The Use of Medicinal Cannabinoids as Adjunctive Treatment for Medically Refractory Epilepsy
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ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02523183 |
Recruitment Status : Unknown
Verified January 2020 by University of Colorado, Denver.
Recruitment status was: Active, not recruiting
First Posted : August 14, 2015
Last Update Posted : January 18, 2020
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Condition or disease | Intervention/treatment |
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Epilepsy, Unspecified, Refractory (Medically) | Drug: Medical Cannabis |
Study Type : | Observational |
Estimated Enrollment : | 150 participants |
Observational Model: | Cohort |
Time Perspective: | Prospective |
Official Title: | The Use of Medicinal Cannabinoids as Adjunctive Treatment for Medically Refractory Epilepsy |
Study Start Date : | July 2015 |
Estimated Primary Completion Date : | October 2020 |
Estimated Study Completion Date : | November 2020 |

Group/Cohort | Intervention/treatment |
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Subjects with medically refractory epilepsy
Pediatric epilepsy patients who are followed at Children's Hospital Colorado with medically refractory epilepsy, and whom the family has decided to treat with medical cannabis.
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Drug: Medical Cannabis
Pediatric patients with medically refractory epilepsy and treated with medicinal cannabis.
Other Name: medicinal cannabinoids (MCBD) |
- Changes from baseline in background and architecture of seizures confirmed by non-investigational EEG [ Time Frame: Baseline, 4 weeks, 8 weeks, and 12 weeks ]Prolonged EEG recordings lasting 24-48 hours (whichever is clinically indicated) will be performed in either the home setting as an ambulatory EEG or in the hospital in the Epilepsy Monitoring Unit. This decision will be made on a clinical basis. This will allow for objective quantification of seizures in children with frequent seizures that occur on a daily basis and background EEG changes for other children. Two EEGs will be done: one at baseline, and one at the end of the study.
- Seizure Frequency [ Time Frame: Baseline, 4 weeks, 8 weeks, and 12 weeks ]Each subject will maintain a seizure diary. Rescue drug use and VNS (Vagus Nerve Stimulation) activations will be tracked as an adjunct to all current anti-seizure medications. Frequency of status epilepticus will be tracked as well as hospital visits for seizures or adverse events from MCBD. Clinical evaluations will be taken every 2 months throughout the duration of the study. Subjects will be monitored every 2 weeks by telephone and/or email.
- Pediatric Epilepsy Side Effects Questionnaire [ Time Frame: Baseline, 4 weeks, 8 weeks, and 12 weeks ]Side effects will be evaluated using PESQ (Pediatric epilepsy Side Effects Questionnaire). This questionnaire will be administered 4 weeks, 8 weeks, and 12 weeks after baseline.
Biospecimen Retention: Samples With DNA

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Ages Eligible for Study: | 1 Month to 20 Years (Child, Adult) |
Sexes Eligible for Study: | All |
Accepts Healthy Volunteers: | No |
Sampling Method: | Non-Probability Sample |
Inclusion Criteria:
- Male or Female >1 month of age
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Documentation of a diagnosis of medically refractory epilepsy as evidenced by medical records, genetic testing and/or the following clinical features:
- Failure to control seizures despite an appropriate trial of two anticonvulsant medications at therapeutic doses
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Baseline seizure frequency of at least 2 per week of the any of the following types:
- Generalized tonic-clonic
- Clonic
- Tonic
- Hemiconvulsive
- Drop attacks
- Focal motor
- Epileptic spasms
- 1-3 baseline anti-seizure medications at stable doses for a minimum of 4 weeks prior to enrollment.
- Written informed consent obtained from the patient or the patient's legal representative.
Exclusion Criteria:
- Epilepsies associated with rapidly progressing neurodegenerative diseases ex: Rasmussen encephalitis, and tumors.
- Epilepsies associated with treatable inborn errors of metabolism
- Presence of a condition or abnormality that in the opinion of the Investigator would compromise the safety of the patient or the quality of the data.
- Non-epileptic events.
- Current use of MCBD products (Note: Patient is eligible if currently using MCBD but will be switching to a different product).

To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contact information provided by the sponsor.
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier (NCT number): NCT02523183
United States, Colorado | |
Children's Hospital Colorado | |
Aurora, Colorado, United States, 80045 |
Principal Investigator: | Kelly Knupp, MD | Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and Neurology |
Responsible Party: | University of Colorado, Denver |
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: | NCT02523183 |
Other Study ID Numbers: |
14-1606 |
First Posted: | August 14, 2015 Key Record Dates |
Last Update Posted: | January 18, 2020 |
Last Verified: | January 2020 |
Epilepsy Marijuana |
Epilepsy Drug Resistant Epilepsy Brain Diseases Central Nervous System Diseases Nervous System Diseases |