The results of two recent studies suggest that THC may be effective in treating epilepsy. The news comes amid numerous reports that another cannabinoid, cannabidiol (CBD), may also be a viable treatment for seizure disorders. The work of medical researchers in Canada and Australia may indicate that cannabis medications with a combination of cannabinoids may be more effective at reducing seizures than CBD alone.
Canadian Study Shows Reduction in Seizures
In a study at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, researchers treated 20 children with an experimental cannabis oil medication containing CBD and THC at a ratio of 50:1. The medicine was donated by Tilray, its Canadian manufacturer that also funded the research.
All of the children have a form of drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE) known as Dravet Syndrome which can cause up to 1,000 seizures per month. The children were given small doses of the cannabis oil initially, slowly increasing the amount over several weeks. Eight of the children eventually reached the target dose specified by the study.
Neurologist Dr. Blathnaid McCoy, one of the study’s researchers, said in a release that the results were encouraging.
“We observed promising clinically beneficial effects including a reduction in seizure frequency and improvements in certain aspects of adaptive functioning and quality of life measures,” McCoy said.
The medicine was most effective in the children who reached the target dose. Overall, the higher the dose, the more effective the medication was.
“In the participants who reached the target treatment dose we saw a statistically significant reduction in motor seizures, and an increase in seizure-free days compared to those who did not reach the target dose,” McCoy said.
Many caregivers also noted an improvement in the quality