Dravet Syndrome

Dravet syndrome, also known as severe myoclonic epilepsy of infancy (SMEI), is a rare, genetic epileptic encephalopathy that begins in the first year of life and is lifelong. It is characterized by multiple types of seizures, including myoclonic seizures (brief muscle jerks), tonic-clonic seizures (formerly known as grand mal seizures), and atypical absence seizures. Seizures are often triggered by fever, illness, or heat. Epidiolex is a prescription medication that is used to treat seizures associated with two rare forms of epilepsy: Lennox-Gastaut syndrome and Dravet syndrome. It is the first FDA-approved medication that contains cannabidiol (CBD), a compound derived from the cannabis plant.