Anxiety, Depression & PTSD

  • THE ADVICE

    Though these three conditions present in a variety of ways, the advice for them is simple: lots of CBD, experiment with small amounts of THC.

  • CBD

    As always, start with just 5 or 10 mg of CBD in a hemp rich extract each morning. Stick with this for a few days to allow the CBD to start balancing out your endocannabinoid system and to make sure that it agrees with you.

    For the type of CBD to take: oils, gummies & capsules are all going to work about the same. Just make sure to get it from a company who does third party testing. I recommend PlusCBD because I worked for them for years & know they make a quality product.

    After a few days with the minimum amount of CBD, if you’re not getting the relief you need, you can start increasing the dose by 10 or 20 mg every few days. Feel free to go higher with CBD to find your sweet spot. For some people, it’s 50 mg a day – but for others it might be 200 mg. The main barriers are price (I’m sorry. I wish it was cheaper) and the potential of that modest amount of THC in hemp to cause psychoactive effects. Luckily, CBD helps to protect from THC causing unpleasant psychoactivity – but if you’re someone who doesn’t like the feeling of THC, dial back the amounts of hemp extracts until you feel no psychoactive effect. Then you can keep increasing your CBD levels by taking isolated CBD (THC free) instead.

  • THC

    If large amounts of CBD aren’t giving you the relief you’re looking for, it’s time to experiment with low levels of THC. You could think of it as microdosing THC. Not only does low amounts of THC help to activate the CBD, it also can be quite beneficial on its own. However, THC in certain people can exacerbate the symptoms. It’s up to you to start slow and find out if its working for you. I recommend the Reserve Gummies from Plus CBD because 2.5 mg of THC is a perfect amount for testing to see what helps you.

  • Other treatments

    As you can see in the research below, the ability of transcranial magnetic stimulation to lower depression may be mediated by the endocannabinoid system – and presumably, combines well with CBD. Also, the popular treatment of using ketamine for depression combines well with CBD. And of course, the microdosing of psychedelics for mental health these days is all the rage – and that’s because it so often works.

  • Book a session!

    If you’d like to learn more about using CBD & cannabis for your health, book a session with me today…

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The Science 

Popular articles

 Depression & the Cannabinoids by the Prof Of Pot
http://profofpot.com/depression-cannabinoids/

Reviews

 2021: This meta-review of 11 studies finds support for using CBD for anxiety
Anxiolytic and antidepressant effects of cannabidiol: a systematic review
https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/e601/695e15ca2d6a523a183f9918cbc74ab4b298.pdf


2021: A review finds that in all the studies looked at, CBD exhibited anxiolytic & antidepressant activities
Anxiolytic and antidepressant effects of cannabidiol: a systematic review
https://periodicos.unichristus.edu.br/jhbs/article/view/3366


2021: Another review finds that cannabis is helpful for PTSD & that the area needs more large clinical studies
Cannabis in the management of PTSD: a systematic review
http://www.aimspress.com/article/doi/10.3934/Neuroscience.2021022


2021: This review looks at ten studies using the cannabinoids (including CBD) for PTSD
Use of cannabinoids for the treatment of patients with post-traumatic stress disorder
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33662194/


2021: A positive meta-review looking at targeting the endocannabinoid system with CBD or THC for treating PTSD
Endocannabinoid System as Therapeutic Target of PTSD: A Systematic Review
https://www.mdpi.com/2075-1729/11/3/214


2021: This review looks at how the endocannabinoid may help with depression via the regulation of dopamine
Discovering the Lost Reward: Critical Locations for Endocannabinoid Modulation of the Cortico–Striatal Loop That Are Implicated in Major Depression
https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/22/4/1867


2021: This meta-review looks at how the endocannabinoid system positively affects neurogenesis & immune function in animal models of affective disorders (aka mood disorders such as anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, etc)
A systematic, integrative review of the effects of the endocannabinoid system on inflammation and neurogenesis in animal models of affective disorders
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33383145/

 

2021: A review of targeting the endocannabinoid system for depression
Role and Function of Endocannabinoid System in Major Depressive Disease
https://www.karger.com/Article/PDF/511979
It may be CBD's interactions with BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor) that powers many of its positive mental & neurological effects.

 

Timeline of research

 2021: In frontline healthcare professionals working with COVID-19 patients, 1 month of CBD reduced symptoms of burnout & emotional exhaustion
Efficacy and Safety of Cannabidiol Plus Standard Care vs Standard Care Alone for the Treatment of Emotional Exhaustion and Burnout Among Frontline Health Care Workers During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Randomized Clinical Trial
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34387679/


2021: In female mice, CBD was superior to the SSRI citalopram for extinguishing fearful memories (ie: PTSD treatment)
Comparison of cannabidiol to citalopram in targeting fear memory in female mice
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s42238-020-00055-9


2021: In rats exposed to THC, CBD blocked the anxiety-producing effects & enhanced the anxiety-reliving effects
Female but not male rats show biphasic effects of low doses of Δ 9-tetrahydrocannabinol on anxiety: can cannabidiol interfere with these effects?
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34181978/


2021: In a rodent model of depression, CBD prevented “both behavioral & neuro-immunological changes associated” with depression as well as modulating neuroinflammation
Cannabidiol prevents lipopolysaccharide-induced sickness behavior and alters cytokine and neurotrophic factor levels in the brain
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34218397/


2021: In a rat model of depression, CBD modulated neuroinflammation & produced antidepressant-like effects
Cannabidiol antidepressant-like effect in the lipopolysaccharide model in mice: modulation of inflammatory pathways
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0006295221000290


2021: In mice, ketamine & CBD combined to increase their antidepressant effects
Co-administration of cannabidiol and ketamine induces antidepressant-like effects devoid of hyperlocomotor side-effects
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34157363/
popular article: Project CBD on the antidepressant effects of CBD & ketamine
https://www.projectcbd.org/science/real-world-cbd-evidence-cbd-and-ketamine-and-more


2020: In Canadian soldiers with PTSD, nabilone (synthetic THC) found to be helpful for their nightmares
Use of a synthetic cannabinoid (nabilone) in the ongoing management of posttraumatic stress disorder nightmares in the Canadian Armed Forces: Results of an anonymous online survey
https://jmvfh.utpjournals.press/doi/full/10.3138/jmvfh-2019-0028


2020: In mice, both CBD & CBDA helped with PTSD-type symptoms around fear & trauma
Cannabidiol disrupts conditioned fear expression and cannabidiolic acid reduces trauma-induced anxiety-related behaviour in mice
https://journals.lww.com/behaviouralpharm/Abstract/9000/Cannabidiol_disrupts_conditioned_fear_expression.99176.aspx


2020: In adults with PTSD, low amounts of THC "lowered threat-related amygdala reactivity, increased mPFC activation during threat, and increased mPFC-amygdala functional coupling" - in terms of trauma, these are all good things to have happen
Cannabinoid modulation of corticolimbic activation to threat in trauma-exposed adults: a preliminary study
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/32162103


2020: in mice, both CBD & CBDA helped with PTSD-type symptoms around fear & trauma
Cannabidiol disrupts conditioned fear expression and cannabidiolic acid reduces trauma-induced anxiety-related behaviour in mice
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32483052/
“We found that CBD and CBDA had dissociable effects; while CBD but not CBDA disrupted cued fear memory expression, CBDA but not CBD normalized trauma-induced generalized anxiety-related behaviour. Neither phytocannabinoid affected contextual fear expression.”