CBD is well tolerated and does not cause users to become sedated or high, though it may interact with certain medications like blood thinners and antiepileptics by competing for liver enzymes responsible for breaking them down.
A small 2018 study reported that people taking CBD with their regular psychiatric care experienced reduced symptoms. More research needs to be conducted.
Anxiety
CBD works to soothe anxiety and can be found in many products including oil, capsules, gummies and drinks. Unlike THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), which causes psychoactive effects from cannabis use, CBD does not cause highs; rather it interacts with receptors within your endocannabinoid system to produce therapeutic results.
CBD may help relieve anxiety by increasing serotonin levels – a hormone associated with mood and emotion – thus making it an effective treatment option for depression as well.
CBD has been shown to be safe and well-tolerated when administered orally to adults. A placebo-controlled study demonstrated this when oral CBD administration (400 and 800 mg) reduced anxiety, cue-induced heroin craving, heart rate variability, salivary cortisol response to drug cues and physiological responses such as salivary cortisol. Some participants experienced elevated liver enzymes – one severe, while two experienced mild pharmacodermia. All side effects reported resolved upon discontinuing CBD therapy.
Pain
CBD has proven itself as an effective solution for some forms of pain. A 2019 study concluded that Sativex effectively treated three distinct kinds of pain–nociceptive (affecting body tissue), neuropathic (affecting nerves) and visceral.
A 2018 survey conducted with patients suffering from arthritis who used products containing CBD or CBD/THC showed that many respondents were able to significantly decrease their prescription medication for pain management (Table 1).
One small study demonstrated the efficacy of CBD to alleviate spasticity in an experimental model of Paclitaxel-induced chemotherapy-related peripheral neuropathy in humans (Jesus et al, 2018). Furthermore, CBD interacts with A1 and A3 Glycine Receptors via Descending Pathways for Analgesia via Cisplatin Induced Diabetic Neuropathy Mouse Model (Toth et al 2009).
Depression
Although a survey of people using CBD to treat depression found it effective for many users, large-scale clinical studies are necessary to truly ascertain its efficacy. Studies on animals have demonstrated its anxiolytic and antidepressant effects; possibly through serotonin receptor interactions that enhance mood enhancement.
CBD has been found to significantly decrease contextual fear- and anxiety-related behaviors in the conditioned fear response model, while acute administration reduced restraint stress-induced anxiogenic behavior [108-109]. Microinjection or infusion of CBD into specific brain regions such as the bed nucleus of stria terminalis or the periaqueductal gray results in anxiolytic or panicolytic-like responses from these areas during restraint stress [111,114], while blocking autonomic activation as well as autonomic activation via direct activation of 5-HT1A receptors [111-114].
One open-label trial showed that individuals suffering from PTSD who received CBD capsules or spray for eight weeks experienced reduced PTSD symptoms on the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5). Unfortunately, however, the study was limited by its small sample size, short follow up period, single intervention dose administered and lack of a placebo control group.
Sleep
Although CBD shows promising preclinical and clinical data, few formal sleep studies have been conducted with it. Patients suffering from poor sleep or anxiety often find relief with CBD treatments.
Retrospective chart review was used to monitor sleep and anxiety scores of 103 adult psychiatric patients receiving CBD for anxiety and sleep complaints. Anxiety scores decreased significantly within one month and continued their reduction throughout the study; sleep scores showed more moderate improvement that fluctuated across time.
The LSEQ, a clinically validated measure of sleep quality, revealed significant improvements in both total score and subscales following CBD use compared to placebo treatment, with a mean difference of 27.8% post-CB treatment versus placebo. This indicates that CBD could increase perceived sleep quality by inhibiting cortisol release while simultaneously providing a sedative effect. Furthermore, CBD was shown to reduce activity of hepatic enzymes which break down other medications, potentially helping them stay in your system longer for improved insomnia treatment for many individuals suffering with insomnia.
