Synopsis

Source of validity: Scientific
Rating (out of 5): 4

Cannabinoids, particularly cannabidiol (CBD), are supported by scientific evidence for use in certain types of epilepsy. The most robust data come from randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trials examining the effects of purified CBD in patients with treatment-resistant forms of epilepsy, such as Dravet syndrome and Lennox-Gastaut syndrome. These studies have demonstrated that CBD significantly reduces the frequency of seizures compared to placebo. For instance, the approval of Epidiolex (a pharmaceutical-grade CBD formulation) by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2018 was based on such evidence. Multiple published trials (e.g., Devinsky et al., 2017, NEJM) have shown that adjunctive CBD therapy can lead to clinically meaningful reductions in convulsive seizure frequency in pediatric and adult patients with these severe epilepsy syndromes.

However, the evidence is less robust for other forms of epilepsy, and there is currently insufficient high-quality data to recommend cannabinoids for more common epilepsies. THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) and other cannabinoids have not been shown to be effective and may, in some cases, worsen seizures. Side effects of CBD can include sleepiness, diarrhea, and potential drug interactions. Thus, while cannabinoids—specifically purified CBD—have scientific validation for specific, severe epilepsies, their broader use in epilepsy should be guided by further research and clinical judgment.

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