Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) is a rare genetic disease.
It causes tissue to form abnormally in patients at a young age. Different organs are affected by it, meaning that symptoms can vary from person to person. About 85% of patients with TSC develop epilepsy. Unfortunately, 63% of these patients are resistant to treatment.
In the United States, researchers conducted an open-label trial with patients who have TSC. The purpose of the trial was to determine which patients would respond the most to Cannabidoil (CBD).
In the medical community, CBD has been recognized as a possible antiepileptic agent so researchers wanted to test this idea further.
They enrolled 18 patients in the trial who continued taking their regular antiepilepsy medicine. The patients were given 5 mg/Kg of CBD daily in addition to their normal medication.
As the trial went on, the dosage increased each week to a max of 50 mg/Kg of CBD per day. Can you guess what happened next?
The weekly frequency of seizures declined within the year of treatment. In the beginning, the average amount of seizures a week among the group was 22. With the CBD, that number decreased to 7.7 after 12 months. Also, patients taking clobazam with CBD had a positive reaction.
Ataxia, drowsiness, and diarrhea were the main adverse events of taking CBD. But patients reported them to be manageable after their drug dosage was adjusted. Overall, the results of the clinical trial were positive. This will hopefully create further studies to confirm that CBD is beneficial for those with TSC and epilepsy.
Click here for more information about the study!
