LOS ANGELES, CA — The administration of cannabis preparations high in cannabidiol (CBD) are associated with a reduction in seizure frequency in adolescents, according to survey data published in the journal Epilepsy & Behavior.

Investigators at Mattel’s Children’s Hospital at the University of California, Los Angeles surveyed 117 parents who reported administering CBD-enriched products to their epileptic children.

Authors reported that 85 percent of respondents acknowledged a reduction in their child’s seizure frequency, and 14 percent reported complete freedom from seizures following CBD dosing. A high proportion of respondents also reported improvement in their child’s alertness (71 percent), mood (63 percent), and sleep (53 percent) during CBD therapy.

Separate clinical trial results publicized in April at the 67th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Neurology reported that the administration of a proprietary form of CBD extract decreased seizure frequency by 54 percent over a 12-week period in children with treatment-resistant epilepsy.

Survey data compiled by Stanford University researchers in 2013 reported that the administration of cannabidiol-enriched cannabis decreased seizures in 16 of 19 patients with pediatric epilepsy.

A retrospective study, published in April in Epilepsy & Behavior, similarly reported that the administration of oral cannabis extracts mitigates seizure frequency in up to 57 percent of pediatric subjects.

Full text of the study, “Perceived efficacy of cannabidiol-enriched cannabis extracts in treatment of pediatric epilepsy: A potential role for infantile spasms and Lennox-Gastaut syndrome,” appears in Epilepsy & Behavior.

Source: The Daily Chronic  By Paul Armentano