Cannabidiol (CBD) has been gaining traction in recent years as a potential treatment for seizures and epilepsy. Studies have shown that CBD can reduce the adverse effects associated with anticonvulsant medications and may even improve other aspects of patients' health and quality of life. CBD oil may help with some symptoms of seizures and epilepsy, although most people prefer to use the isolated CBD compound as a treatment. In contrast to other medications, CBD does not influence the pharmacokinetics of valproate and stiripentol when co-administered.
However, stiripentol causes a slight decrease in CBD metabolites (7-OH-CBD 7-COOH-CBD), while valproate causes a slight increase in 7-OH-CBD. Therefore, the concomitant use of CBD with valproate is not recommended, as significant liver dysfunction has been observed. Some CBD oils that manufacturers label as full-spectrum or broad-spectrum may contain other compounds. Research has grown in recent years thanks to the reprogramming of CBD, and more recent studies support the claim that CBD products could help treat certain groups of people with epilepsy.
The estimated average difference in reduction from baseline in the frequency of all seizures was 19.5 (p %3D) 0.00 and 18.8 (p %3D) 0.00 percentage points in the 10 and 20 mg CBD groups, respectively. The percentage of patients who had a reduction of at least 50% in seizure frequency was 43% after a 14-week treatment period with CBD. Sedation was the most common adverse drug reaction (ADR) reported in 36% of patients in the CLB group, in 7% of patients in the CBD+ CLB group and in 0% of the CBD group. Potentially mediated transient type 1 receptor (TRPV) signaling may be the most relevant pathway in the anticonvulsant effect of CBD (19-2).
Many companies promote the use of CBD oil for a variety of conditions, from anxiety to insomnia to chronic pain. Epidiolex contains approximately 98% purified CBD, so it is likely to have a greater and more consistent effect than other forms of CBD oils and isolates. Studies conducted over the past five years have evaluated a mostly purified plant-based version of CBD in the treatment of different types of epilepsy, such as Lennox Gastaut syndrome (LGS) and Dravet syndrome. Researchers aren't yet sure how CBD affects seizures, but it may help prevent brain cells from being “overexcited” in different ways. The receptors represent other molecular targets that have been evaluated to describe their possible role in epilepsy through interaction with CBD.
