Mommy's Favorite Things: Treating Epilepsy with CBD- What you Need to Know!



Thursday, June 6, 2019

Treating Epilepsy with CBD- What you Need to Know!




With so much information being in the news lately for the use of cannabis and CBD, there is no shortage of claims as to what type of health benefits you can have with their use. Of course, you might feel like some of these claims are overreaching or are just not true. However, if you are part of the one percent suffering from epilepsy, you will find that there might be some benefits that will certainly interest you and help you with living life to the fullest.


Can Cannabis Oil Really Treat Epilepsy?

Yes, cannabis oil or CBD oil is a treatment that can work to help treat the problems associated with epilepsy. According to Web MD, patients should take a low dose of 10 mg of CBD oil that is pharmaceutical grade. In research, patients who took 10 mg CBD oil were compared to those who took 20 mg CBD and the patients taking 10 mg were able to experience the same results. In clinical trials of children, where parents were blindly given dosages of 10 mg or 20 mg the parents preferred the 10 mg dosages as well. The reason that 10 mg was preferred is that the children had little to no side effects with that amount, but they did experience some side effects with 20 mg.These trials were done by GW Pharmaceuticals.

Is CBD Oil Safe for Children? 

Dr. Bonni Goldstein is an MD who has dedicated a big part of her life to studying the effects of CBD on epilepsy patients. She recently discussed her findings and how CBD could be used to treat children with epilepsy at an event organized by Realm of Caring California. She spoke about how it is safe to use CBD with children who suffer from epilepsy and about the benefits. She even mentioned that CBD has been used as medicine for hundreds of years around the world and that there are written documents from other countries that discuss the medicine as being a cure all of many ailments.


Is CBD Oil Approved by the FDA?

In an NBC news article, dated Monday June 25, 2018, it was announced that the FDA had approved a prescription version of CBD oil for the use of treatment for epilepsy. The medication was specifically approved for two rare forms of epilepsy called Dravet syndrome and Lennox-Gastaut syndrome. This is actually the first medication that was ever specifically intended to treat these two conditions. While we have yet to approve all CBD oils by the FDA, we are well on our way to getting there with the current research that is being conducted. Thankfully, there are many different types of CBD that are available over the counter so that you can get the benefits for yourself and/or your loved ones.

How Can CBD Help with Epilepsy?

Let’s take a look at the science behind using CBD as a treatment for epilepsy. Even though epilepsy has been around for many years, medical researchers still do not have all of the information as to why the disorder exists, who gets it, or exactly what is happening within the brain. According to CBD Central, medical researchers are getting closer to understanding exactly what is going on with epilepsy and this means that they are starting to understand why the cannabinoids in CBD work as a treatment for epilepsy.

When someone has epilepsy the brain works differently than in someone who does not have the disorder. As the activity of the brain gets disturbed it can cause increased emotions, loss of bodily functions, behavioral issues, and more. According to CBD Central neurons in the typical brain fire around 80 times per second, but in someone with epilepsy the neurons can fire up to 500 times per second. CBD has actually been found to reduce these impulses. While research is still ongoing, it is suspected that the CBD affects the GABA transmitter (gamma aminobutyric acid) levels as these are responsible for controlling brain function. If you can alter the GABA so that the brain produces less, then there is a reduction in the amount of seizure activity.

CBD has been clinically proven to be effective in the treatment of epilepsy. We are in a monumental moment in history where CBD and cannabis are concerned as more states are recognizing the medical benefits and approving medications that use the hemp and/or cannabis plant. Choosing CBD with the support of your medical team is a great way to start to reduce the problems associated with epilepsy.



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