Drug-drug interaction between clobazam and cannabidiol in children with refractory epilepsy.

Posted on June 27, 2015 by David

“Under an expanded access investigational new drug (IND) trial, cannabidiol (CBD) is being studied as a possible adjuvant treatment of refractory epilepsy in children.

Of the 25 subjects in the trial, 13 were being treated with clobazam (CLB). Because CLB and CBD are both metabolized in the cytochrome P450 (CYP) pathway, we predicted a drug-drug interaction, which we evaluate in this article…

Monitoring of CLB and nCLB levels is necessary for clinical care of patients concomitantly on CLB and CBD.

Nonetheless, CBD is a safe and effective treatment of refractory epilepsy in patients receiving CLB treatment.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26114620

http://www.thctotalhealthcare.com/category/epilepsy-2/

Medical Marijuana for Treatment of Chronic Pain and Other Medical and Psychiatric Problems: A Clinical Review.

Posted on June 24, 2015 by David

“Use of marijuana for chronic pain, neuropathic pain, and spasticity due to multiple sclerosis is supported by high-quality evidence.

Several of these trials had positive results, suggesting that marijuana or cannabinoids may be efficacious for these indications.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE:

Medical marijuana is used to treat a host of indications, a few of which have evidence to support treatment with marijuana and many that do not. Physicians should educate patients about medical marijuana to ensure that it is used appropriately and that patients will benefit from its use.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26103031

An ultra-low dose of tetrahydrocannabinol provides cardioprotection.

Posted on June 24, 2015 by David

“Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the major psychoactive component of marijuana, is a cannabinoid agonist that exerts its effects by activating at least two specific receptors (CB1 and CB2) that belong to the seven transmembrane G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR) family.

Both CB1 and CB2 mRNA and proteins are present in the heart.

THC treatment was beneficial against hypoxia in neonatal cardiomyocytes in vitro.

We also observed a neuroprotective effect of an ultra low dose of THC when applied to mice before brain insults.

The present study was aimed to test and characterize the cardioprotective effects of a very low dose of THC…

All protocols of THC administration were found to be beneficial.

CONCLUSION:

A single ultra low dose of THC before ischemia is a safe and effective treatment that reduces myocardial ischemic damage.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23537701

Effects of cannabinoids and their receptors on viral infections.

Posted on June 11, 2015 by David

“Cannabinoids, the active ingredient in marijuana, and their derivatives have received remarkable attention in the last two decades because they can affect tumor growth and metastasis.

There is a large body of evidence from in vivo and in vitro models showing that cannabinoids and their receptors influence the immune system, viral pathogenesis, and viral replication.

The present study reviews current insights into the role of cannabinoids and their receptors on viral infections.

The results reported here indicate that cannabinoids and their receptors have different sequels for viral infection.

Although activation or inhibition of cannabinoid receptors in the majority of viral infections are proper targets for development of safe and effective treatments, caution is required before using pharmaceutical cannabinoids as a treatment agent for patients with viral infections.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26059175

Cannabidiol for the Prevention of Graft-Versus-Host-Disease after Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation: Results of a Phase II Study.

Posted on June 3, 2015 by David

“Graft-versus-host-disease (GVHD) is a major obstacle to successful allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (alloHCT).

Cannabidiol (CBD), a non-psychotropic ingredient of Cannabis sativa possesses potent anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive properties. We hypothesized that CBD may decrease GVHD incidence and severity after alloHCT…

The combination of CBD with standard GVHD prophylaxis is a safe and promising strategy to reduce the incidence of acute GVHD. A randomized double blind controlled study is warranted.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26033282

Vaporization as a smokeless cannabis delivery system: a pilot study.

Posted on June 3, 2015 by David

“Vaporization of cannabis is a safe and effective mode of delivery of THC.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17429350

Perceived efficacy of cannabidiol-enriched cannabis extracts for treatment of pediatric epilepsy: A potential role for infantile spasms and Lennox-Gastaut syndrome.

Posted on May 6, 2015 by David

“There is a great need for safe and effective therapies for treatment of infantile spasms (IS) and Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (LGS). Based on anecdotal reports and limited experience in an open-label trial, cannabidiol (CBD) has received tremendous attention as a potential treatment for pediatric epilepsy, especially Dravet syndrome.

We sought to document the experiences of children with IS and/or LGS who have been treated with CBD-enriched cannabis preparations.

Perceived efficacy and tolerability were similar across etiologic subgroups.

Eighty-five percent of all parents reported a reduction in seizure frequency, and 14% reported complete seizure freedom.

Reported side effects were far less common during CBD exposure, with the exception of increased appetite (30%).

A high proportion of respondents reported improvement in sleep (53%), alertness (71%), and mood (63%) during CBD therapy… this study suggests a potential role for CBD in the treatment of refractory childhood epilepsy including IS and LGS…”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25935511

“Safety and side effects of cannabidiol, a Cannabis sativa constituent.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22129319

“Cannabidiol, a safe and non-psychotropic ingredient of the marijuana plant Cannabis sativa…” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19690824

http://www.thctotalhealthcare.com/category/epilepsy-2/

Cannabinoids for the Treatment of Chronic Non-Cancer Pain: An Updated Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials.

Posted on March 23, 2015 by David

“An updated systematic review of randomized controlled trials examining cannabinoids in the treatment of chronic non-cancer pain was conducted according to PRISMA guidelines for systematic reviews reporting on health care outcomes.

Eleven trials published since our last review met inclusion criteria.

The quality of the trials was excellent.

Seven of the trials demonstrated a significant analgesic effect.

Several trials also demonstrated improvement in secondary outcomes (e.g., sleep, muscle stiffness and spasticity).

Adverse effects most frequently reported such as fatigue and dizziness were mild to moderate in severity and generally well tolerated.

This review adds further support that currently available cannabinoids are safe, modestly effective analgesics that provide a reasonable therapeutic option in the management of chronic non-cancer pain.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25796592

http://www.thctotalhealthcare.com/category/pain-2/

Safety and Pharmacokinetics of Oral Cannabidiol When Administered Concomitantly With Intravenous Fentanyl in Humans.

Posted on March 10, 2015 by David

“Objectives: Cannabidiol (CBD) is hypothesized as a potential treatment for opioid addiction, with safety studies an important first step for medication development. We determined CBD safety and pharmacokinetics when administered concomitantly with a high-potency opioid in healthy subjects.

Conclusions: Cannabidiol does not exacerbate adverse effects associated with intravenous fentanyl administration. Coadministration of CBD and opioids was safe and well tolerated. These data provide the foundation for future studies examining CBD as a potential treatment for opioid abuse.”

http://journals.lww.com/journaladdictionmedicine/Abstract/publishahead/Safety_and_Pharmacokinetics_of_Oral_Cannabidiol.99700.aspx

Marijuana: A Time-Honored but Untested Treatment for Epilepsy.

Posted on February 27, 2015 by David

Image result for marijuana

“The biology of the endocannabinoid system in the brain provides a possible basis for a beneficial pharmacological effect of marijuana on seizures.

However, evidence for efficacy of cannabis treatment of epilepsy is anecdotal because no acceptable randomized controlled trials have been done.

Proper dosage and means of administration remain unknown.

Cannabis is safer than other controlled substances, including tobacco or alcohol, and appears to be relatively safe compared with most pharmaceuticals used to treat epilepsy.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25715711

http://www.thctotalhealthcare.com/category/epilepsy-2/