“Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of low dose cannabidiol (CBD; Epidiolex) as adjunctive therapy for idiopathic adult-onset blepharospasm (BPS), as well as develop a novel objective assessment methodology to gauge response.
Methods: Prospective, randomized, double-masked, placebo-controlled crossover design of 6 months duration of 12 patients with BPS undergoing routine maximal botulinum toxin (BTX) therapy and experiencing breakthrough symptoms. Participants received their standard BTX every 3 months and were randomized to group A = CBD daily in cycle 1, followed by placebo in cycle 2 or group B = placebo followed by CBD. Videos recorded at days 0, 45, and 90 of each cycle were analyzed to quantify eyelid kinematics. The Jankovic Rating Scale (JRS) was used to provide a clinical rating.
Results: All 12 patients completed the study without adverse events. CBD decreased median eyelid closure amplitude by 19.1% (-1.66 mm, confidence interval [CI] = -3.19 to -0.14 mm, P = 0.03), decreased median eyelid closure duration by 15.8% (-18.35 ms, CI = -29.37 to -7.32 ms, P = 0.001), and increased the maximum eyelid closure velocity by 34.8% (-13.26 mm/ms, CI = -20.93 to -5.58 mm/ms, P = 0.001). The JRS showed a 0.5 reduction in severity and frequency, which was not statistically significant.
Conclusions: Low dose CBD was safely tolerated and improved several BPS kinematic parameters. The clinical scale suggested a direction of effect but may have been underpowered. Further studies are needed to better quantify the clinical relevance.”
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37606606/
https://tvst.arvojournals.org/article.aspx?articleid=2791424
“The objective of this study was to observe the effect of medical cannabis in benign essential blepharospasm (BEB) as an adjunct to botulinum toxin.
Three out of four patients (75%) reported symptomatic improvement.
Medical cannabis has made great strides as a treatment modality for symptom relief for many disease processes, including muscle spasms related to multiple sclerosis. Medical cannabis is an accepted therapy for muscle spastic disorders.
We believe that this observational case series provides a backdrop to exploring prospective, double-masked studies to determine the therapeutic effect of cannabis for patients suffering from BEB”