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04-16-2012, 10:20 PM
Epilepsy / Seizures
General Reference (not clearly pro or con)
The Institute of Medicine wrote in its Mar. 17, 1999 report, "Marijuana and Medicine: Assessing the Science Base": "Epilepsy is a chronic seizure disorder that affects about 2 million Americans and 30 million people worldwide. It is characterized by recurrent sudden attacks of altered consciousness, convulsions, or other motor activity. A seizure is the synchronized excitation of large groups of brain cells.
There are anecdotal and individual case reports that marijuana controls seizures in epileptics (reviewed in a 1997 British Medical Association report), but there is no solid evidence. While there are no studies indicating that either marijuana or THC worsen seizures, there is no scientific basis to justify such studies."
Pro's
Katherine Mortati, MD, a neurologist at the Comprehensive Epilepsy Center at SUNY Downstate Medical Center, et al., stated in their 2007 study "Marijuana: An Effective Antiepileptic Treatment in Partial Epilepsy? A Case Report and Review of the Literature," published in Reviews in Neurological Diseases: "Although more data are needed, animal studies and clinical experience suggest that marijuana or its active constituents may have a place in the treatment of partial epilepsy. [in the study] we present the case of a 45-year-old man with cerebral palsy and epilepsy who showed marked improvement with the use of marijuana. This case supports other anecdotal data suggesting that marijuana use may be a beneficial adjunctive treatment in some patients with epilepsy."
Con's
Recent Comments on this Discussion
Re: Marijuana and seizures Hi - I am a parent of a 20 year old who has had chronic seizures since birth. There is no known reason for her seiziures and rarely have medications help, until recently. She uses a medication from Canada - it's not yet FDA approved in the US. This has helped her tremendously. It is Clobazam. She has been on so many different meds over the years - once we were getting meds from Europe. Another time from Mexico. She has had a VNS, and several brain surgeries. FINALLY we found something that works! The only major side effect is that it is sedating. Some times she seems a little "high", like if she were on valium or if she had a glass of wine. It is amazing that she is able to be as functioning as she is. Anyway - we have recently moved from one of the most conservative states in our nation, Texas to Oregon, one of the most liberal states. Here they advertise Medial Marijuana on the TV and radio. I read pages and pages of this forum - and find all the diverse responses interesting. more
Re: Marijuana and seizures I am a 37 year old epileptic woman. I was diagnosed with epilepsy when I was 5 years old. I have taken numerous drugs.....Depakote,Dilantin,Tegretol,etc.........the list goes on & on. All that have caused numerous side effects in one way or another. One major side effect of almost all the medications I have been on are side effects that Hypoglycemics experience. Thats another discussion in itself though. My point being is that if it is possible to use marijuana responsibly & it benefits the person in a positive way, why not?. I am not a smoker, never have been, but I am interested in other ways of being able to try this.
More
Re: Marijuana and seizures Because you start smoking weed does not mean you will start using other drugs. That is simply a choice people make ( to use other drugs). I have smoked weed for 26 years. I don't use other drugs. When I was young I was a junkie. It was not due to smoking, it was due to the choices I made in life. Smoking has effected my short term memory but other than that it seems to have positive effects. I had my 1st seizure on July 4 of this year. I was on vacation
More
Epilepsy is a condition in which certain brain cells become abnormally excitable and spontaneously discharge in an uncontrolled way, causing a seizure. In grand mal or generalized epilepsy, the abnormal cells are on both sides of the brain and the discharge produces convulsions (violent muscle spasms). In absence seizures, the generalized brain discharge causes a lapse of consciousness, but not convulsions. Partial seizures result from abnormal discharge in an isolated area of the brain and may occur with or without a change in consciousness.
Partial seizures with a change in consciousness, known as complex partial seizures, are caused by damage to the temporal or frontal lobes of the cerebral cortex. They were formerly known as psychomotor seizures because the symptoms also include motor activity (grimacing and repetitive mouth or hand movements are especially common). When overexcitation is confined to a very small area, the patient with epilepsy may have a strange sensation of dja vu, vertigo, fear, or an odd smell without a source. This experience, known as an aura, may or may not be followed by a full complex partial seizure. Epilepsy is treated mainly with anticonvulsant drugs, including carbamazepine (Tegretol), phenytoin (Dilantin), valproic acid (Depakote), phenobarbital, primidone (Mysoline), ethosuximide (Zarontin), and clonazepam (Klonopin). About 70% of patients get relief from one of these drugs, and another 10% are helped by some combination of them. Focal seizures and temporal lobe epilepsy, however, often respond poorly to these drugs. Furthermore, anticonvulsants have many potentially serious side effects, including bone softening, anemia, swelling of the gums, double vision, hair loss, headaches, nausea, decreased libido, impotence, depression, and psychosis. Overdoses or idiosyncratic reactions may lead to loss of motor coordination, coma, and even death.
Although the anticonvulsant properties of cannabis have been known since ancient times and were explored in the nineteenth century, this therapeutic use of the drug has been largely ignored in the past hundred years. Although the medical establishment is still showing little interest, more and more epilepsy sufferers are discovering the usefulness of cannabis. Tim Shellman has suffered from grand mal epilepsy since he was 15 years of age. He and his wife Pattie describe his use of cannabis in the treatment of his convulsive disorder.
More
Cannabis has been known to have anticonvulsant properties for over a century, and studies were done on the use of marijuana to alleviate seizures as early as the 19th century. While most data available today is anecdotal, those personal stories do point to cannabis as an asset in the fight to control seizures. Cannabis analogues have shown to prevent seizures when prescribed in combination with more traditional medications, and patients who have been through the combined drug therapy have stated they are able to wean themselves off the conventional medication and still not have seizures as long as they have a regular supply of cannabis.
More recently, there has been some scientific interest in the use of cannabidiol, a cannabinoid drug, in epilepsy treatment. There is only a very little bit of data about this, but it shows that cannabidiol has almost none of the psychoactive side effects that whole cannabis (or its component element THC) tend to induce.
More
What the researchers wanted to know: How common is marijuana use among epilepsy patients?
What they did: Patients seen at the University of Alberta Epilepsy Clinic were called and asked about their condition and whether they use medical marijuana.
What they found: Of 136 subjects, 48 (35 percent) had used marijuana in the past month. Nearly half had used it at some time in their lives, and four were determined to be dependent on the drug. People with frequent seizures or who'd had the disease longer were more likely to use marijuana frequentlywhich could mean that using marijuana makes seizures happen more often but could also mean that patients whose disease was worse were more likely to try alternative treatments. Not surprisingly, people who used other illicit drugs were also more likely to smoke marijuana.
What the study means to you: Many people with epilepsy seem to think marijuana helps. Animal studies have come up with conflicting resultsin some, marijuana increases convulsions, while in others it has an anticonvulsant (somewhat more desirable) effect. In any case, if many patients are using marijuana, it seems worth studying more.
Caveats: This is one clinic in Canada, so the findings probably don't apply to everyone with epilepsy, especially if they live in places with stricter marijuana laws. (Medical use of marijuana is legal in Canada under certain conditions.)
source:
http://www.safeacces...cle.php?id=1638
Cannabis may help epileptics
04 Oct 2003
Further evidence has emerged that an ingredient of cannabis could help prevent epileptic seizures.
Some experts are now calling for fresh research into the potential of cannabis-like compounds to help alleviate the condition.
Researchers from Germany found that natural brain chemicals which resemble cannabis extracts can interrupt a process which can trigger a seizure.
There have been trials of cannabis compounds in MS and cancer patients.
There are reports dating from the 15th century talking about the use of cannabis to ease the symptoms of epilepsy.
However, there have been few organised trials in humans in recent years, even though cannabis or its extracts are being evaluated in trials against several other illness types illness.
Brain chemicals
The researchers, from the Max-Planck Institut in Munich studies mice bred to suffer a key feature of epilepsy in humans.
This is 'excitotoxicity' - abnormal stimulation of brain cells by an excessive quantity of a chemical called glutamate.
In the mutant mice, a substance called kainic acid works in a very similar way, and the researchers used this to find out if cannabinoid chemicals could somehow interrupt the process or protect the brain cells involved.
They found, in the mouse brain at least, that key receptors on the surface of the brain cell, which normally respond to contact with cannabinoid-like chemicals produced naturally in the body, appeared to protect against these acid-induced seizures.
However, while the same receptors are found in the human brain, there is no evidence that seizures could be stopped by applying similar cannabinoids in a therapy.
'Promising'
The researchers describe their finding as a 'promising therapeutic target' for epilepsy drug research.
Professor Roger Pertwee, an researcher into cannabinoids at Aberdeen University, told BBC News Online that fresh studies into their promise against epilepsy were overdue.
He said: 'There is always a need for new drugs to treat epilepsy, and there have now been sufficient animal studies to justify research in humans with epilepsy.'
source:
http://www.medicalne...ticles/4423.php
Submitted by Member of Pif
"Medically I deal with a form of epilepsy known as CPS (Complex Partial Seizures) and have been doing so for 13 years now. I also deal with chronic pain due to osteoarthritis, which I've had since I was 26. Within the last year I finally received my PTSD diagnose from the VA...only about 41 years after the fact. It didn't help things when my daughter was kidnapped and brutally murdered in 2001. I also have a few other issues like diabetes, headaches, etc., etc.
Over the years I've tried numerous medications for the seizures including doing a 2 year drug trial at a local medical university, only to have the VA refuse to approve the drug because it was new and expensive. I've also tried different drugs for the pain and the PTSD. Few of the legal drugs helped (I did get some relief with the narcotics but the side effects were nasty). Cannabis is the only substance that controls my seizures, pain, and emotional issues without very negative side effects."
General Reference (not clearly pro or con)
The Institute of Medicine wrote in its Mar. 17, 1999 report, "Marijuana and Medicine: Assessing the Science Base": "Epilepsy is a chronic seizure disorder that affects about 2 million Americans and 30 million people worldwide. It is characterized by recurrent sudden attacks of altered consciousness, convulsions, or other motor activity. A seizure is the synchronized excitation of large groups of brain cells.
There are anecdotal and individual case reports that marijuana controls seizures in epileptics (reviewed in a 1997 British Medical Association report), but there is no solid evidence. While there are no studies indicating that either marijuana or THC worsen seizures, there is no scientific basis to justify such studies."
Pro's
Katherine Mortati, MD, a neurologist at the Comprehensive Epilepsy Center at SUNY Downstate Medical Center, et al., stated in their 2007 study "Marijuana: An Effective Antiepileptic Treatment in Partial Epilepsy? A Case Report and Review of the Literature," published in Reviews in Neurological Diseases: "Although more data are needed, animal studies and clinical experience suggest that marijuana or its active constituents may have a place in the treatment of partial epilepsy. [in the study] we present the case of a 45-year-old man with cerebral palsy and epilepsy who showed marked improvement with the use of marijuana. This case supports other anecdotal data suggesting that marijuana use may be a beneficial adjunctive treatment in some patients with epilepsy."
Con's
Recent Comments on this Discussion
Re: Marijuana and seizures Hi - I am a parent of a 20 year old who has had chronic seizures since birth. There is no known reason for her seiziures and rarely have medications help, until recently. She uses a medication from Canada - it's not yet FDA approved in the US. This has helped her tremendously. It is Clobazam. She has been on so many different meds over the years - once we were getting meds from Europe. Another time from Mexico. She has had a VNS, and several brain surgeries. FINALLY we found something that works! The only major side effect is that it is sedating. Some times she seems a little "high", like if she were on valium or if she had a glass of wine. It is amazing that she is able to be as functioning as she is. Anyway - we have recently moved from one of the most conservative states in our nation, Texas to Oregon, one of the most liberal states. Here they advertise Medial Marijuana on the TV and radio. I read pages and pages of this forum - and find all the diverse responses interesting. more
Re: Marijuana and seizures I am a 37 year old epileptic woman. I was diagnosed with epilepsy when I was 5 years old. I have taken numerous drugs.....Depakote,Dilantin,Tegretol,etc.........the list goes on & on. All that have caused numerous side effects in one way or another. One major side effect of almost all the medications I have been on are side effects that Hypoglycemics experience. Thats another discussion in itself though. My point being is that if it is possible to use marijuana responsibly & it benefits the person in a positive way, why not?. I am not a smoker, never have been, but I am interested in other ways of being able to try this.
More
Re: Marijuana and seizures Because you start smoking weed does not mean you will start using other drugs. That is simply a choice people make ( to use other drugs). I have smoked weed for 26 years. I don't use other drugs. When I was young I was a junkie. It was not due to smoking, it was due to the choices I made in life. Smoking has effected my short term memory but other than that it seems to have positive effects. I had my 1st seizure on July 4 of this year. I was on vacation
More
by Tim and Pattie Shellman
Epilepsy is a condition in which certain brain cells become abnormally excitable and spontaneously discharge in an uncontrolled way, causing a seizure. In grand mal or generalized epilepsy, the abnormal cells are on both sides of the brain and the discharge produces convulsions (violent muscle spasms). In absence seizures, the generalized brain discharge causes a lapse of consciousness, but not convulsions. Partial seizures result from abnormal discharge in an isolated area of the brain and may occur with or without a change in consciousness.
Partial seizures with a change in consciousness, known as complex partial seizures, are caused by damage to the temporal or frontal lobes of the cerebral cortex. They were formerly known as psychomotor seizures because the symptoms also include motor activity (grimacing and repetitive mouth or hand movements are especially common). When overexcitation is confined to a very small area, the patient with epilepsy may have a strange sensation of dja vu, vertigo, fear, or an odd smell without a source. This experience, known as an aura, may or may not be followed by a full complex partial seizure. Epilepsy is treated mainly with anticonvulsant drugs, including carbamazepine (Tegretol), phenytoin (Dilantin), valproic acid (Depakote), phenobarbital, primidone (Mysoline), ethosuximide (Zarontin), and clonazepam (Klonopin). About 70% of patients get relief from one of these drugs, and another 10% are helped by some combination of them. Focal seizures and temporal lobe epilepsy, however, often respond poorly to these drugs. Furthermore, anticonvulsants have many potentially serious side effects, including bone softening, anemia, swelling of the gums, double vision, hair loss, headaches, nausea, decreased libido, impotence, depression, and psychosis. Overdoses or idiosyncratic reactions may lead to loss of motor coordination, coma, and even death.
Although the anticonvulsant properties of cannabis have been known since ancient times and were explored in the nineteenth century, this therapeutic use of the drug has been largely ignored in the past hundred years. Although the medical establishment is still showing little interest, more and more epilepsy sufferers are discovering the usefulness of cannabis. Tim Shellman has suffered from grand mal epilepsy since he was 15 years of age. He and his wife Pattie describe his use of cannabis in the treatment of his convulsive disorder.
More
Cannabis has been known to have anticonvulsant properties for over a century, and studies were done on the use of marijuana to alleviate seizures as early as the 19th century. While most data available today is anecdotal, those personal stories do point to cannabis as an asset in the fight to control seizures. Cannabis analogues have shown to prevent seizures when prescribed in combination with more traditional medications, and patients who have been through the combined drug therapy have stated they are able to wean themselves off the conventional medication and still not have seizures as long as they have a regular supply of cannabis.
More recently, there has been some scientific interest in the use of cannabidiol, a cannabinoid drug, in epilepsy treatment. There is only a very little bit of data about this, but it shows that cannabidiol has almost none of the psychoactive side effects that whole cannabis (or its component element THC) tend to induce.
More
What the researchers wanted to know: How common is marijuana use among epilepsy patients?
What they did: Patients seen at the University of Alberta Epilepsy Clinic were called and asked about their condition and whether they use medical marijuana.
What they found: Of 136 subjects, 48 (35 percent) had used marijuana in the past month. Nearly half had used it at some time in their lives, and four were determined to be dependent on the drug. People with frequent seizures or who'd had the disease longer were more likely to use marijuana frequentlywhich could mean that using marijuana makes seizures happen more often but could also mean that patients whose disease was worse were more likely to try alternative treatments. Not surprisingly, people who used other illicit drugs were also more likely to smoke marijuana.
What the study means to you: Many people with epilepsy seem to think marijuana helps. Animal studies have come up with conflicting resultsin some, marijuana increases convulsions, while in others it has an anticonvulsant (somewhat more desirable) effect. In any case, if many patients are using marijuana, it seems worth studying more.
Caveats: This is one clinic in Canada, so the findings probably don't apply to everyone with epilepsy, especially if they live in places with stricter marijuana laws. (Medical use of marijuana is legal in Canada under certain conditions.)
source:
http://www.safeacces...cle.php?id=1638
Cannabis may help epileptics
04 Oct 2003
Further evidence has emerged that an ingredient of cannabis could help prevent epileptic seizures.
Some experts are now calling for fresh research into the potential of cannabis-like compounds to help alleviate the condition.
Researchers from Germany found that natural brain chemicals which resemble cannabis extracts can interrupt a process which can trigger a seizure.
There have been trials of cannabis compounds in MS and cancer patients.
There are reports dating from the 15th century talking about the use of cannabis to ease the symptoms of epilepsy.
However, there have been few organised trials in humans in recent years, even though cannabis or its extracts are being evaluated in trials against several other illness types illness.
Brain chemicals
The researchers, from the Max-Planck Institut in Munich studies mice bred to suffer a key feature of epilepsy in humans.
This is 'excitotoxicity' - abnormal stimulation of brain cells by an excessive quantity of a chemical called glutamate.
In the mutant mice, a substance called kainic acid works in a very similar way, and the researchers used this to find out if cannabinoid chemicals could somehow interrupt the process or protect the brain cells involved.
They found, in the mouse brain at least, that key receptors on the surface of the brain cell, which normally respond to contact with cannabinoid-like chemicals produced naturally in the body, appeared to protect against these acid-induced seizures.
However, while the same receptors are found in the human brain, there is no evidence that seizures could be stopped by applying similar cannabinoids in a therapy.
'Promising'
The researchers describe their finding as a 'promising therapeutic target' for epilepsy drug research.
Professor Roger Pertwee, an researcher into cannabinoids at Aberdeen University, told BBC News Online that fresh studies into their promise against epilepsy were overdue.
He said: 'There is always a need for new drugs to treat epilepsy, and there have now been sufficient animal studies to justify research in humans with epilepsy.'
source:
http://www.medicalne...ticles/4423.php
Submitted by Member of Pif
"Medically I deal with a form of epilepsy known as CPS (Complex Partial Seizures) and have been doing so for 13 years now. I also deal with chronic pain due to osteoarthritis, which I've had since I was 26. Within the last year I finally received my PTSD diagnose from the VA...only about 41 years after the fact. It didn't help things when my daughter was kidnapped and brutally murdered in 2001. I also have a few other issues like diabetes, headaches, etc., etc.
Over the years I've tried numerous medications for the seizures including doing a 2 year drug trial at a local medical university, only to have the VA refuse to approve the drug because it was new and expensive. I've also tried different drugs for the pain and the PTSD. Few of the legal drugs helped (I did get some relief with the narcotics but the side effects were nasty). Cannabis is the only substance that controls my seizures, pain, and emotional issues without very negative side effects."