Highlights
- •Prospective observational open study of treatment with cannabidiol for 6 months.
- •Efficacy: 86% responders, 11% non-responders, and 2% worsening.
- •Dose: The responding patients ended with a mean of 329 mg/day.
- •Adverse events: 34% of patients reported mild adverse events and no patient reported severe adverse effects.
- •Most patients have a significant improvement in their quality of life.
Abstract
Cannabidiol oil (CBD) has been approved as an anti-seizure medication for the treatment
of uncommon types of epilepsy, occurring in children: Dravet syndrome, Lennox-Gastaut
syndrome, and Tuberous Sclerosis Complex. There are few publications in relation to
use the CBD in adult patients with focal drug-resistant epilepsy. The objective of
this study was to evaluate the efficacy, tolerability, safety, and quality of life,
of adjuvant treatment with CBD, in adult patients with drug-resistant focal epilepsy
for at least 6 months.
An open, observational, prospective cohort study was conducted using a before-after
design (time series) in adult patients undergoing outpatient follow-up in a public
hospital in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
From a total of 44 patients, 5% of patients were seizure-free, 32% of patients reduced
more than 80% of their seizures and 87% of patients reduced 50% of their monthly seizures.
Eleven percent presented a decrease of less than 50% in seizure frequency.
The average final dose was 335 mg/d orally administered. Thirty-four percent of patients
reported mild adverse events and no patient reported severe adverse effects. At the
end of the study, we found in most patients a significant improvement in the quality
of life, in all the items evaluated.
Adjuvant treatment with CBD in adult patients with drug-resistant focal epilepsy was
effective, safe, well tolerated, and associated with a significant improvement in
their quality of life.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: May 15, 2023
Accepted:
April 1,
2023
Received in revised form:
March 30,
2023
Received:
February 27,
2023
Identification
Copyright
© 2023 Published by Elsevier Inc.
