Earlier of this year, a young girl with a rare type of epilepsy started to experience non-stop seizures and doctors place her in a medically induced coma. Reports say that no treatment worked until doctors use marijuana derivative, cannabidiol (CBD).
Annalise Lujan, 12, from Tucson Arizona, was diagnosed with Febrile Infection-Related Epilepsy Syndromes. The condition is an extremely rare disease, producing hundreds of seizures every day within two weeks having febrile illnesses, such as cold or a cough. Lujan's condition is considered to be severe, that's why doctors conducted an experimental treatment using CBD. Doctors credit cannabidiol with the recovery of the young girl as she was now taken out of the coma.
CBD is one of the active ingredients of marijuana without any psychoactive effects - you cannot get high. The marijuana derivative has been found to have positive effects on the nervous system and network of receptors in the brain associated with several physiological processes - the endocannabinoid system.
FDA has already approved some epilepsy centers in using the drug for extreme cases, and for "compassionate use." But the drug is not yet available for general public use since there is still little research on the side effects on epilepsy.
Currently, there are clinical trials run on Epidiolex - purified 99 percent oil-based CBD extract, wherein the drug reduces seizures by an average of 54 percent. Researchers found that the drug is more effective when used with traditional anti-seizure medication. Moreover, side effect are mild to moderate, the most common are decreased appetite, sleepiness, fatigue, and diarrhea.
In Lujan's condition, the drug helped the 12-year-old girl to calm seizures within 48 hours and allows her to wake up from the medically induced coma. Yet, Lujan needs to continue taking CBD for effects to last. Since the treatment is experimental, the cost is expensive, that's why Lujan's family is raising money to continue the life-saving treatment.