A marijuana-derived medication made from purified cannabidiol (CBD) and marketed under the brand name Epidiolex, has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of two types of severe epilepsy – Dravet syndrome and Lennox-Gastaut syndrome. This approval is unique because it is the first of its kind that contains a purified derivative of marijuana, rather than the synthetic tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) derivative that was previously used in prescription marijuana. CBD provides the beneficial medicinal effects of marijuana without the psychoactive chemical effects from THC analogs.
Researchers are currently studying CBD’s potential to treat a variety of psychiatric conditions, including post-traumatic stress disorder, alcohol addiction, and the prevention of opioid abuse relapse. The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) is in the process of reclassifying CBD, which has been a Schedule I drug.
To read more about medical marijuana, click here:
Basic and Clinical Pharmacology, 14e: Chapter 62: Drugs Used in the Treatment of Gastrointestinal Disorders > Cannabinoids
Goodman and Gilman’s The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics, 13e. Chapter 14: Neurotransmission in the Central Nervous System
Medical Management of Vulnerable and Underserved Populations, 2e: Chapter 39. Principles of Caring for People Who Use Alcohol and Other Drugs
To read more about Lennox-Gastaut syndrome and Dravet syndrome, click here:
Harrison’s Principles of Internal Medicine, 19e: Chapter 445. Seizures and Epilepsy Current Diagnosis and Treatment Pediatrics, 24e: Chapter 25. Neurologic and Muscular Disorders
Melanie Allison is the Executive Manager of Education & Learning with McGraw Hill. She earned her Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree and Post-Master’s Certificate in Nursing Education from The Johns Hopkins University. She earned her Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree, specializing as an acute care nurse practitioner (ACNP), from Vanderbilt University. Melanie has more than 20 years of experience as a registered nurse and nurse practitioner in adult cardiology and advanced lipid management. She is a part-time faculty member at a top school of nursing where she has taught for more than 16 years.
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