In “The Endogenous Cannabinoid System
Regulates Seizure Frequency and Duration in
a Model of Temporal Lobe Epilepsy”, Robyn
Wallace explained that the data not only
shows the anticonvulsant activity of
exogenously applied cannabinoids but also
suggests that endogenous cannabinoid tone
modulates seizure termination and duration
through activation of the CB1 receptor.
By demonstrating a role for the endogenous
cannabinoid system in regulating seizure
activity, these studies define a role for the
endogenous
cannabinoid
system
in
modulating neuroexcitation.
The endogenous cannabinoid system thus
provides on-demand protection against acute
excitotoxicity in central nervous system
neurons.
Anti-convulsant drugs have potentially
serious side-effects, including bone softening,
reduced production of red blood cells,
swelling of the gums, and emotional
disturbances.
Other
occasional
effects
include
uncontrollable rapid eye movements, loss of
motor co-ordination, coma and even death.
In addition, these medications are far from
ideal in that they only completely stop
seizures in about 60% of patients.
Large amounts of anecdotal reports and
patient case studies indicate the assistance of
cannabis in controlling seizures.
Cannabis analogues have been shown to
prevent seizures.
Patients report that they can wean themselves
off prescription drugs, and still not experience
seizures if they have a regular supply of
cannabis.
The British company, GW Pharmaceuticals
pursued advanced clinical trials for the
world’s first pharmaceutical developed from
raw marijuana instead of synthetic
equivalents. In response to urgent need
expressed by parents of children with
intractable epilepsy, the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration
is
now
allowing
Investigational studies of purified CBD
(cannabidiol) for seizures.
Ben Whalley and colleagues at the Centre for
Integrative Neuroscience and Neurodynamic,
University of Reading, using mouse models
of epilepsy, established safety and showed
that CBD and another cannabinoid, CBDV,
exert anti-seizure and anti-inflammatory
effects. This research came to the attention of
families in the US who had loved ones with
epilepsy.
The British Medical Association has stated
that cannabis may prove useful as an
‘adjunctive therapy’ for patients who cannot
be kept satisfactorily free of seizures on
current medications. Likewise, the National
Institutes of Health workshop considered that
this is ‘an area of potential value’, based
largely on animal research showing
anticonvulsant effects.
Charlotte’s Web is a sativa marijuana strain
that has gained popularity as a good option for
treating seizures as well as a range of other
medical conditions.
This medical potency is due to its high-CBD
content, which was specifically cultivated by
Colorado breeders The Stanley Brothers for a
young epileptic patient named Charlotte.
This strain is effective with little to no
psychoactive effects, making it great for those
who don’t want their medication to affect
their daily tasks.
4. Multiple Sclerosis
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) has alerted the public that patients
diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) have
developed serious brain infections after taking
the drug Gilenya (fingolimod).
Other drugs like Tysabri are antibody
treatments designed to block certain white
blood cells that cause MS when they attack
nerves.
The problem is they have a history of also
making patients vulnerable to infection.
Biogen and Elan yanked theirs off the market
after two cases of the brain disease were
confirmed among patients taking the drug;