According to Michigan Epilepsy Foundation, about 1% of Americans suffer from some form of epilepsy. Epilepsy is a recurring neurological disorder known for frequent seizures. Epilepsy compromises all aspects of an individual’s daily life. The tremors caused by a seizure attack can be violent and place the individual in grave danger. Epilepsy can suffer from sleep issues, migraines, anxiety disorders, and depression. In more than 40% of all epileptic forms, the patient doesn’t react to Antiepileptic Drugs (AEDs). AEDs are simply ineffective, or the side effects are too severe to allow for continuous treatment. CBD oil has shown promise whose antiepileptic effects have been thoroughly studied by scientists, so much that the FDA has approved Epidiolex as a prescription drug based on CBD to treat seizures.
Here, we explore the potential benefits of CBD oil for epilepsy and seizures.
Does CBD Vape Juice Work for Seizures?
In the 1970s, the earliest studies helped prove the effectiveness of cannabis compounds in the treatment of convulsions. The researchers had studied and analyzed the anticonvulsant properties of both CBD and THC oils and concluded that both extracts had substantial effects on mice. Experiments have reported that seizures can be regulated by the endocannabinoid system (ECS). ECS is an interconnected network of cannabinoid receptors and neurotransmitters called endocannabinoids. You can have CBD in any form; however, CBD Vape juice is most effective.
Working of Antiepileptic Effects of CBD.
ECS works to keep the body in equilibrium, maintains chemical balance, and controls biological functioning, from appetite to motor control, sleep, sensory perception, and inflammation. It transmits signals to various bodily systems through its chemical messengers called endocannabinoids. These molecules bind to the cannabinoid receptors present in the brain and body, thereby helping the ECS maintain an individual’s healthy functioning. Once endocannabinoids have done their work, enzymes break them down to prevent over-accumulation.
Research findings on CBD for Epilepsy
As a cannabinoid, the chemical structure of CBD is almost identical to endocannabinoids produced by your body. When you ingest CBD, it can affect cannabinoid receptors instead of acting on several other pathways. While the exact working of CBD oil for seizures is not known yet, scientists have observed the interactions that can explain the positive effects. Different CBD products may help in this. You can try Sunday Scaries CBD gummies.
Endocannabinoids are neuroprotectants that lower the risk of seizures caused due to neurotoxicity. When you ingest CBD, they introduce more cannabinoids to your system. Consequently, it improves the performance of the endocannabinoid system with its neuroprotective properties. ECS modulates neuroexcitation, which is a process that may trigger seizures. A properly functioning ECS, bolstered by additional cannabinoids from CBD oil, may prevent the overexcitation of neurons since CBD is also an anti-inflammatory agent. Brain inflammation may trigger seizures, or their frequency may increase due to brain inflammation. CBD may decrease the frequency and severity of seizure attacks by curbing neuroinflammation.
FDA approved the first CBD-based drug Epidiolex in June 2018. Epidiolex is an oral spray that contains 99% pure CBD. It is used to treat resistant forms of childhood epilepsy like Dravet syndrome and Lennox-Gastaut syndrome. These diseases begin during early childhood and often lead to delayed or poor development of the child’s motor skills, intellectual aptitude, language, and the ability to communicate with others.
Before receiving approval, Epidiolex had to go through three randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trials tested on 516 patients with either syndrome. When it was administered along with other medications, it successfully reduced the participant’s frequency of seizures compared to the placebo group. All the patients had severe, childhood-onset forms of epilepsy, including Lennox-Gastaut syndrome and Dravet Syndrome.
Can You Develop any Tolerance to CBD Vape Juice for Seizures?
Individuals with treatment-resistant epilepsy tend to experience a golden period when switching to a new therapy. They stop feeling the effects of their treatment after some months.
The study examined about 100 patients, of which about one-third developed a tolerance to CBD. The tolerance showed up about seven months after they began the therapy. They had to increase the dosage to maintain the effects from then on. When the amount was higher, nearly half of the examined sample experienced their previous response level. The good news, though, is that the CBD proved effective in the long run for two-thirds of participants.
How to Use CBD Oil for Epilepsy?
Epidiolex is the only approved CBD treatment for epilepsy. It is an oral solution that contains 99% pure CBD. In case if you want to use CBD in a more natural form to see how it acts on your symptoms, you may try the following formats:
- a) Vape oils: CBD in Vape oils are inhaled through a vaporizer or vape pen. Many people prefer vape oils over others because they find the act of inhalation relaxing, and they like the flavoring of vape oils. Moreover, vape oils deliver more CBD to your system than any other consumption method
- b) Sublingual drops: A dropper administers sublingual drops under the tongue. The drops get absorbed via special membranes in the bloodstream. Sublingual drops offer the most consistent blood absorption rates.
- c) CBD Capsules are sold as pills that you can swallow. They offer a fixed dosage of CBD in each medicine, which makes the dosage easier than sublingual drops.
Takeaway
CBD can offer many beneficial effects on health, especially in treating and managing epileptic seizures. Epilepsy is the only FDA-approved condition for treatment with CBD.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6597308/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26724101/
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