Everything You Need To Know About How CBD Controls Seizures

According to The Hemp Business Journal, the CBD market will grow at a rate of 700% between 2016 and 2020, which would put it at a $2.1 billion dollar industry by 2020. A survey was just recently conducted which concluded that half of those who take Cannabidiol based product stop taking traditional medications. But what is Cannabidiol? Cannabidiol (CBD) is a non-psychoactive compound found in Hemp and Marijuana plants utilized for its different medical benefits. Hemp and marijuana are different varieties of the Cannabis sativa plant. Hemp is traditionally cultivated for seeds, oil, and fiber, while Marijuana is cultivated for its high content of THC, utilized for its psychoactive properties. Currently, there are 85+ Cannabinoids known to medical science, cannabidiol being the compound prevalent in most CBD products. Cannabinoids are chemical compounds found throughout the cannabis plant which, when ingested or inhaled, can provide a range of beneficial treatments to an array of different symptoms and ailments. Individuals looking for alternative means of relief can find benefits for treating anxiety, sleep-related disorders, inflammation, pain, psychosis, seizures, spasms, and nausea.

CBD & The Endocannabinoid System

Cannabidiol (CBD) is a non-psychoactive compound found in Hemp and Marijuana plants utilized for its different medical benefits. Hemp and marijuana are different varieties of the Cannabis sativa plant. Hemp is traditionally cultivated for seeds, oil, and fiber, while Marijuana is cultivated for its high content of THC, utilized for its psychoactive properties. Currently, there are 85+ Cannabinoids known to medical science, Cannabidiol being the compound prevalent in most CBD products. Cannabinoids are chemical compounds found throughout the cannabis plant which, when ingested or inhaled, can provide a range of beneficial treatments to an array of different symptoms and ailments. Individuals looking for alternative means of relief can find benefits for treating inflammation, pain, anxiety, psychosis, seizures, spasms, and nausea. Cannabinoids are able to provide these benefits by interacting with our brain’s endocannabinoid system, which is the vital molecular system for helping maintain healthy homeostasis. This communication between cannabinoids and our endocannabinoid system helps our body remedy any deficiencies or fix potential issues in our body’s ability to maintain a healthy balance. The reason CBD doesn’t get you high, like THC, is because it doesn’t bind to the bodies CB1 receptors. CBD, unlike THC, interacts with the bodies CB2 receptors which are important mediators for the suppression of pain and inflammation. By consuming CBD, you are absorbing keys which interact with different locks on cells in the body. These cell receptors make up our endocannabinoid system, which helps modulate and interacts with other pain control systems and anti-inflammatories.

Seizures

Seizures can be caused by a few different variables, but a common attribute to seizure causality is the fact that the brain at the time of the seizure was producing abnormally active brain cells. Unfortunately, the cause of over half of today’s treated seizures is unknown. Medical professionals classify seizures under two groups, generalized and partial. When a seizure causes a distorted state of consciousness and effects the brain in its entirety they classify it as a generalized seizure. The telling signs of a generalized seizure include, muscles stiffen and become rigid, proceeded by violent muscle contractions resorting in violent spasms. The individual loses consciousness and is left unaware of the incident. Generalized seizures are commonly caused by abnormally active electrical impulses in the brain. Partial seizures are commonly more focused on a particular area of the brain. They can cause different symptoms based on the part of the brain in which they occur. For instance, if the seizure takes place in a part of the brain used for vision, the individual could have severed hallucinations, sweating, and nausea. Partial seizures are therefore harder to diagnose, and it is very important that they see a specialized in order to better understand their condition.

In line with much of the ailments CBD has been seen to help, much of the information available regarding the treatment of seizures is anecdotal. But, there are a few important studies on mice and humans which have shown some very strong evidence linking CBD’s ability to limit and even prevent seizures. According to the wide base review studies, the traditional seizure medication is ineffective at stopping or preventing a seizure of about 30% of the time. This can be due to a variety of reasons, most of which being the side effects of taking steroids or other traditional types of medications prove too harmful to the patient’s and can cause horrific side effects. Other reasons for ineffectiveness, is just plain and simple the medications don’t work, and the patient has to then proceed to test a variety of different medications to find the right one which suits their specific condition.

Seizures & CBD

The study which laid the platform for today’s research in the anticonvulsant effects of CBD was published in 1978. The medical research was conducted by two scientists who experimented on nine epileptics. In their findings, they conducted a randomized experiment in which they administered 200 mg of CBD to four of the nine patients on a daily basis. What they found was out of the four, who were administered the 200 mg of CBD no longer had epileptic symptoms. The study actually declares these two individuals seizure free. The researchers added, “On the basis of extant evidence from a variety of acute models of seizure, CBD not only represents the most widely investigated phytocannabinoid after Δ9 -THC but, compared with Δ9 -THC, exhibits the most reliable anticonvulsant effects, exhibiting clinically beneficial effects in epileptic children resistant to antiepileptic medications. For this specific patient population, whilst high CBD and low THC strains — usually consumed orally in children — appear to be effective, their long-term efficacy and safety have not yet been properly demonstrated in well-controlled clinical trials.”

A recent study of particular importance on CBD studies includes Porter and Jacobson (2013): they took a parent survey of cannabidiol enriched cannabis use in pediatric treatment-resistant epilepsy. The findings report: “The average number of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) tried before using cannabidiol-enriched cannabis was 12. Sixteen (84%) of the 19 parents reported a reduction in their child’s seizure frequency while taking cannabidiol-enriched cannabis. Of these, two (11%) reported complete seizure freedom, eight (42%) reported a greater than 80% reductions in seizure frequency, and six (32%) reported a 25-60% seizure reduction. Other beneficial effects included increased alertness, better mood, and improved sleep. Side effects included drowsiness and fatigue. Our survey shows that parents are using cannabidiol-enriched cannabis as a treatment for their children with treatment-resistant epilepsy.”

A recent study published by the American Epilepsy Society (AES), found CBD to be effective in combating epilepsy. CBD was seen to have acute efficacy in treating seizures in children. The study, Efficacy, and Safety of Epidiolex (Cannabidiol) in Children and Young Adults With Treatment-Resistant Epilepsy, found CBD was able to treat not only the severity of the seizures but also the frequency at which they occur. Scientific studies have documented the anticonvulsant effects of CBD, which link CBD’s ability to prevent seizures from taking place altogether. CBD oil was seen to have a dramatic beneficially improvement in children with debilitating seizure disorders. Children who have severe epileptic seizures can experience near complete termination of their seizures. Most children who have taken CBD to quell the effects of their seizures have seen beneficially effect. From trial and error, it seems THCA, the unheated non-psychoactive form of THC, seems to be most beneficially with assisting those affected by daily seizures.

Conclusion

What we can understand from this early work is that CBD is a nontoxic compound which acts very naturally and works with your body through the endocannabinoid system. According to The National Cancer Institute, “Because cannabinoid receptors, unlike opioid receptors, are not located in the brain stem areas controlling respiration, lethal overdoses from Cannabis and cannabinoids do not occur.” So it’s important not to be scared or confused about concentrations of CBD in your product, as long as you adhere to advised consumption rates you’ll be fine. Studies have shown that ingesting 700mg a day for 6 weeks did not show any toxic effects in humans. As we have discussed earlier, the standard forms of treating many of the symptoms CBD has been seen to help with, are considered very toxic to the human body. What CBD allows is for the treatment of these disorders with little to no adverse effects. More human studies are needed for CBD to receive the full backing of the medical community. That being said, The American Epilepsy Society did confirm this year that CBD can stop epileptic seizures. So perhaps that time of widespread acceptance is soon approaching.

Medical Disclaimer

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Reference:

https://www.aesnet.org/meetings_events/annual_meeting_abstracts/view/2414222

https://www.forbes.com/sites/debraborchardt/2017/08/02/people-who-use-cannabis-cbd-products-stop-taking-traditional-medicines/#6cd04af82817

http://www.herbal-ahp.org/documents/press_releases/AHP%20Therapeutic%20Compendium-Cannabis%20Epilepsy%20and%20Seizures%20Scientific%20Review.pdf