CBD has demonstrated significant promise for helping those struggling with addictions. According to one study, former heroin users taking CBD experienced a two to threefold reduction in drug cravings.
Research also indicates that CBD may help alleviate cancer symptoms and aid people in sleeping better; however, you should consult with your healthcare provider prior to trying any alternative therapies such as this one.
Seizures
A seizure is an unexpected and uncontrollable disruption of normal brain activity, characterized by uncontrollable movements, sensations, emotions and can result in passing out or loss of consciousness. Furthermore, seizures can change vision, hearing, smell, taste and touch sensation.
If someone experiences a seizure, take steps to help them stay safe and return back to normal as quickly as possible. Position them safely on the ground in a quiet environment without sharp objects or furniture that could harm them; turn them onto their side if appropriate and call 911 if it seems generalized seizure is occurring.
Clinical trials have demonstrated CBD’s effectiveness in treating seizures associated with specific medical conditions, such as Dravet syndrome, Lennox-Gastaut syndrome and tuberous sclerosis complex. Epidiolex, an FDA-approved product made of CBD extracts, can treat seizures caused by these health issues in some adults as well as treating refractory epilepsy recurrence; it may be used alone or as an add-on therapy alongside traditional antiseizure medications.
High Blood Pressure
CBD may help those with high blood pressure reduce their pressure, although its effect is typically modest and may take several weeks to fully take hold. Because CBD interferes with liver enzymes that break down prescription medicines such as anti-seizure and immunosuppressant drugs, anyone taking such treatments should notify their physician prior to beginning on any supplements that contain CBD.
There is moderate evidence that CBD can assist with anxiety, depression and sleep disorders; and small studies indicate its possible effectiveness for schizophrenia and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Furthermore, CBD could potentially offer relief for psychosis patients who have not responded well to other medications – however further clinical trials with pharmaceutical-grade CBD must take place to verify this evidence.
Anxiety
Preclinical evidence supports systemic CBD as an acute treatment for anxiety behaviors related to GAD, SAD, PD, OCD and PTSD. CBD’s anxiolytic properties appear to depend on CB1Rs and 5-HT1ARs across multiple brain regions for its anxiolytic actions; furthermore it appears to boost extinction while mitigating long-term adverse effects from stress by blocking reconsolidation of fear conditioned responses.
Research at CU Boulder has demonstrated that cannabis products high in nonintoxicating CBD effectively manage anxiety without the negative side effects associated with THC use, such as paranoia, impaired memory or depression. The CU Boulder study is the first of its kind to measure how medicinal cannabis affects anxiety and depression over time in people who consistently use medicinal marijuana – an essential step towards understanding therapeutic CBD as an anxiolytic.
Studies of systemic CBD’s antianxiety effects showed it can protect against chronic unpredictable stress-induced anxiety by activating 5-HT1ARs and stimulating neurogenesis in prelimbic cortex regions. CBD was shown to provide long-term relief.
PTSD
Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition brought on by experiencing something frightening or distressful, leading to an array of symptoms which may interfere with one’s daily life, including nightmares or flashbacks that relive the event; being unable to talk about it; feeling fear, shame, anger or guilt over it; feeling distanced from family and friends; losing interest in activities once enjoyed and difficulty sleeping or concentrating.
Evolutionary psychiatry theories interpret PTSD symptoms as extreme or dysregulated defensive responses that would have been useful in ancestral contexts, such as hypervigilance or exaggerated startle response. CBD has shown promise in treating mood disorders and studies have suggested it could reduce PTSD-related symptoms, including nightmares. A small open-label study concluded that CBD significantly reduced PTSD symptoms among a small sample of adults given oral CBD for eight weeks; furthermore, CBD decreased psychotic symptoms associated with schizophrenia as well.
