CBD-Rich Cannabis Oil Reduced Seizures by 84% in Adults With Drug-Resistant Focal Epilepsy

Among 44 patients who completed 3+ months of follow-up, median monthly seizures dropped from 11 to 2.5 (p < significant). At 12 weeks, 79.5% achieved 50%+ seizure reduction, and the median percentage change in seizure frequency was 84.1%. Only five patients reported adverse drug reactions. The median daily dose was 200mg CBD / 4mg THC (3.7 mg CBD/kg).

Open-label, prospective cohort, single-center study of adults with drug-resistant focal epilepsy on stable antiepileptic drugs. Added a cannabis-based magistral formulation (100mg/mL CBD, <2mg/mL THC). Follow-up from August 2020 to July 2022.

Most CBD epilepsy research has focused on children and on specific syndromes like Lennox-Gastaut and Dravet. This study extends the evidence to adult drug-resistant focal epilepsy, a common form of epilepsy, showing striking response rates with a CBD-dominant formulation.

The 79.5% responder rate is remarkably high for drug-resistant epilepsy, where 50%+ reduction with any new treatment is typically achieved in only 20-40% of patients. While the open-label design means placebo effects and expectation bias could inflate results, the magnitude of effect warrants controlled trials in this population.

Open-label, single-center study without placebo control. Only 44 of 114 enrolled patients completed 3+ months, introducing selection bias. No blinding means expectation effects may contribute to results. The formulation includes some THC, making it hard to attribute all effects to CBD.