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Patients with Epilepsy on Failed Meds Saw Improvement with Medical Cannabis

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Patients with medically refractory epilepsy (MRE), or those who can’t control seizures with traditional medicine, who regularly consumed cannabis saw considerable improvements in their health according to a pilot survey.

Researchers from the Northeast Regional Epilepsy Group found 33 patients in its program who are medical cannabis patients. Seventeen of those patients completed a questionnaire about health improvements after consuming cannabis for at least one month. According to the findings, 76 percent of respondents said they saw improvement in overall quality of life, while 70 percent saw improvement in epilepsy, mood, quality of sleep and appetite. Forty-seven percent saw improvement on stress and sedation, 23 percent saw improvement on anxiety and 11 percent saw improvement on aggression.

The majority of respondents said they saw improvements that weren’t attainable through anti-epileptic medicines alone. “The results of this study suggest that [medical cannabis] may be a promising candidate for the treatment of MRE and its associated comorbidities when used in conjunction with [anti-epileptic drugs],” the authors wrote.

The patients consumed cannabis with a 20:1 ratio of cannabidiol (CBD) to tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Most patients in the study were on between five and six (5.43) anti-epileptic medicines before switching to cannabis.

The patients in the study expressed interest in continuing medical cannabis treatment, but said that cannabis was expensive and difficult to obtain. Four patients dropped out of the study because they said they couldn’t afford medical cannabis.

According to co-author Juliann Paolicchi, MD, a larger study will examine the relationship between MRE patients and cannabis on a broader scope. “We have to be open to gathering information as best we can,” Paolicchi told MedPage Today. We can’t do all these randomized control trials” she said. “That shouldn’t preclude us from getting valuable information in a clinical setting.” The follow-up study can improve the understanding of how effective medical cannabis is on MRE patients.

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