were both toddlers and adults. Because the drug did not contain any psychoactive compounds, they didn't get high. They just got better.
“These results are of great interest, especially for the children and their parents who have been searching for an answer for these debilitating seizures,” explains study author Orrin Devinsky.
The study participants who suffered fewer seizures after having been administered the liquid medicinal marijuana had Dravet syndrome or Lennox-Gastuat syndrome, both of which are forms of epilepsy.
Although some of the volunteers experienced severe side effects to the drug, specialist Orrin Devinky and colleagues believe the drug they tested shows promise as treatment for epilepsy.