Four years ago, I was diagnosed with epilepsy. This brain disease is very common in my family. My uncle has it, and so does my mom. I have the mild form compared to my mom. She has a seizure about once a month. I've only had three seizures, and that was on the day that I was diagnosed. I have been on the same medication the doctor prescribed to me on that day. My mom, on the other hand, has switched between many medications. Most of them will work for maybe a couple of weeks and then out of nowhere, she'll have a full blown seizure. Having a seizure is by far one of the worst things that I have ever gone through. I experienced crazy memory loss, and my body was sore beyond belief. Because I know how terrible it is to have a seizure, I hate knowing that my mom experiences seizures constantly. Every time she switches to a new medication I always wonder if marijuana would be the best route for her.
In this article that I found, Orrin Devinsky- a neurologist from New York University Lagone Medical center holds the largest medical study to date with marijuana and how it could possibly be a great medication for epilepsy. In this study, he and his colleagues treated 162 patients with CBD. CBD is extracted from marijuana, but it is nonpsychoactive. This chemical was added to what the patients were prescribed. So they were taking this along with their original medications. 79% had some adverse effects, but the effects weren't so bad as to quit this new medication. The study showed that this medication would be relatively safe to use.
This is always a touchy subject to bring up in non- marijuana- legal states. But I don't see why this medication, that is derived from the marijuana plant can't be legalized in all of the states. The THC chemical that causes a "high" state of mind is separated from the chemical CBD. This study, and many others, has shown that CBD does not have terrible side effects like other epileptic drugs could have. And it also has proved to help the patients who are not effected by most epileptic medications.
My biggest problem, and why I believe that this would be a great medication for epilepsy is I have no idea what kind of chemicals are going into my body when I take my medication. I take my medication twice a day. The side effects listed on the label are so out there. It could even cause more serious seizures if I were to stop taking it and then continue after a couple of days. If CBD were a legal drug in this state, I would be at my neurologist so fast. Not only is it a natural medication, but it could also be beneficial to my neurological health as well. I'm not saying that weed should be legalized (even though that would be pretty cool), I do believe that CBD should be legal to use as medication in every state.
-KH
Source: Scientific American
Author: Diana Kwon
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/can-cannabis-treat-epileptic-seizures/
I was first diagnosed with epilepsy at 10 years old and have been on the same medication for almost 20 years. There are many side affects with my medication as well and if I miss one dose I will have a grand mal seizure or tonic clonic. I think that medical marijuana is a great alternative to man made medications that come with so many side affects. Were any of the patients only treated with the CBD and not their other epilepsy meds as well, to see how effective only the CBD was?- D.B.
ReplyDeleteI think medical marijuana would be a great alternative as well. My medication makes me so tired and I have a hard time focusing on tasks. My neurologist recommended taking aderall with my medication. But I know that has some nasty side effects too. I have a hard time putting chemicals that I don't know it my body, but it's necessary. I would be totally okay with taking something natural like CBD every day instead.
DeleteThis study did not conduct a test on patients using only CBD. I thought it was kind of strange. Using only CBD would have been a great control for the experiment. I'm sure they did not want to risk the patients having a seizure if the CBD did not work. But I think that using CBD along with a seizure medication could be one of the reasons why there were side affects.
Kailsy H.
Deletedid the study say that cannabis was used in conjunction with other medications, or just by itself? and the 79% of adverse reactions seems kinda high, but are they relatively minor reactions just in high numbers?
ReplyDeleteA. Wardell
They said in the article that the cannabis was given as well as the medications the patient was already on as an add on. Also with the side effects 79% does seem high but that is because they included any side effect that could be deemed negative. The article said the majority of them were mild and included sleepiness, diarrhea and fatigue. In total only 3 percent dropped out of the study due to adverse events. Hope that answers your questions.
DeleteA. Hall
79%?? That is a very high statistic! While i understand that all medications have side effects, i don't think i would willingly take a medication that had an 80% chance of making me feel worse in any way. KH
DeleteThis is a really cool article, while i've never been personally a big proponent of cannabis use i think as more and more study of the plant occurs and less stigmatization is applied to it i think it holds some serious promise in our lives. And while there is only a few side effects if they are severely less problematic than other medications then i see no reason to discontinue use as a medicine as long as its done responsibly.
ReplyDelete-Jacob C
This is a very well written blog post. I was not familiar with the aid that cannabis could be in situations like this. This post was kind of eye-opening as well. C.W.
ReplyDeleteThanks everyone!
ReplyDeleteI found this article very interesting. I have heard a lot about the advantages of medical marijuana lately and it seems like it could be more effective in decreasing the frequency of seizures. What medication is usually prescribed for epileptic seizures? -EH
ReplyDeleteIt depends on what kind of epilepsy you have and how frequent your seizures are. My mom has probably been on five different medications. The prescription that I take is called Kepra. My neurologist told me it is one the prescriptions with the least side effects. And I think he prescribes it to all first-time patients. If that does not work on them, he presdcribes a larger dosage or a different medication. There are many many different prescriptions.
Delete-KH
This article was interesting to read because many people have also been questioning the legalization of medical marijuana. Does it bother you that trying to use any form of weed as a treatment will be hard to do because it is classified as a schedule 1 drug right along with heroin? Knowing that it may help people who are in pain everyday I believe that it should be more assessable.
ReplyDeleteJH
If CBD extracted from marijuana can actually treat epilepsy that would be pretty cool. However, I don’t understand how this can be truly tested while people are still taking their old medications. I understand that coming off of those medications could result in worse seizures, but are taking the medications altering the results of this study in any way?
ReplyDelete-Mindy C.
I totally agree that it shouldn't matter if this particular chemical comes from marijuana or if it is synthesized some other way. Marijuana is illegal in this state, and in my opinion that's a good thing. I have a hard time believing that the state would outlaw this one chemical along with marijuana. Maybe the researcher in this article mixed up some of the words they used?
ReplyDelete-BG
I agree that this should be legalized in every state. It would be ridiculous to deny a life changing drug to people simply because it comes from a plant that can be smoked. You mentioned that 79% percent reported adverse affects. I think that more research should be done to determine if this could cause any long term problems before it is legalized.
ReplyDeleteT Anderson
I'm sorry that you and your mom have to go through such traumatic events so frequently. I didn't know that they were able to separate the useful medical portion of marijuana from the high portion. This has really opened my eyes to the usefulness of cannabis for medical purposes. I think I will be much more open-minded about it in the future.
ReplyDeleteSkyler H.
I agree that the drugs we readily throw into people's systems could be more damaging than good in some cases. It may repress one thing, but then inspires another reaction in the body. I am finding more as I age that the closer to nature I cling, and the farther away from processed food, chemicals, etc. the better. I am completely supportive of natural remedies. Some may argue that it's still a drug, and really, any drug can be misused. I hope your situation improves.
ReplyDeleteHW
cbd oils are legal here, depending on the potency. my mom has very intense seizures, and now she's using cbd oils. bee a wonderful change for her. if interested let me know and I can get you more information. I wish it was more widely accepted as treatment. its changed and saved life's. when will our government see that? great post! sb
ReplyDeleteI think that if something is for the best of others it should be permitted, if we there is a possibility of a cure then we should always take the have because the well being is one of the most important things we should protect.
ReplyDeleteSteph S.