Cannabidiol: a new effective means for the treatment of patients with refractory epilepsy

Canabidiol (CBD) is one of two main phytocannabinoids extracted from the Cannabis sativa plant, popularly known as marijuana or cannabis, and is characterized by not producing the typical psychoactive effects associated with its recreational use. There is evidence that CBD has neuroprotective, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antineoplastic, chemopreventive and immunomodulatory properties. Before the legalization of CBD in the United States and Argentina being administered by the government as called REPROCANN (Cannabis Program Registry), it is essential to debate and deepen the knowledge of its use against alternative treatments for epilepsy. Therefore, a detailed investigation into its pharmacological action and its effects in the treatment of epileptic syndromes such as Dravet syndrome and Lennox-Gastaut syndrome is necessary, where there are currently reported cases of success with the use of CBD. Discuss the use of cannabidiol in the treatment of refractory epilepsy. Compare the challenges and effectiveness of treatments involving cannabidiol use with conventional epilepsy treatments. A narrative bibliographic review was carried out using scientific articles published in the last ten years (2014-2024) in Spanish and English. Databases such as Scientific Electronic Library Online (SciELO), Sciencedirect, PubMed and Google Academic were consulted. In addition, resources from national and international institutions, both public and private, were used. Relevant information was also collected from textbooks, websites and other media as necessary for the preparation of this work. For the writing of the final text, only those studies that were aligned with the objectives proposed in this study were selected. In summary, it is suggested that doctors consider prescribing CBD to adults suffering from refractory epilepsy. Despite the lack of sufficient evidence, the inclusion of CBD in conventional treatment could benefit seizure frequency in some patients, with few adverse side effects reported.). Therefore, it is recommended that health professionals consider prescribing CBD for young people and adults with refractory epilepsy, since although there is not enough evidence, its addition to traditional therapy could improve the seizures of some patients with few unwanted reactions.