Young adults and children with drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE) experienced a reduction in seizure frequency with purified CBD use. Among this patient population, DRE impacts both development and quality of life. To understand the effectiveness and safety of purified CBD, Michal Tzadok, MD, and colleagues reviewed medical records of 139 children and young adults (54.7% female, median age 12.0 years) with DRE who were treated with purified CBD from 2018 to 2022. After identifying Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (37.4%), Dravet syndrome (16.5%), and tuberous sclerosis (16.5%) as the most common diagnoses, the median purified CBD dose was 12.5 mg/ kg (range 2.5 to 20.0) with a median treatment duration of 9.0 months (range 0.5 to 48.0). The researchers discovered that 92.2% of participants experienced reduced seizure frequency, and 38.1% had positive effects, including improved alertness (31.7%), improved speech (10.1%), and achievement of new developmental milestones (2.2%). Irritability and drowsiness were the two most reported adverse events (20.9% and 12.9%). Overall, purified CBD was found to be well-tolerated and effective in reducing the frequency of seizures in DRE.
