Marijuana safe to treat epilepsy in kids: Study
Monday - August 13, 2018 1:22 pm ,
Category : HEALTH
Sydney Aug 13 (IANS) Consuming a marijuana-based drug may be safe in treating children with severe epilepsy results of a clinical trial has showed.
Following treatment with cannabidiol -- a non-psychoactive compound found in marijuana -- about one in five children were described as much or very much improved from their baseline while around half reported none or a very slight improvement Xinhua news agency reported.
While the trial was conducted on a small group of children with severe epilepsy it showed that the drug had a manageable side effect profile but only showed extensive symptom relief for a brief number of patients.
The trial "involved the sickest children with epilepsy -- children who are having seizures many times per day who have been recently hospitalized for their epilepsy and have failed on average about nine anti-epilepsy drugs before " said lead author John Lawson paediatric neurologist at Sydney s Children s Hospital.
"The main aim of the study was about safety. We found that there were a few safety concerns but overall those safety issues were very manageable and the drug overall was very safe for the majority " he added.
The study was published in the Medical Journal of Australia.
Although legally cannabis must be prescribed by a doctor recent reports of cannabis derivatives being successful in treating children with epilepsy have led to a number of parents of sick children sourcing their own medical marijuana.
While the study s authors said the results were significant they stressed that the purpose of this study was about safety not efficacy.
The US Food and Drug Administration had recently approved Epidiolex (cannabidiol) [CBD] oral solution for the treatment of seizures associated with two rare and severe forms of epilepsy -- Lennox-Gastaut syndrome and Dravet syndrome -- in patients two years of age and older.
--IANS asj/rt/mag/sed
Following treatment with cannabidiol -- a non-psychoactive compound found in marijuana -- about one in five children were described as much or very much improved from their baseline while around half reported none or a very slight improvement Xinhua news agency reported.
While the trial was conducted on a small group of children with severe epilepsy it showed that the drug had a manageable side effect profile but only showed extensive symptom relief for a brief number of patients.
The trial "involved the sickest children with epilepsy -- children who are having seizures many times per day who have been recently hospitalized for their epilepsy and have failed on average about nine anti-epilepsy drugs before " said lead author John Lawson paediatric neurologist at Sydney s Children s Hospital.
"The main aim of the study was about safety. We found that there were a few safety concerns but overall those safety issues were very manageable and the drug overall was very safe for the majority " he added.
The study was published in the Medical Journal of Australia.
Although legally cannabis must be prescribed by a doctor recent reports of cannabis derivatives being successful in treating children with epilepsy have led to a number of parents of sick children sourcing their own medical marijuana.
While the study s authors said the results were significant they stressed that the purpose of this study was about safety not efficacy.
The US Food and Drug Administration had recently approved Epidiolex (cannabidiol) [CBD] oral solution for the treatment of seizures associated with two rare and severe forms of epilepsy -- Lennox-Gastaut syndrome and Dravet syndrome -- in patients two years of age and older.
--IANS asj/rt/mag/sed
