Recent data show that medical marijuana — especially the cannabidiol component — can help prevent seizures. Self-medicating, however, comes with significant risks.
Having seizures, whatever the underlying cause, can be frightening and dangerous. An increasing amount of research has come out about potential links between marijuana and seizures, so what should you know? Can marijuana cause seizures, or can it help them?
Article at a Glance:
It’s important to remember these key points about marijuana and seizures:
- Unlike some other psychotropic drugs, marijuana has not been linked to seizures.
- Evidence shows that cannabinoids can help control the excitability in the central nervous system that may otherwise lead to seizures.
- The CBD component of marijuana is considered safer and more effective for seizure treatment than the THC component.
- Using marijuana off the street is problematic due to issues with ingredients, drug interactions and legal status.
What Are Seizures?
A seizure occurs when someone has abnormal electrical activity in the brain. Seizures can be difficult to spot in some people, and symptoms may be inconspicuous, like being unable to break your stare for a short period of time.
The symptoms of a seizure vary and can include:
- Confusion
- Staring
- Jerking of the arms or legs
- Loss of consciousness
- Emotional or cognitive changes
What is Epilepsy?
Epilepsy is a common neurological condition and is defined by recurrent seizures that occur because of a sudden jolt of electrical activity taking place in the brain. This overexcitability leads to a disruption in the messaging between brain cells.
There has been a lot of research in recent years on seizures and epilepsy, including how marijuana impacts these conditions.
Marijuana and Seizures
Marijuana products on their own have not been linked to seizures. In fact, cannabidiol (CBD), one of the components of marijuana, has been approved by the FDA to treat certain types of seizures. That said, marijuana bought on the street may be laced with other substances with unknown seizure potential. Further, using marijuana with other psychoactive drugs may increase seizure risk, like K2, spice or PCP.
Can Medical Marijuana Help with a Seizure Disorder?
Marijuana and its components may hold the key to some relief for people with seizures. Since ancient times, marijuana has been used to treat seizure disorders. Modern medicine recognizes marijuana’s potential as well: Epidiolex is a brand name product containing cannabidiol, or CBD, which is FDA-approved to treat the epilepsy subtypes Lennox-Gastaut syndrome and Dravet syndrome. Recent studies have shown the benefits of CBD in treating seizures and that CBD may be safer and more effective than the psychoactive tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) component of marijuana. In many studies, CBD was used alongside traditional anti-seizure medications, with the combination resulting in an improvement of seizures.
However, you should not try to self-medicate with marijuana if you have a history of seizures or epilepsy. Because it can be difficult to control seizures, you should first discuss marijuana with your neurologist.
How Does Marijuana Help with Epilepsy?
Cannabinoids help treat epilepsy by binding to specific receptors in the brain known as CB1 and CB2 receptors. In turn, these receptors inhibit the release of neurotransmitters like glutamate that excite the central nervous system and may result in seizures. Further, some experts think that cannabinoids may make traditional anti-seizure medications more effective and may increase the concentration in the body of some anti-seizure drugs like clobazam.
What You Should Know About Cannabis
Despite the likely benefits of marijuana on seizures, there are problems as well, especially if a person is taking marijuana illicitly.
Inconsistent Dosage and Ingredients
Self-medicating epilepsy with marijuana off the street can lead to problems as there is no consistency in ingredients or dosing. Further, the THC content of illicit marijuana is very high. CBD is believed to be safer and more effective for seizure treatment.
Drug Interactions
While a marijuana overdose is nonfatal, it can have drug interactions with other medications commonly prescribed for epilepsy, including benzodiazepines, and may worsen side effects like sedation.
Legal Issues
Although more states are legalizing marijuana for medicinal and recreational purposes, marijuana remains a Schedule I controlled substance at this time. For this reason, you may run into legal problems transporting cannabis across state lines or having these items shipped to you.
Know The Risks
Though many people assume the substance is not addictive, it is possible to become dependent and addicted to marijuana. The brain can adjust to having THC in the system, leading to withdrawal symptoms if marijuana use is stopped. If you or someone you love is experiencing an addiction to marijuana, contact us today to discuss treatment options that can work well for your situation.
Mayo Clinic. “Seizures.” Accessed December 8, 2020.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration. “FDA Approves First Drug Comprised of an […]re Forms of Epilepsy.” June 25, 2018. Accessed December 8, 2020.
Drug Enforcement Administration, Department of Justice. “Drugs of Abuse.” April 2020. Accessed December 8, 2020.
Zaheer, Sidra; Kumar, Deepak; Khan, Muhammad T.; et al. “Epilepsy and Cannabis: A Literature Review.” Cureus, September 10, 2018. Accessed December 8, 2020.
Stuyt, Elizabeth. “The Problem with the Current High Potenc[…]diction Psychiatrist.” Missouri Medicine, November-December 2018. Accessed December 8, 2020.
Drugs.com. “Cannabis Drug Interactions.” Accessed December 8, 2020.
National Conference of State Legislatures. “State Medical Marijuana Laws.” November 10, 2020. Accessed December 8, 2020.
Drug Enforcement Administration. “Controlled Substances – Alphabetical Order.” November 22, 2020. Accessed December 8, 2020.
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