CBD: Cost & Dosing - For the Treatment of Epilepsy

July 17, 2018

CBD (Cannabidiol), a component of the Marijuana/Cannabis plant, was recently approved by the FDA for the treatment of epilepsy.

NCT blogged about CBD and how it is used to prevent seizures in December 2017. Check out the blog post here.

One of the current problems with CBD is that inexperienced practitioners are attempting to treat seizures with this medication and are using doses that are too small or using formulations that do not have the proper concentration of CBD.

The result is that patients are under-dosed leading to no change in the control of seizures and wasted dollars. In addition, low-doses give the false illusion that CBD is a well-tolerated medication, but when proper dosing is used patients have to consume a high volume of oil with each dose. This may lead to GI side effects such as cramping, abdominal discomfort and diarrhea.

As CBD emerges as a real treatment for epilepsy it is important that accurate and true information is shared amongst patients, parents, families and the epilepsy community.

For that reason, the team at NCT put together the following tables to estimate the volume of oil one would have to consume at proper dosing and the cost per month. The information in the tables is based on current available products in Canada and published evidence about CBD and the doses required to treat seizures.

Note: all costs are in Canadian dollars and subject to change. Sources for the data are in the tables and available publicly.