Abstracts

Rationale: Cannabinoids appears to have anti-epileptic effects in animals. The anti-seizure effect in humans is controversial. In this study we described the characteristics of patients with epilepsy who are using medical Marijuana with a prescription.Methods: Fourteen patients with epilepsy who hold a prescription for medical Marijuana from a Canadian adult-epilepsy clinic were analyzed in this study. We obtained Marijuana use-pattern from charts. Clinic, electrographic and imaging characteristics were collected.Results: Fourteen patients had a prescription of medical Marijuana from a total population of 700 patients with epilepsy in our center (2%). Mean age of patients was 30.2 7.8 (19-50). Sixty-four percent were males. Forty-two percent had symptomatic epilepsy, 35.7% idiopathic and 21.4% cryptogenic. Nine (64.3%) of patients were refractory to multiple treatments, such as antiepileptic drugs, surgery and vagal nerve stimulation. Eight (57.1%) patients suffered a psychiatric comorbidity. The most common entity was depression being present in six (43%) patients. Nine of fourteen patients (64%) had lack of compliance using antiepileptic drugs. Ten patients (71.4%) reported the use of other illicit substances, heavy smoking or history of alcohol abuse. Seven (50%) patients had a tattoo, and four (28.5%) patients had a piercing on his body. Seven patients (50%) were unemployed, and only one patient (7%) was married. The rest of patients (93%) were single or divorced, without a stable relationship. The drug-use pattern was similar among patients. All had a long history of cigarettes smoking ( joints ) in their life, with a mean of 7.1 3.4 (3-15) years. Thirteen (93%) smoked marijuana and only one patient used an inhaler. Two patients had permission to seed the marijuana at home. All patients asked for Marijuana permission in the epilepsy clinic. All of them reported beneficial effects on seizures as well as in mood disorders. The mean consumption was 2 0.6 (1-4) gr per day. Only two (14.2%) patients reported side effects, hallucinations and drowsiness. Seventy per cent of patients reported a breakthrough of seizures when they stopped the Marijuana.Conclusions: Patients with epilepsy using medical Marijuana have common characteristics. They are usually young men with drug-resistant epilepsy, and with significant psychiatric comorbidity. Other characteristics from these patients are the use of other illicit substances, alcohol abuse and heavy smoking. All patients used Marijuana before the formal prescription and all of them have the opinion that the drug was very effective on their seizure control. Due to the concurrent use of other anti-seizure medications it is really complex to estimate the real effect of medical Marijuana.