Can Marijuana Cure Seizures? Boy Suffering From Epilepsy Treated With Cannabis Oil

Can cannabis be helpful in controlling seizures? This has been a pertinent question throughout the years and numerous studies and researches have been conducted to prove the worth of medical marijuana.

Now, there is evidence whether marijuana can be helpful in treating epilepsy and control seizures, also in difficult to control conditions like Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (LGS) in children and adults as well as Dravet syndrome in children.

An 11-year-old boy suffering from epilepsy, who became the first patient with the condition to be prescribed cannabis oil and began treatment in the United States in 2016, has been seizure-free for 300 days since being under the treatment. Earlier he used to suffer from potentially 30 fatal seizures a month, his mother Charlotte said, the Independent reported Thursday.

Billy Caldwell, whose intractable epilepsy meant he was unable to get help through medication or diet, started receiving the medical marijuana treatment in the U.S. and then his prescription was transferred to his local general practitioner in the U.K. His doctor, Dr. Brendan O’Hare in Northern Ireland prescribed cannabis oil to the boy and described his situation as “unique.”

“Whatever the rights and wrongs, we had a child who had benefitted and the child’s welfare was paramount. On that basis I issued a prescription,” Dr. Hare told Mirror.co.uk.

The medicine prescribed to Billy, which contains a compound found in cannabis plants called Cannabidiol (CBD), does not consist of any synthetics or chemicals. CBD does not cause the psychoactive effects of getting high like Tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, and therefore has some positive effects on certain body systems and has been found to help in controlling seizures.

Billy has a medical marijuana company named after him called “Billy’s Bud.” The company was formed in July this year. The company sells medical cannabis products to help people treat themselves with marijuana. They also help other children and people with conditions that can be treated with medical cannabis.

“We cultivate the best of marijuana’s many potential benefits with unrivaled consistency in potency and effects. We grow exceptional quality, carefully grown and hand trimmed medical marijuana,” the official website claims.

According to the Epilepsy Foundation, studies have been performed regarding Epidiolex, a drug derived from cannabidiol or CBD to examine if it is useful for the treatment of epilepsy. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has permitted some selected epilepsy center to use the drug "compassionate use" only to treat a limited number of patients at each center.

Gold-standard studies (double-blind, placebo-controlled studies) recently have examined medical marijuana use for epilepsies such as Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (LGS) in children and adults and Dravet syndrome in children. Results from a study where 214 people were given Epidiolex for 12 weeks or more, showed that their seizures decreased by an average of 54%. All of the participants had epilepsy that did not respond to available medical treatment.

“Following extensive treatment with CBD oil, Billy is now more than 300 days seizure free,” Billy’s mother, Charlotte said.

Billy’s family is conducting a “Billy’s Bud” Festival on Sept.9 in Castlederg, County Tyrone in Northern Ireland to celebrate Billy’s successful treatment and the support they received for their campaign called “Keep Billy Alive.”

“To celebrate the phenomenal change for the better in Billy's health, we have decided to hold a small celebration in recognition of all those people that have helped us ‘Keep Billy Alive,’” Charlotte told the Independent.