UAB Releases Preliminary Results Of Medical Marijuana Study

[Robert Celt]

UAB is currently working with Children's of Alabama to see if a special form of medical marijuana known as cannabidiol, or CBD oil, is an effective treatment for adults and children with severe seizures.

The study launched in April 2015, a year after it was authorized by the Alabama State Legislature in legislation known as "Carly's Law."

Of the first 51 patients in the study, 50 percent saw overall sustained improvement in seizure control in a sixth-month period, 32 to 45 percent saw declines in seizures, two patients were seizure-free, and nine patients had to drop out of the study because they saw no improvement or they had significant side effects.

Investigators on the study said there's still a lot more to learn about CBD oil.

"The studies are ongoing, and we have a lot more to learn; but these preliminary findings are encouraging," said Jerzy Szaflarski, M.D., Ph.D., professor in the Department of Neurology, principal investigator of the adult study.

Investigators on the study will present these preliminary findings at the annual meeting for the American Academy of Neurology next month.

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Full Article: UAB Releases Preliminary Results Of Medical Marijuana Study
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[Radogast]

Of the first 51 patients in the study, 50 percent saw overall sustained improvement in seizure control in a sixth-month period, 32 to 45 percent saw declines in seizures, two patients were seizure-free, and nine patients had to drop out of the study because they saw no improvement or they had significant side effects.

From the University of Alabama at Birmingham(UAB) website, it appears that a major 'side effects' was that the CBD multiplied the effectiveness of clobazam in 17 patients already taking clobazam leading to (overdose) side effects from the clobazam. This is not the first time THC and CBD have been seen to work synergistically with pharmaceutical medications, herbs, and/or body systems to increase their efficacy.

Tyler Gaston, M.D., a clinical neurophysiology fellow, led a study of potential interactions between CBD and clobazam, a commonly prescribed anti-epileptic medication. The investigators suspected that CBD treatment might cause an increase in the blood levels of clobazam and its metabolite, N-desmethylclobazam, leading to adverse events including sedation. Seventeen patients in the studies were taking clobazam, and investigators found clear evidence for an interaction, with rising clobazam levels during CBD therapy. This finding highlights the importance of monitoring clobazam and N-desmethylclobazam levels when treating patients with CBD, and the results underscore the importance of the new knowledge gained through the UAB CBD program
UAB - UAB News - UAB presents first results of CBD oil studies at neurology meeting