Cannabis & Epilepsy

By Heather DeRose

MY NAME IS HEATHER, AND I AM ONE OF THE 65 MILLION PEOPLE IN THE WORLD LIVING WITH EPILEPSY TODAY.

Epilepsy is a disease characterized by the unprovoked reoccurrence of seizures. Seizures may be caused by a traumatic brain injury or have an unknown cause. According to the Epilepsy Foundation, the condition effects 65 million people worldwide and 3.4 million people within the United States—this makes it the 4th most common neurological disorder around the world. Epilepsy effects more people than Autism, Parkinson’s Disease, Multiple Sclerosis, and Cerebral Palsy combined. The condition causes more than 50,000 deaths per year—more than those affected by breast cancer. An estimated 1 in 26 people will have a seizure at some point in their lifetime.

Epilepsy is a spectrum condition and includes a wide range of seizure types and control which vary from person to person. I was diagnosed when I was a teenager with Tonic-Clonic seizures—previously known as a Grand Mal. This seizure is what most people commonly imagine those diagnosed with epilepsy experience. When I experienced a seizure, I would typically have a few seconds worth of warning: I would begin to feel nauseous or sick before losing consciousness and convulsing.

As with many people diagnosed with the condition, I had several tests done to try to figure out what was causing my seizures. Epilepsy is very difficult to study, unless a patient is hooked up to an EEG machine to find problems related to electroactivity in the brain. The tests try to induce seizure activity in order to analyze the activity during occurrence, and it can be stressful for the patient. I had several conducted, but despite deprivation of both food and sleep, doctors could not produce a seizure to study. They also conducted a brain scan, which did not show any abnormalities.

SINCE EPILEPSY PRESENTS UNIQUELY IN EACH PERSON, IT IS DIFFICULT TO TREAT.

An estimated one-third of the population with the condition cannot control their seizures. Millions of people taking medication with harsh side effects are still unable to control their seizure occurrence. Of those living without seizure control, 1 out of 1,000 will die from Sudden Unexplained Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP) each year and researchers have not yet found a cause for these deaths. Since the condition causes so many deaths, and the majority of people living with this condition have no seizure control with the harsh medications, cannabis has become a natural and effective treatment option.

After all of my tests, the doctors told me that they could not trigger a seizure and had no conclusive evidence on correlation between a trigger and seizure occurrence. They also told me I could never have a seizure again, or I could risk them occurring every day for the rest of my life, without pattern or warning. Obviously, this left me— as well as many others affected by the condition—unsure of what my future would hold. The stigma and misinformation surrounding the condition also made it very difficult to cope with at such a young age. At times, public misunderstanding and challenges may be worse for the person than the seizure itself.

I continued to have seizure reoccurrence into my early twenties. After researching the topic extensively, I decided to try cannabis for epilepsy and overall health and wellness. This was when I learned about the case of Charlotte Figi and how her seizure occurrence was dramatically reduced with Charlottes Web. I also learned about patent number 6630507 that the U.S. government holds on cannabinoids as antioxidants, neuroprotectants, and a powerful anti-inflammatory.

Due to federal regulations and limited access to cannabidiol (CBD), it has taken several years to collect research on cannabinoids. Fortunately, evidence from laboratory studies, anecdotal reports and clinical studies have shown the potential of CBD to help control seizures. Many recent studies have also shown the benefit of CBD in treating specific groups of people with epilepsy who have not responded to traditional therapies.

However, more research is still needed. The cannabis plant has over one hundred different cannabinoids, terpenes, flavonoids and other phytonutrients. All of these plant compounds work together within each person’s own regulatory system, the Endocannabinoid System (ECS). The ECS is said to be the most important regulatory system within the body to promote homeostasis.

Last year, the evidence on the cannabinoid CBD was conclusive enough for the FDA to approve a pharmaceutical drug called Epidiolex. The catch: it can cost over $32,500 per year. This wasn’t the first time a synthetic cannabinoid had been developed. In 1985, the FDA approved the synthetic version of the cannabinoid tetrahydrocannabidiol (THC) in the form of a pharmaceutical drug called Marinol. This drug has been used to treat some patients undergoing chemotherapy or those diagnosed with HIV. However, due to high drug costs and with new research being conducted, many patients are choosing natural cannabis medicine that can be purchased from dispensaries.

Patients using full-spectrum and whole plant products obtain additional compounds within the plant that act synergistically. This is called the Entourage Effect, and it is still being clinically researched.

I moved from my home state of Missouri and have lived in Colorado with access to regulated, legal cannabis for almost 4 years. I’ve been seizurefree for almost 2 years, and credit my overall seizure control to cannabis, food medicine, and physical and mental health practices. For those looking for seizure control for themselves or a loved one, I recommend incorporating cannabis.

I think about cannabis as a daily vitamin. A vitamin that works with the natural ECS within our bodies and has minimal side-effects, especially when compared to the harsh side-effects of commonly-prescribed epilepsy medications. When looking to try a cannabis product, consult with your physician first. If they are not open to the medical benefits of cannabis, speak with another doctor willing to discuss your treatment decision. I recommend growing your own medicine, if possible, or obtaining it in a legally regulated market, which may mean moving to a legal state. Even with all the studies and research, dosage is the most unknown component about cannabis therapies. The answer is still start low and go slow. I recommend obtaining the test results to know exactly what’s in your medicine and record the effects and dosages on an app or journal to find what works best.

With cannabis as a known option of natural treatment for those diagnosed with epilepsy, it is widely sought after by patients learning more about the benefits and wanting to try a less harsh medication with hopes of better results. This provides hope for those with conditions in which cannabis may help.

Since medical cannabis has been proven to help many who suffer from epilepsy and has the ability to save lives, I urge you to discuss the topic and to get involved so we can make a difference to ensure people with seizures have the opportunity to improve their quality of life to the fullest!

HEATHER CELEBRATING 2 YEARS SEIZURE FREE! APRIL 19TH, 2019