Chapter 11
Cannabidiol as a Treatment for Seizures,
Convulsions and Epilepsy
Brian F. Thomas
Abstract The pharmacological and medicinal properties ofCannabis sativain the
production of euphoria and the treatment of pain, nausea, anorexia, glaucoma,
muscle spasticity, seizures, convulsions, epilepsy and many other indications have
been the subject of considerable interest for thousands of year. WhileD^9 -THC is the
chemical constituent in cannabis most commonly associated with these actions,
other phytocannabinoids have also been shown to possess significant pharmaco-
logical activity and therapeutic potential. Cannabidiol (CBD) is one such compound
that produces a variety of pharmacological effects of potential clinical importance,
while at the same time being practically devoid of the psychoactivity and abuse
liability associated withD^9 -THC. Despite its lack of psychoactivity, CBD and
CBD-containing cannabis extracts are controlled as Schedule 1 substances by the
United States Drug Enforcement Administration. However, the accumulating evi-
dence showing that CBD formulations can provide therapeutic benefit in treating
debilitating diseases has prompted actions by both the Drug Enforcement
Administration and the Food and Drug Administration to facilitate continued pre-
clinical and clinical research. Some of the most promising clinical applications for
CBD-based therapeutics are in neuronal hyperexcitability, seizures, convulsions
and epilepsy. An increasing amount of preclinical and clinical evidence supports the
use of CBD for these indications; however, the safety and efficacy of CBD dose
formulations in infants, adolescents and other patient populations remain to be
firmly established. In addition, the mechanisms of action responsible for CBD’s
clinical effects remain to be fully elucidated, it inhibits cytochrome P450s and it has
drug interaction liabilities. There is also speculation that extracts of cannabis
produce a synergistic entourage effect that improves efficacy over CBD alone.
B.F. Thomas (&)
Discovery Sciences, RTI International, PO Box 12194 3040 East Cornwallis Road,
Research Triangle Park, NC 27709-2194, USA
e-mail: [email protected]
©Springer International Publishing AG 2017
S. Chandra et al. (eds.), Cannabis sativaL. - Botany and Biotechnology,
DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-54564-6_11
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