Purified CBD Reduced Seizures in 92% of Children With Drug-Resistant Epilepsy

92.2% of patients had reduced seizure frequency after starting purified CBD. 41.1% achieved >50% reduction. 38.1% had additional positive effects including improved alertness (31.7%), improved speech (10.1%), and new developmental milestones (2.2%). Prior success with CBD oils, especially >50% reduction, strongly predicted purified CBD response. Common adverse events were irritability (20.9%) and drowsiness (12.9%).

Retrospective multicenter analysis of 139 children and young adults (54.7% female, median age 12.0 years) with drug-resistant epilepsy treated with purified CBD at five Israeli medical centers from 2018-2022. Median dose 12.5 mg/kg, median duration 9 months.

This real-world evidence from 5 medical centers confirms the clinical trial findings for purified CBD in a broader, more diverse patient population. The finding that prior CBD oil response predicts purified CBD response is clinically useful for treatment planning.

As purified CBD (Epidiolex) becomes available in more countries, real-world effectiveness data is needed alongside clinical trials. This study confirms effectiveness across multiple epilepsy syndromes and identifies a practical predictor of treatment success.

Retrospective design with potential selection bias. No control group. Seizure frequency was clinically assessed, not by EEG monitoring. Some patients may have had concurrent medication changes. Cannot determine the contribution of placebo effect.