Childhood epilepsies are characterized by persistent seizures, delays in the child’s neurodevelopment and impaired quality of life. It is a central nervous system disorder where the brain becomes abnormal causing the seizures, unusual behaviors, lost proprioception and unusual sensations (Porter & Jacobson, 2013). They can be focal or generalized. The causes vary from genetics to infections among other causes. Epilepsy also has other risk factors such as age, vascular diseases, head injuries, brain infections and a positive family history of epilepsy. Its diagnosis involves a good clinical history and an extensive neurological exam. Treatment is generally by medication, and sometimes surgery is proposed (Maa & Figi, 2014). A high number of people with epilepsy become seizure-free on antileptic medication. Some epilepsies are treatment resistant, and families often seek alternative therapies. The literature review depicts the use of medical marijuana in the treatment of treatment-resistant epilepsies.
Porter & Jacobson (2013) report of a parent survey of cannabidiol-enriched cannabis use in pediatric treatment-resistant epilepsy conducted at the department of neurology, Stanford University, USA, showed that some parents of children with severe treatment-resistant epilepsy use cannabidiol-enriched cannabis to treat their children's epilepsy. In the report, the parents report a high success rate in reducing the frequency of seizure with the use of this treatment (Porter & Jacobson, 2013). The treatment appears to be very well tolerated and with better side effects than other treatments. The report, however, suggests other studies on the cannabidiol-enriched cannabis due to biases. Furthermore, medical cannabis use in children pauses risks because it lacks standardization, has imprecise dosing and possible medication interactions (Porter & Jacobson, 2013). The study of a little girl called Charlotte Figi with a confirmed diagnosis of Dravet syndrome showed that low doses of sublingual preparation of cannabis plant extract were able to keep her from experiencing seizures for seven days without a single seizure while she previously had more than 300 convulsions in a week ( Maa & Figi, 2014).
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In the report, the mother reports that Charlotte had a more than 90% reduction in seizure activity and has now been weaned from her other epileptic drug. She now experiences two to three seizures per night and is finally walking and talking again (Maa & Figi, 2014). Finally, Saade & Joshi (2015) undertake the study on pure cannabidiol in the treatment of malignant migrating partial seizure in infancy in a boy born thirty-nine weeks’ gestation to a twenty-five-year-old primigravid mother through an emergency caesarian section. The child fulfilled the clinical and electrical criteria for the diagnosis of malignant migrating partial seizures in infancy (Saade & Joshi, 2015). His seizures were resistant to traditional antiepileptic drugs. A dose of one hundred and fifty milligrams a day of cannabidiol was effective in reducing the convulsion as an adjunctive medication (Saade & Joshi, 2015).
The three articles indicate a degree of advantage and effectiveness by using medical marijuana to treat seizures in epilepsy. All the three studies explain that there are two compounds found in cannabis one being psychoactive (THC) and one the other being non-psychoactive cannabidiol (CBD). CBD is the constituent that is suggested in reducing epileptic activity as opposed to THC. All the studies show a focus on cannabidiol (CBD) because of it’s a psychoactive nature and most importantly because it shows promise in the treatment of seizures. In contrast, the articles used different patients in different regions with a deferent extent in disease resolution and therefore, does not indicate or confirm medical marijuana effect on patients at different ages. There is also an indication of bias in one of the reports prescribing the need for more research on the use of cannabis in the treatment of epilepsy. In conclusion, there is promise in the use of medical marijuana in the treatment of epilepsy but further research on standardization of doses and drug-drug interaction before a formal introduction as a treatment for epilepsy.
References
Maa, E., & Figi, P. (2014). The case for medical marijuana in epilepsy. Epilepsia , 55 (6), 783- 786.
Porter, B. E., & Jacobson, C. (2013). Report of a parent survey of cannabidiol-enriched cannabis use in pediatric treatment-resistant epilepsy. Epilepsy & Behavior , 29 (3), 574-577.
Saade, D., & Joshi, C. (2015). Pure cannabidiol in the treatment of malignant migrating partial seizures in infancy: a case report. Pediatric neurology , 52 (5), 544-547.
