04-19-2017, 08:15 AM
Pot Ingredient Might Ease Severe Epilepsy
<p class="">Cannabidiol appears to lessen 'drop seizures' for some Lennox-Gastaut syndrome patients, study finds
TUESDAY, April 18, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- An ingredient in marijuana may reduce seizures in people with a severe form of epilepsy, a new study suggests.
The ingredient in question is cannabidiol -- a molecule from the marijuana plant that does not create a "high." The drug is being developed by GW Pharmaceuticals, which funded the new study.
Researchers used cannabidiol to treat a type of epilepsy known as Lennox-Gastaut syndrome.
"The seizures in Lennox-Gastaut syndrome can be very difficult to treat, and the ones that cause falling can be dangerous and occur multiple times in a day," explained an expert in epilepsy treatment, Dr. Derek Chong. He directs the division of epilepsy at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City.
The new study was led by Dr. Anup Patel, of Nationwide Children's Hospital and The Ohio State University College of Medicine in Columbus. His team tested cannabidiol in 225 young patients with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome. The patients had an average age of 16 years.
Each month, the study participants had an average of 85 seizures that involved falling ("drop" seizures), the researchers said. The patients had already tried an average of six epilepsy drugs that did not help them, and were taking an average of three epilepsy drugs at the time of the study....
<a data-ipb="nomediaparse" href="https://consumer.healthday.com/cognitive-health-information-26/epilepsy-news-235/pot-ingredient-might-ease-severe-epilepsy-721675.html">https://consumer.healthday.com/cognitive-health-information-26/epilepsy-news-235/pot-ingredient-might-ease-severe-epilepsy-721675.html</a>
<p class="">Cannabidiol appears to lessen 'drop seizures' for some Lennox-Gastaut syndrome patients, study finds
TUESDAY, April 18, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- An ingredient in marijuana may reduce seizures in people with a severe form of epilepsy, a new study suggests.
The ingredient in question is cannabidiol -- a molecule from the marijuana plant that does not create a "high." The drug is being developed by GW Pharmaceuticals, which funded the new study.
Researchers used cannabidiol to treat a type of epilepsy known as Lennox-Gastaut syndrome.
"The seizures in Lennox-Gastaut syndrome can be very difficult to treat, and the ones that cause falling can be dangerous and occur multiple times in a day," explained an expert in epilepsy treatment, Dr. Derek Chong. He directs the division of epilepsy at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City.
The new study was led by Dr. Anup Patel, of Nationwide Children's Hospital and The Ohio State University College of Medicine in Columbus. His team tested cannabidiol in 225 young patients with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome. The patients had an average age of 16 years.
Each month, the study participants had an average of 85 seizures that involved falling ("drop" seizures), the researchers said. The patients had already tried an average of six epilepsy drugs that did not help them, and were taking an average of three epilepsy drugs at the time of the study....
<a data-ipb="nomediaparse" href="https://consumer.healthday.com/cognitive-health-information-26/epilepsy-news-235/pot-ingredient-might-ease-severe-epilepsy-721675.html">https://consumer.healthday.com/cognitive-health-information-26/epilepsy-news-235/pot-ingredient-might-ease-severe-epilepsy-721675.html</a>