Medical cannabis: A needs analysis for people with epilepsy

Background and purpose: Medical cannabis may be effective treatment for refractory epilepsy. It is timely to seek users’ and potential users’ opinions in regard to its place in the management of epilepsy. Materials and methods: An online survey was administered to members of an epilepsy support orga...

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Main Authors: Kerai, A., Sim, T., Emmerton, Lynne
Format: Journal Article
Published: 2018
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/71159
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author Kerai, A.
Sim, T.
Emmerton, Lynne
author_facet Kerai, A.
Sim, T.
Emmerton, Lynne
author_sort Kerai, A.
building Curtin Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description Background and purpose: Medical cannabis may be effective treatment for refractory epilepsy. It is timely to seek users’ and potential users’ opinions in regard to its place in the management of epilepsy. Materials and methods: An online survey was administered to members of an epilepsy support organisation in Western Australia. Experience with cannabis for management of epilepsy was explored, along with desire to trial a particular pharmaceutical formulation(s). Results: People with epilepsy (33/71) and carers (38/71) participated. Fifty-four participants indicated no experience with medical cannabis, although 35, mainly with inadequate response to prescription medicines, were willing to ask for a prescription. Concerns included difficulty accessing cannabis and high cost of this treatment. Tablets/capsules was the most acceptable dosage form for development. Conclusion: These findings suggest wide interest in trialling medical cannabis in individual cases of refractory epilepsy, despite the developing body of literature and some concerns about cost and procurement.
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spelling curtin-20.500.11937-711592019-09-02T06:50:26Z Medical cannabis: A needs analysis for people with epilepsy Kerai, A. Sim, T. Emmerton, Lynne Background and purpose: Medical cannabis may be effective treatment for refractory epilepsy. It is timely to seek users’ and potential users’ opinions in regard to its place in the management of epilepsy. Materials and methods: An online survey was administered to members of an epilepsy support organisation in Western Australia. Experience with cannabis for management of epilepsy was explored, along with desire to trial a particular pharmaceutical formulation(s). Results: People with epilepsy (33/71) and carers (38/71) participated. Fifty-four participants indicated no experience with medical cannabis, although 35, mainly with inadequate response to prescription medicines, were willing to ask for a prescription. Concerns included difficulty accessing cannabis and high cost of this treatment. Tablets/capsules was the most acceptable dosage form for development. Conclusion: These findings suggest wide interest in trialling medical cannabis in individual cases of refractory epilepsy, despite the developing body of literature and some concerns about cost and procurement. 2018 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/71159 10.1016/j.ctcp.2018.08.003 fulltext
spellingShingle Kerai, A.
Sim, T.
Emmerton, Lynne
Medical cannabis: A needs analysis for people with epilepsy
title Medical cannabis: A needs analysis for people with epilepsy
title_full Medical cannabis: A needs analysis for people with epilepsy
title_fullStr Medical cannabis: A needs analysis for people with epilepsy
title_full_unstemmed Medical cannabis: A needs analysis for people with epilepsy
title_short Medical cannabis: A needs analysis for people with epilepsy
title_sort medical cannabis: a needs analysis for people with epilepsy
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/71159