Since 1 November 2018, specialist doctors (consultants) have been able to prescribe cannabis-based medicines for children with complex childhood epilepsy.
There is some evidence to show that cannabis-based medicines can reduce seizures in complex childhood epilepsy. However, with the exception of pharmaceutically prepared CBD (see below), the NHS does not routinely prescribe and fund these treatments.
Parents and young people with epilepsy should be aware of the following facts when considering the potential benefits of cannabis-based medicines:
Children and young people's best interests should be the guiding principle in any treatment decisions;
With the exception of Epidyolex (a CBD add-on treatment for Dravet syndrome and Lennox-Gastaut syndrome), the NHS does not routinely prescribe and fund cannabis-based medicines; decisions are made locally about whether an individual child should be prescribed such a treatment;
Cannabis-based medicines are not the same as raw cannabis (which is illegal) or other cannabis products you can buy online or on the high street; these have not been tested to make sure they are safe and effective in the same way as licensed medicines;
You should not attempt to use any cannabis products you can buy online or on the high street as an anti-epileptic treatment;
Cannabis-based medicines for epilepsy have two primary active ingredients: CBD (cannabidiol) which is non-psychoactive and THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) which is psychoactive and results in a so-called “high”; the relative safety of THC use in children is unknown but there is concern it may cause permanent damage to the brain;
Epidyolex is a pharmaceutically prepared CBD add-on treatment (used alongside clobazam) for the treatment of seizures in children with Dravet syndrome or Lennox-Gastaut syndrome;
NICE approved this CBD treatment for routine NHS use on 11 November 2019, but only as an add-on treatment for seizures associated with Dravet syndrome or Lennox-Gastaut syndrome.
You can find more information on the NHS website.
If you have any questions or concerns about cannabis-based medicines please speak with your consultant.
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Young Epilepsy is the operating name of The National Centre for Young People with Epilepsy (NCYPE). | |
