Compound derived from marijuana interacts with antiepileptic drugs
Cannabidiol (CBD), a compound developed from the cannabis plant, is being studied as a potential anticonvulsant, and it has demonstrated effectiveness in animal models of epilepsy and in humans. An ongoing open label study (Expanded Access Program) conducted by investigators at the University of Alabama at Birmingham is testing the potential of CBD as a therapy for children and adults with difficult to control epilepsy. The study includes 39 adults and 42 children, all of whom receive CBD. Because all of the participants are also taking other seizure drugs while they are receiving the investigational therapy, investigators checked the blood levels of their other seizure drugs to see if they changed. "With any new potential seizure medication, it is important to know if drug interactions exist and if there are labs that should be monitored while taking a specific medication," said lead author Tyler Gaston, MD. Dr. Gaston and her colleagues found that there were signific...