1. Cannabidiol as an adjuvant treatment in adults with drug-resistant focal epilepsy.
- Author
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Kochen, Silvia, Villanueva, Manuela, Bayarres, Liliana, Daza-Restrepo, Anilu, Gonzalez Martinez, Silvia, and Oddo, Silvia
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EPILEPSY , *PARTIAL epilepsy , *CANNABIDIOL , *TUBEROUS sclerosis , *LENNOX-Gastaut syndrome , *TEMPORAL lobectomy , *ANTICONVULSANTS , *NEURAL stimulation - Abstract
• 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. 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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2023
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