Marijuana And Epilepsy | An Overall Review
Marijuana has been used to treat epilepsy for centuries. However, with the changing laws and attitudes around marijuana, there is still a lot of unknowns about how it specifically affects epilepsy. In this blog post, we will take a look at the research on marijuana and epilepsy and see what we can draw from it. Stay tuned for more information as we update this post as new studies are released.
Marijuana and Epilepsy: A Systematic Review
The use of marijuana to treat epilepsy is not a new concept. Ancient cultures used it for medicinal purposes and there are references to its use in treating seizures in medical texts dating back to 1500 BCE. In the modern day, some people with epilepsy turn to marijuana as a last resort when nothing else has worked. But with the lack of scientific research on the subject, many doctors are hesitant to recommend it. Now that marijuana is legal in many states, there is more interest in studying its effects on various medical conditions, including epilepsy. A systematic review is a type of study that looks at all of the available evidence on a topic and then draws conclusions based on that evidence. In 2015, a group of researchers did a systematic review of all the available evidence on marijuana and epilepsy.
The review found that there were only four studies that met their criteria for inclusion. two of these studies were case reports, meaning they only looked at a small number of people. The other two were observational studies, which means that the researchers didn’t control for all the possible variables that could affect the results. Despite the limited amount of evidence, the review found that marijuana may be an effective treatment for some forms of epilepsy, including Dravet syndrome and Lennox-Gastaut syndrome. It’s important to note that more research is needed to confirm these findings.
Marijuana and Epilepsy: A Review of the Clinical Evidence
In 2016, another group of researchers did a review of all the available clinical evidence on marijuana and epilepsy. Clinical studies are different from observational studies because they are controlled experiments that look at how a treatment affects a group of people. The researchers found 11 clinical studies that met their criteria for inclusion.
The studies included in the review were small, with an average of just over 100 participants. The majority of the studies were done on animals, not humans. And most of the human studies were done on adults, not children. Despite these limitations, the review found that there is some evidence to suggest that marijuana may be an effective treatment for certain forms of epilepsy, including Dravet syndrome, Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, and tuberous sclerosis complex. Again, more research is needed to confirm these findings.
The Bottom Line
At this point, there is still a lot we don’t know about how marijuana affects epilepsy. However, the available evidence does suggest that it may be an effective treatment for some forms of the condition. If you or someone you know is considering using marijuana to treat epilepsy, it’s important to talk to a doctor first. They can help you weigh the potential risks and benefits of treatment and make sure you are using a safe and effective product.
