The Effect of Cannabis on Anxiety

The Effect of Cannabis on Anxiety

cannabis anxiety effect

In a healthy person, anxiety is a quite normal emotion. Sometimes it is as simple as a test coming up, or a quarrel with a friend, or a visit to the dentist. This could lead to a brief state of anxiety, but normally gets resolved the moment the stressful situation is over. But when the anxiety leads to long-lasting emotional disturbances, it becomes a medical problem. This type of anxiety focusses a lot on the future and vaguely defined negative events. How could cannabis CBD relieve anxiety? Can it be used together with conventional meds?

First, we need to understand anxiety. Currently, anxiety disorders are classified as:

Panic disorder – brief periods of tremendous fear and anxiety (2 – 10 minutes) This goes together with mind related behavior, like over-thinking.
Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) – a vast array of anxiety attacks, irritability, chronic anxious expectations, and avoidance of secondary phobias
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) – recurring and disruptive anxiogenic thoughts that become obsessive and compulsions aimed to reduce the distress caused by the obsessions
Social Anxiety Disorder- severe agitations in social contexts and focusing on avoiding social events
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) - previous intense situations projecting a long-lasting anxious response. Constant recurring flashbacks that lead to avoidance and emotional numbing.

Clinical doctors turn to pharmacological treatment to address the symptoms of anxiety to help the person to live a normal life. Most of the conventional medication include Benzodiazepines. Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors are also included. Searching for ways to treat anxiety in a more natural way, people turn to Cannabis. Cannabis has a great number of pharmacological benefits, but there is also a paradox present here. Anxiety and Paranoia are also reported after high doses of THC intake. There are more than just molecular interactions to be taken into consideration. The mindset and physical and social environment of the user also has an effect on the response to psychoactive components.

Does THC Relieve Anxiety?

THC (delta-9-Tetrahydrocannabinol) is one of the most studied phytocannabinoids. THC is responsible for the psychoactive effect on people. Both THC and CBD respond to the Endocannabinoid system. In recent molecular research, it was found that the endocannabinoid system is very present in the pathophysiology of anxiety disorders. They discovered that modulation might be an effective treatment. In patients suffering from PTSD, it was found that there is a higher expression of CB1 receptors. Lower peripheral concentrations of Anandamide are inversely related to PTSD and the severity of the symptoms. Baseline anxiety also inversely relates to peripheral anandamide concentrations in healthy persons.

In the studies, it was clear that THC had a double effect or biphasic response curve. It displays anxiolytic effects with low doses and anxiogenic effects with high doses. That is why when higher doses of THC are used for anxiety, it could also lead to being the cause of the anxiety.

CBD for Treating Anxiety

CBD (Cannabidiol) is the other phytocannabinoid widely studied. Other than THC, CBD does not have a psychoactive effect. CBD interacts with the CB1 and CB2 receptors in the endocannabinoid system mostly located in the central nervous system and peripheral nervous system. When people suffer from Anxiety, their serotonin levels are low. CBD could be used to manage the low levels of serotonin in some people.

In a study done in 2011, people suffering from Social Anxiety Disorder were given 400 milligrams in an oral dose or a placebo. Those who took the CBD dose expressed reduced anxiety levels.

Recent studies, focusing on PTSD patients, showed that CBD helped reduce nightmares and reoccurring negative thoughts. These studies analyzed CBD as both a solo PTSD treatment and as a supplement to conventional meds.

In 2015, an analysis for several studies on CBD indicated that it proves to be a promising treatment for various forms of anxiety. No significant side effects were found, but effect over long periods of time cannot be verified yet. This is good news as CBD could be used instead of conventional medication especially for those intolerant to the side effects of traditional pharmaceuticals. This could particularly be helpful for people struggling with addiction patterns.

What to take in consideration?

Anxiety per se is already a complex mental issue. As with so many mental disorders, there is not a clear-cut resolution to the problem. If you want to explore marijuana for treating anxiety, experts suggest the following:

Use high-CBD products – If you want to use a combination of THC and CBD, the CBD content should be higher or at least equal parts. Otherwise, use pure CBD products.
Speak with your doctor - It is not advisable to drop your prescription meds and replace it 100 percent with cannabis. It is best to find the best correlation with your doctor on your side.
Include mindful meditation – mindful meditation pulls the thoughts away from worries and a fearful future.