Dravet Syndrome is a severe form of epilepsy found in children, also known as Severe Myoclonic Epilepsy of Infancy (SMEI) or Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome (LGS). CBD oil has been approved by the U.S. Drug Administration as an oral solution and is the only prescription available today approved for the treatment of seizures associated with Dravet syndrome. This oral solution, called Epidiolex, contains cannabidiol (CBD), a compound found in marijuana that has been found to be effective in treating seizures and other symptoms associated with epilepsy.
Studies have shown that patients taking Epidiolex experience a significant reduction in seizure intensity and frequency over time when compared to those not taking the drug. Additionally, it has also been found that CBD oil can be used on a daily basis to reduce seizure activity and improve the quality of life for these children suffering from Dravet syndrome.
In a double-blind clinical trial, patients with Dravet syndrome were randomly assigned to receive either CBD or a placebo and their seizure frequency was measured over a 12-week period. The study found that the group receiving CBD experienced a reduction in convulsive seizure frequency compared to those given the placebo, with two doses of CBD oil leading to an average 40.9% reduction in convulsive seizures over 12 weeks. This is significantly higher than the 10% reduction typically seen with usual antiepileptic therapy for Dravet syndrome. Furthermore, a recent open label study found that CBD was able to significantly reduce seizure frequency and improve behavior in controlled epileptic patients suffering from treatment-resistant drop seizures associated with Lennox–Gastaut Syndrome (LGS) and Dravet Syndrome.
Additionally, adjunctive cannabidiol (CBD) has been shown to reduce convulsive seizure frequency in a separate study involving 199 children and adolescents with Dravet Syndrome. It was determined that the median frequency of convulsive seizures declined from 12.4 per month before treatment to 5.9 after treatment at the maximum tolerated dose of CBD. Furthermore, similar clinically relevant reductions in convulsive seizure frequency were observed in patients having higher doses of CBD, suggesting that even greater reductions could be achieved with increased doses. However, it should be noted that the study also reported an overall good tolerability profile for all patients, which makes it a safe and promising treatment option for Dravet Syndrome sufferers.