According to the Epilepsy Foundation, one in 26 people will develop epilepsy at some point in their life. Of those, one-third of people diagnosed with epilepsy get uncontrolled seizures because they’ve exhausted all available treatments and have not found a medication that works. Because of cases like these, more people seek alternative ways to help manage their symptoms, including taking CBD for epilepsy. But what does the research show? Can CBD really help control epileptic seizures and reduce their frequency? We’ll find out. But first, let’s talk a little more about epilepsy, its impacts, and other alternative approaches to managing seizures.
Epilepsy and its Impacts
If you or a loved one have epilepsy, you probably already have experienced its full range of impacts on your life.
Seizures can occur without warning. Even when you’re on the most targeted medication for your condition, your epilepsy can still be out of control, and you can have unpredictable seizures that wreak havoc on your life.
What’s worse is that epilepsy can cause injuries to you or others near you and frequent hospitalizations.
Epilepsy has many far-ranging impacts on an epileptic’s mental and physical health and often results in a lower quality of life. People who have epilepsy often feel stigmatized and excluded from a social life. This is particularly common for children.
Many epileptics also report that epilepsy medications come with severe side effects that are almost as bad as the condition itself. What’s worse is that patients don’t often feel heard by their doctors when they complain about side effects.
In the end, many people who have frequent seizures end up having secondary conditions, such as depression and anxiety, and it only makes matters worse.
Many epileptics have found that holistic approaches and alternative therapies can help them manage their epilepsy and its impacts better. Researchers have evidence supporting claims that non-standard treatment approaches can play an important role in managing epilepsy.
Even when epileptic drugs successfully control their seizures, some people seek ways to treat the associated side effects of the drugs.
Many also want a way to minimize the disorienting symptoms that occur after a seizure, including post-seizure headaches, nausea, confusion, sleepiness, and hypertension.
Alxternative Ways to Manage Epilepsy
Epileptic patients and physicians have embarked on numerous paths away from standard epileptic drugs to treat seizures that have failed traditional therapies.
For instance, some physicians recommend various types of brain surgeries or a high-protein diet.
Some epileptics, in a desperate attempt to calm their seizures or help them deal with their condition, turn to yoga, counseling, biofeedback, herbal medicines, acupuncture, vitamins, and taking CBD for epilepsy.
The role of CBD in potentially helping to manage your seizures
WebMD points out that CBD can prove beneficial in helping to manage seizures. It seems now that the FDA is getting on board with the idea as they have approved a synthetic CBD oil to help treat two severe kinds of epilepsy: Dravet syndrome and Lennox-Gastaut syndrome.
Research suggests that CBD has antiseizure effects by calming neurons in the brain, which could minimize the electrical changes that cause seizures in the first place.
Although the compound hasn’t been approved for treating general epilepsy, some epileptics have already begun including it as part of their regimen. Many have reported that they have had fewer side effects from their seizure medications since beginning CBD. For many, that means a better quality of life.
Because of the serious nature of epilepsy, you’ll want to be sure to talk to your doctor before stopping or beginning any new therapy to treat your seizures.
