The number of people suffering through epilepsy is growing day by day around the world. The research has revealed that around 1% of Americans are the patients of some form of epilepsy. Epilepsy is basically a neurological disorder in which a person goes through episodes of seizures. There could be different reasons for why does a person develops epilepsy, such as traumatic brain injury, stroke at any stage of life, Alzheimer’s disease, or any negative event in life. However, you will be surprised to know that the exact cause of epilepsy is hardly known in many cases.
There are different treatments of epilepsy, as well as different medications. Some of the treatments prove very effective while others are less effective. However, it has been seen in a number of epilepsy patients that they develop resistance to the treatments and their condition becomes harder. The research has depicted that the use of CBD is very effective for the patients of epilepsy. A number of patients have been seen benefitting from the use of cannabinoids in their treatment.
In some cases, CBD is used with other medications or drug therapies for the patients of epilepsy. In other cases, the patients only rely on clinical medications and therapies. Just like the people develop resistance to the medications after longer use, there are cases where the people develop tolerance to CBD after its continuous use. In those cases, increasing the dose of CBD helps a lot for the same patients who have developed tolerance against it before. However, increasing the dose of CBD may propose various side effects, such as dizziness, tiredness, etc.
How does CBD help epilepsy?
The research has depicted that the CBD helps in controlling the number of seizures in epilepsy by interacting with our endocannabinoid system. When a person starts using CBD for his treatment from epilepsy, he is basically introducing more cannabinoids to the endocannabinoid system in his body. As a result, the cannabinoids start working with CB receptors and help in regulating many brain functions and improves the neurological disturbances. In this way, it amazingly helps in minimizing the symptoms of epilepsy, such as migraines, sleep issues, and inflammations in brain. The best thing to know here is that CBD does this alone, without the addition of THC which usually proposes unwanted effects on the brain of a person, e.g. gets him high.
CBD vs. Medical Marijuana and the FDA’s approval
Many people confuse CBD with medical marijuana and assume it safe for the treatment of epilepsy while this is not the case. The only approved drug for the treatment of epilepsy is Epidiolex. Although CBD and medical marijuana are obtained from the same plant, cannabis, but both of these are different. CBD is obtained from hemp while medical marijuana is obtained from the plant marijuana. CBD is not rich in THC while medical marijuana is rich in THC and may make a person high. While marijuana has various side-effects, CBD is potentially safe to use. Therefore, FDA has made the decision to introduce this drug as safest and effective.
Before giving approval for the use of Epidiolex in the treatment of epilepsy, FDA actually run various clinical trials to see its results. Surprisingly, the people who were given this new CBD containing drug, have shown reductions in the number of seizures that occur to them. on the other hand, the controlled group who didn’t had this medication, shown the same number of seizures as before. So, FDA approved the use of Epidiolex in 2008, first drug that contains CBD, for the patients of epilepsy. You will be surprised to know that it contains purest form of CBD up to 99%. This CBD containing oral solution is very effective for treating all types of epilepsy, especially for its severe forms.
Is Epidiolex legal to use for epilepsy?
Since 2008, it is legal to use after FDA approved it for use in the treatment of epilepsy. However, the rules and laws differ from state to state and country to country when it comes to CBD. Therefore, if you are planning to use CBD as a treatment of epilepsy, you must check the state laws where you are living. Furthermore, you must ask for the permission of your medical health provider before starting any new treatment on your own for treating epilepsy.
How to use CBD for epilepsy?
Although there are a number of CBD products in the market which contains CBD in various forms, you must use CBD in the following forms for treating epilepsy.
- Sublingual tinctures
- Vape oils
- Capsules
Sublingual tinctures are those which we consume with a dropper and take by putting its few measured drops under our tongue. Vape oils are those which we can inhale with vape pens. Furthermore, the capsules are just like the regular medical capsules available in the market. Again, it is important to start any of such medications after consulting with your doctor.