Since CBD oil exploded onto the natural health and wellbeing scene it has been praised for its powers as a food supplement.
Related: The Top 5 Most Powerful Food Supplements in the World.
At the same time, the medical community have undergone painstaking research into the potential of CBD as a medicine.
So, can you get CBD oil on prescription? The answer is yes, you can.
In 2018, the world’s first CBD epilepsy drug became available on prescription in the UK, the US and Canada.
In this article we’ll give you the lowdown on prescription CBD, arming you with everything you need to know about new CBD pharmaceuticals.
Can you get CBD oil on prescription?
As of last year, you can now get CBD medication on prescription in the UK, the US and Canada. The drug may now also be available in Europe and the rest of the world, so if you are unsure check with your doctor.
However, right now CBD is only available on prescription for two health conditions. They are two rare forms of epilepsy that mostly affect children and adolescents. The conditions are called Dravet Syndrome and Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome.
Right now only these two health conditions qualify for CBD medication. Research is underway to find out if CBD drugs can treat other conditions.
Related: The Anti-Ageing Benefits of CBD Oil.
What is prescription CBD oil?
The CBD drug available on prescription is called Epidiolex.
Epidiolex comes in the form of an oil and is taken orally.
The active ingredient of Epidiolex is CBD (cannabidiol).
Epidiolex also contains some other ingredients. The base oil is sesame seed oil, and the formula includes dehydrated alcohol, (most likely a preservative or solvent), strawberry flavouring and sucralose as a sweetener.
Related: What is Synthetic CBD?
How does Epidiolex work?
During human clinical trials, Epidiolex reduced seizure frequency, duration and severity by an average of 20%.
20% might not seem like a lot but Epidiolex has proven to be the most effective epilepsy treatment for these conditions so far. Because the types of epilepsy that Epidiolex treats are treatment resistant, 20% improvement is promising.
According to the creators of Epidiolex, GW Pharma, the exact mechanism by which Epidiolex reduces seizures is unknown.
Side effects of Epidiolex
Epidiolex does have quite a hefty list of side effects. These include digestive issues and drowsiness.
Here is a link to the prescription information of Epidiolex that describes the side effects in detail:
https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/drugsatfda_docs/label/2018/210365lbl.pdf
How is it different to the CBD oil you can buy?
Epidiolex and natural CBD oil you can buy here are very different.
Epidiolex is a medicine designed to treat epilepsy, while natural CBD oil is a food supplement designed to support and maintain your physical and mental wellbeing.
The public information on Epidiolex is quite limited, so we do not know exactly how Epidiolex is made. Therefore we cannot for sure say if Epidiolex is made from full spectrum CBD, CBD distillate or CBD isolate.
However, we are able to make an educated guess. Since Epidiolex is a transparent yellowish liquid, we can assume that it is made from either CBD isolate or CBD distillate.
CBD isolate is a 99% pure CBD extract with no other organic material. It comes in the form of a white powder or crystal. it is very easy to measure accurately and is the logical option for a pharmaceutical preparation. Therefore we believe that Epidiolex is made from CBD isolate.
Our organic, full spectrum CBD oils are made from a whole-plant extract and come in the form of a rich dark green paste, with a strong smell of hemp.
Related: The Difference Between Full Spectrum CBD Oil and CBD Isolate.
Another key difference between Epidiolex and natural CBD oil is that it contains additives, most likely to make the drug have a very long shelf life, be homogenous and taste sweet.
Our CBD oil on the other hand has only two ingredients: organic CBD extract and organic cold-pressed hempseed oil.
Related: Top 5 Ways to Use CBD Oil.
Where to buy organic CBD oil in the UK
At Aura CBD Oil UK we have helped thousands of people across the globe create their own wellbeing, naturally. We do so by providing them with the highest-grade organic CBD oil that nature has to offer.
Our organic, full spectrum CBD oils, pastes, balms and edibles are made with 100% natural ingredients and organic CBD extracted from European hemp.
If you’d like to know more about what we do at Aura, you can email us at info@auracbdoil.com or send us a message on Facebook.
If you enjoyed this article be sure to check out our blog where we upload new content every week to keep you informed about the world of CBD.
