Study on CBD gel shows positive effect on seizures

A new study published this month shows that CBD transdermal gel may help to reduce seizures and improve children’s quality of life.

The study titled, Safety and Tolerability of Transdermal Cannabidiol Gel in Children With Developmental and Epileptic Encephalopathies was conducted in Australia and New Zealand from 2018 to 2019. It involved 40 children with Developmental And Epileptic Encephalopathies (DEE). The authors noted that the DEEs were the most severe type of epilepsy typically beginning in childhood.

The non-randomised, clinical trial involved CBD gel being applied twice a day for six and a half months on children aged three to eighteen. The gel had a CBD content of 125 to 500 mg.

Seizure reduction

The researchers found that the gel helped in response to facial impaired awareness seizures potentially reducing them to 44.5 percent. These are seizures where someone’s consciousness is affected. It also helped to reduce tonic-clonic seizures where the muscles violently contract by 22.5 percent. Overall, the seizures in 33 participants were reduced by 43.5 percent.

The children also recorded improvements in alertness, alongside the seizure reduction.

The authors stated: “Developmental and epileptic encephalopathies (DEEs) are the most severe group of drug-resistant epilepsies. Alternatives to oral therapies are urgently needed to reduce seizures and improve developmental outcomes and comorbidities in this medically complex population.”

“The most frequently cited improvements were in alertness, reduction in seizure frequency, engagement or participation, and more energy and less fatigue. The most common negative statements were related to difficulty in applying the study medication and reactions at the application site.”

The CBD was tolerated well by the children in the study but the researchers highlighted that more studies are needed.

Read more: “Her life was transformed: new report shares the benefits of medical cannabis for children with epilepsy