Studies on therapeutic CBD are being done for anxiety disorders, depression and pain/inflammation relief. Furthermore, clinical trials evaluating CBD are underway for epilepsy and other diseases.
Preclinical and human experimental results demonstrate the anxiolytic role of CBD; however, most human laboratory studies involve acute dosing; few have examined chronic dosing among relevant clinical populations.
Anxiety Disorders
People suffering from anxiety disorders experience persistent feelings of extreme, irrational fear or worry that interfere with daily life and can be debilitating; symptoms may force individuals to avoid people, places and situations which trigger such emotions.
Individuals diagnosed with anxiety disorders may find it hard to focus and experience an overall sense of unease and tension, often manifesting itself through physical symptoms like palpitations and sweating as well as emotional ones such as feeling overwhelmed or depressed.
Preclinical CBD studies reveal anxiolytic and antistress actions relevant to anxiety disorder symptoms. Animal models show CBD can reduce anticipatory anxiety by blocking A2A receptors in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis and decreasing skin conductance responses during behavioral fear conditioning procedures. CBD also enhances extinction, blocks reconsolidation of memory consolidation, prevents long-term negative impacts of stress as well as enhance extinction and blocks reconsolidation memory consolidation; its anxiolytic effects may be partially mediated through CB1Rs or 5-HT1ARs but other mechanisms may play a part. Anxiety disorders are one of the most widespread mental illnesses worldwide with enormous costs imposed both individually as well as society at large; their prevalence contributes significantly towards society overall and society as a whole.
Depression
Depression is an illness in which someone experiences feelings of long-term sadness that are different from normal mood changes, making it hard to enjoy things that normally bring pleasure or lead to satisfaction. Depression may even lead to feelings of hopelessness and suicide thoughts; therefore NIMH researchers are striving to gain a better understanding of its cause so we can find more effective treatments.
Psychotherapy (talk therapy) helps those experiencing depression by helping them identify and modify negative emotions, thoughts and behaviors. The National Institute of Mental Health supports research aimed at optimizing talk therapy services – as well as online and telehealth services available – including those available via remote access.
CBD has been shown to significantly decrease seizure frequency for those suffering from epilepsy, particularly those living with Dravet syndrome and Lennox-Gastaut syndrome whose treatments have proven ineffective. A clinical trial demonstrated this result – CBD significantly reducing seizures when compared with placebo in those diagnosed with these conditions.
Pain
CBD acts directly on the serotoninergic 5HT1a receptor to reduce pain by inhibiting its activation. CBD has also been proven to prevent peripheral neuropathy triggered by chemotherapy treatments such as paclitaxel; additionally it may prevent its-induced neuropathy in mice as well as sciatic nerve injuries where its analgesic effect was enhanced with low doses of 5-HT1a antagonist WAY100635.
Studies on CBD as an analgesic are limited, yet have demonstrated its efficacy at alleviating symptoms associated with neuropathic pain, while being well tolerated by patients in multiple studies. CBD can be combined with other medications for more comprehensive relief from chronic neuropathic pain; additionally it has also been proven effective against seizures associated with Lennox-Gastaut and Dravet syndromes; Epidiolex is now available commercially as a pharmaceutical drug to address these syndromes; although more controlled clinical trials need to take place before widespread medical acceptance of cannabis use is widespread.
Epilepsy
Worldwide, millions of people live with epilepsy and other seizure disorders that disrupt brain electrical activity. Epileptic seizures may be triggered by foods, medications, flashing lights or stress and may lead to loss of consciousness; other symptoms could include arm/leg jerking movements, vision changes or feelings of being off balance.
CBD may help to decrease seizures and enhance quality of life for those diagnosed with refractory conditions in low- and middle-income countries, especially when taken alongside anti-seizure medication such as Clobazam [25]. A study investigating CBD supplementation revealed significant reductions in seizures while simultaneously decreasing rates of side effects like changes in appetite, diarrhea, drowsiness, sedation and abnormal liver function test results when compared to placebo [26].
Artisanal products containing high levels of CBD have become increasingly popular in naturopathic circles due to their therapeutic effects. Unfortunately, however, they are unregulated by the FDA, making it hard to know exactly how much CBD is present or its method of administration.
