Can Medical Marijuana Control Seizures?

Epidiolex, a mostly purified plant-based cannabidiol oil, was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2018 to treat seizures in people with Dravet syndrome and Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, two rare forms of childhood-onset epilepsy. In 2020, Epidiolex was approved to treat seizures caused by tuberous sclerosis complex, a rare genetic disease that causes benign tumors to grow in the brain—which can lead to seizures—and other areas. The drug is a liquid that's administered orally with a special syringe.

How Can Whole-Plant CBD Oil and FDA-Approved Epidiolex Reduce Seizures?

Several key studies led to federal approval of Epidiolex as a legal, obtainable treatment option for people suffering from severe forms of epilepsy including Dravet syndrome and Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, both of which cause frequent and dramatic seizures in children. However, Epidiolex is just one potential cannabis-based treatment for epilepsy, and other studies have examined how whole-plant cannabidiol (CBD) oil may work better as the treatment does not trigger side effects that some patients have experienced with Epidiolex, such as diarrhea.

How Does Epidiolex Work? And How Does It Differ From Hemp Oil?

Overall, the FDA’s approval of Epidiolex is likely a good move for the cannabis industry as a whole. It helps the industry become more credible, sets higher quality expectations, proves that CBD has medicinal value, and will likely encourage further research on cannabinoids and their potential health benefits

How One Boy's Fight With Epilepsy Led To The First Marijuana-Derived Pharmaceutical

Scientific and public interest in CBD had been percolating for several years before the Food and Drug Administration finally approved Epidiolex in June. But CBD — which doesn't cause the mind-altering high that comes from THC, the primary psychoactive component of marijuana — was hard to study, because of tight restrictions on using cannabis in research.

More Evidence That Weed Extract Effectively Treats Epilepsy in Children

It's the first large randomized clinical trial of CBD to help treat seizures.

My 10-Year-Old Daughter Takes the First FDA-Approved Marijuana Drug. It's Changed Our Lives

It’s really impossible to tell which child it’s going to work for, but for us, it’s been great. I don’t want to say her seizures were eliminated, because we notice something occasionally, but sometimes we go weeks without seeing a seizure, and we haven’t seen any convulsions.

My Son Pioneered an Epilepsy Drug Derived From Marijuana. An FDA Panel Just Approved It

The treatment was fast-tracked for approval, and the first person to use the drug in the US was our writer's son.

This cannabis-derived drug just got approved, but that won’t make it easier to get edibles

Once again, the government says it’s okay to get cannabis from your doctor, but not over the counter.

What You Need to Know About Epidiolex, the First FDA-Approved Drug Made From Cannabis

The approval of Epidiolex "serves as a reminder that advancing sound development programs that properly evaluate active ingredients contained in marijuana can lead to important medical therapies.