Evaluating the Credibility and Reliability of Online Information on Cannabidiol (CBD) for Epilepsy Treatment in Poland
Open accessAbstract
The interest in the potential therapeutic use of cannabis, especially cannabidiol (CBD), has increased significantly in recent years. On the Internet, users can find lots of articles devoted to its medical features such as reducing seizure activity in epilepsy. The aim of our work was to evaluate the information contained on the websites, including social media, in terms of the credibility and the reliability of current knowledge about the usage of products containing cannabidiol in epilepsy treatment. We used online available links found using the Newspointtool. The initial database included 38,367 texts, but after applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 314 texts were taken into consideration. Analysis was performed using the DISCERN scale and the set of questions created by the authors. In the final assessment, we observed that most of the texts (58.9%) were characterized by a very poor level of reliability and the average DISCERN score was 26.97 points. Additionally, considering the form of the text, the highest average score (35.73) came from entries on blog portals, whereas the lowest average score (18.33) came from comments and online discussion forums. Moreover, most of the texts do not contain key information regarding the indications, safety, desired effects, and side effects of CBD therapy. The study highlights the need for healthcare professionals to guide patients towards reliable sources of information and cautions against the use of unverified online materials, especially as the only FDA-approved CBD medication, Epidiolex, differs significantly from over-the-counter CBD products.
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Evaluations of online CBD-related epilepsy information demonstrated that such material disproportionately promoted CBD as a standalone cure while omitting critical information about its regulatory status, drug interactions, and the limited range of epilepsy syndromes for which it has demonstrated efficacy, findings that parallel the promotion of unproven therapies identified in the TMRS analysis.
“With respect to cannabidiol (CBD), evaluations of online CBD-related epilepsy information36 demonstrated that such material disproportionately promoted CBD as a standalone cure while omitting critical information about its regulatory status, drug interactions, and the limited range of epilepsy syndromes for which it has demonstrated efficacy (e.g., Dravet syndrome, Lennox-Gastaut syndrome), find”
From Quality, reliability, and treatment misinformation risk of epilepsy content on Chinese short-video platforms TikTok (Douyin) and Bilibili: a cross-sectional analysis (2026) · cites this paper as [36]
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References 31 · Cited by 3
- Authors
- Zakrzewski, D. M., Podlejska, P., Kubziakowska, W., Dzwilewski, K., Waszak, P. M., Zawadzka, M., & Mazurkiewicz-Bełdzińska, M.
- Affiliations
- Gdańsk Medical University (PL)
- Department of Hygiene and Epidemiology, Medical University of Gdansk, 80-210 Gdansk, Poland
- Department of Developmental Neurology, Medical University of Gdansk, 80-210 Gdansk, Poland
- Corresponding author
- Podlejska, Patrycja
- ORCID
- Venue
- Healthcare
- Publisher
- MDPI AG
- Published
- 2024-04-14
- Volume
- 12
- Issue
- 8
- Pages
- 830
- ISSN
- 2227-9032 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC11050258
- OpenAlex
- W4394845548
- Cited by
- 3
- References
- 31
- Citations by year
- 2025: 3
- FWCI
- 1.76
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Healthcare (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Medical University of Gdańsk—Young Researcher (01-0500/08/643)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Health Literacy and Information Accessibility
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Pharmacology › Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Misinformation and Its Impacts
- Keywords
- cannabidiol, epilepsy, online health information, information credibility, DISCERN scale, social media, blogs, online forums, Epidiolex, patient guidance, Poland
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