Researchers at Ohio University (USA) found that people with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (SLG), a severe form of epilepsy that is difficult to treat and results in frequent seizures, saw the number of these seizures markedly decrease when taking cannabidiol, one of the non-psychoactive compounds in cannabis.
No treatment available
Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (SLG) accounts for 5-10% of epilepsy patients and 1-2% of all childhood epilepsies. This form of epilepsy is extremely difficult to treat because it does not respond to conventional therapy. Some newer anti-epileptic drugs, such as valproate and lamotrigine, may help control seizures, but many children who respond to these drugs early in the disease later develop tolerance which makes them less successful.
However, this study suggests that cannabidiol may be a promising treatment strategy, as scientists have found that the compound in cannabis helps to divide by the frequency of seizures in patients.
Lead author Dr Anup Patel and his colleagues will present the findings of this study at the American Academy of Neurology to be held in Boston.
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