Skene Douglas A D, McGregor Iain S, Todd Lisa, Suraev Anastasia
The University of Sydney, Lambert Initiative for Cannabinoid Therapeutics, Sydney, Australia.
The University of Sydney, Brain and Mind Centre, Sydney, Australia.
J Epilepsy Res. 2025 Jun 10;15(1):56-69. doi: 10.14581/jer.25006. eCollection 2025 Jun.
Epilepsy is a common indication for medicinal cannabis (MC) prescription in Australia. Despite legal MC products being available for 8 years, some individuals continue to rely on illicit cannabis. Here, we conducted a survey of Australian persons/people with epilepsy (PWE) and caregivers of a PWE to assess whether the current legal framework supports PWE and/or their caregivers to access prescribed MC.
The cross-sectional survey consisted of five sections examining sociodemographics, medical history, history of MC use, attitudes towards MC, and barriers to accessing MC.
Of the 126 respondents included in these analyses, 102 were PWE (mean age, 40.9±12.3 years) and 24 were caregivers of a PWE (mean age of PWE, 14.1±8.9 years). Among PWE, 27.5% (28/102) had only used illicit MC products, 27.5% (28/102) had transitioned to prescribed MC products, and 16.7% (17/102) used both. Most caregivers 70.8% (17/24) had only accessed prescribed MC products. Most respondents 77.0% (97/126) reported using MC as an adjunct to conventional anti-seizure medications. Caregivers were more likely to administer prescribed high-cannabidiol products to children using oral routes of administration (<0.001). In contrast, PWE often used inhaled cannabis (<0.001). Overall, 67.0% (83/124) of respondents reported that MC "improved" or "greatly improved" their epilepsy, irrespective of MC type. The main barrier to accessing prescribed MC was "cost" (69.0%, 87/126), while tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)-related driving restrictions were also a significant concern for PWE.
The current regulatory framework in Australia supports MC access for PWE and their caregivers, primarily through cannabis clinics. However, cost remains a significant concern. The prevalent use of Δ9-THC-containing and inhaled MC products, either illicit or prescribed, highlights the urgent need to further investigate their safety and efficacy in epilepsy.
在澳大利亚，癫痫是药用大麻（MC）处方的常见适应症。尽管合法的MC产品已上市8年，但仍有一些人继续依赖非法大麻。在此，我们对澳大利亚癫痫患者（PWE）及其护理人员进行了一项调查，以评估当前的法律框架是否支持PWE及其护理人员获得处方MC。
横断面调查包括五个部分，分别考察社会人口统计学、病史、MC使用史、对MC的态度以及获得MC的障碍。
纳入这些分析的126名受访者中，102名是PWE（平均年龄40.9±12.3岁），24名是PWE的护理人员（PWE的平均年龄14.1±8.9岁）。在PWE中，27.5%（28/102）仅使用过非法MC产品，27.5%（28/102）已转而使用处方MC产品，16.7%（17/102）两者都使用。大多数护理人员70.8%（17/24）仅获得过处方MC产品。大多数受访者77.0%（97/126）报告使用MC作为传统抗癫痫药物的辅助手段。护理人员更有可能通过口服途径给儿童使用处方的高大麻二酚产品（<0.001）。相比之下，PWE通常使用吸入式大麻（<0.001）。总体而言，67.0%（83/124）的受访者报告MC“改善”或“极大改善”了他们的癫痫症状，无论MC类型如何。获得处方MC的主要障碍是“成本”（69.0%，87/126），而与四氢大麻酚（THC）相关的驾驶限制也是PWE的一个重大担忧。
澳大利亚目前的监管框架主要通过大麻诊所支持PWE及其护理人员获得MC。然而，成本仍然是一个重大担忧。非法或处方的含Δ9-THC和吸入式MC产品的普遍使用凸显了迫切需要进一步研究它们在癫痫中的安全性和有效性。
