The CBD industry is growing rapidly and is expected to reach $16 billion in the United States by 2020. The plant extract is already being added to cheeseburgers and toothpicks. According to a Brightfield Group survey, over 60% of CBD users have used it for anxiety. Following are depression, chronic pain, insomnia, as well as depression. Kim Kardashian West turned to the product after “freaking it” about her fourth baby. Bubba Watson, a professional golfer drifts to sleep with the CBD. The French bulldog Martha Stewart also takes part in CBD.
Cannabidiol, or CBD, is the lesser-known child of the cannabis sativa plant; its more famous sibling, tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, is the active ingredient in pot that catapults users’ “high.” With roots in Central Asia, the plant is believed to have been first used medicinally — or for rituals — around 750 B.C., though there are other estimates too.
THC and Cannabidiol, are just two examples of the more than 100 cannabinoids found in cannabis. THC can be psychoactive. CBD may not, but that is up for debate. THC can increase anxiety. It isn’t clear if CBD has any effect on reducing anxiety. CBD is being investigated to assist those suffering from THC addiction and cravings.
Hemp contains 0.3 percent or less THC than cannabis. Although the Farm Bill of last year legalized hemp under federal law but it preserved the Food and Drug Administration’s supervision of products derived cannabis.
What are the claims?
CBD is claimed to provide relief from anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder. It’s also promoted as a sleep aid. CBD has been a popular ingredient in CBD’s success. It claims that it is “nonpsychoactive” and that people can reap the health benefits of the plant without experiencing the high or the midnight pizza cravings.
The marketing is as important as the hemp seedlings. CBD can be found in everything from oils and nasal sprays to suppositories and lollipops. “It is the monster that has overtaken the room,” Dr. Brad Ingram (associate professor of pediatrics, University of Mississippi Medical Center) said about all the potential uses of CBD. He is currently leading a clinical trial to test CBD’s effectiveness in treating drug-resistant epilepsy in children and teens.
Does CBD work?
James MacKillop co-director of McMaster University’s Michael G. DeGroote Institute for Medicinal Cannabis Research in Hamilton (Ontario), said, “It’s very promising in a lot different therapeutic avenues since it’s relatively safer.”
Last year, the F.D.A. After three randomized, double blinded, placebo-controlled clinical studies with 516 patients who showed Epidiolex helped reduce seizures, the F.D.A. approved Epidiolex. These kinds of studies are the most important in medicine. The subjects are not given a chance to choose which medication or placebo they are taking.
Epidiolex, the only CBD-derived medication approved by F.D.A., is still available for treatment of other conditions. The majority of research on cannabidiol was done in animals. However, Epidiolex is the only CBD-derived drug approved by the F.D.A. Ryan Vandrey is an associate professor of psychology and behavioral sciences at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He said that the 101 course in CBD has not been fully figured out.
Is CBD good for anxiety and PTSD?
Students with social anxiety can find a four minute talk difficult, especially if they have not prepared well. Yet a small experiment in the journal Neuropsychopharmacology found that CBD seemed to reduce nervousness and cognitive impairment in patients with social anxiety in a simulated public speaking task.
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Double-blind research found that CBD administered to healthy volunteers had little or no effect on their emotional reactions to unfavorable images and words. This was in contrast to the placebo group. Harriet de Wit is co-author of this study and a professor at the University of Chicago’s department of psychology and behavioral neuroscience. “But it didn’t.”
Many soldiers return home from war with PTSD. They avoid certain activities, places and people that are associated with these traumatic events. The Department of Veterans Affairs will fund its first CBD-related study. It will also be combining it with psychotherapy.
Mallory Loflin (an assistant professor at the University of California San Diego) said that the top therapies aim to break the link between fear responses and reminders of trauma. She is also the principal investigator of this study. “We think CBD, at most in animal models, could help that process happen much faster.” Large clinical trials are currently underway. However, psychologists don’t believe there’s any compelling evidence that CBD is a viable treatment.
Is CBD good for depression and sleep?
You stayed up late watching puppy videos. CBD may prove to be a promising sleep aid. Mr. MacKillop, co-author of a review of cannabinoids for sleep, said that one of the side effects from the Epidiolex trials in epilepsy was drowsiness. “If you are searching for new treatments for sleeping, this may be a clue,” MacKillop said.
However, he warns that the side effect could have been due to an interaction with other medication the children were taking in order to control seizures. The gold standard for CBD and sleep disorders is a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, double blinded trial.
Recently, a chart review of 72 patients with anxiety who were treated with CBD showed that their anxiety levels improved but that CBD did not affect sleep. “Overall, it didn’t pan out as a helpful treatment for sleep,” said Dr. Scott Shannon at The Permanente Journal.
Many factors can disrupt sleep, including depression. A review published in Journal of Chemical Neuroanatomy found that CBD made it easier for rats to cope with stressful situations and showed less depressive tendencies. Samia Joca, an associate professor at University of Sao Paulo in Brazil and a fellow at Aarhus Institution of Advanced Studies in Denmark, wrote in an email interview that CBD appears to be more effective than conventional antidepressants. It’s not easy to detect depression in animals. However, the research that Ms. Joca reviewed showed that CBD treated rats and mice were more resilient in stress-induced models.
Psychologists say that CBD’s effect upon depression is still a hypothesis. However, there are no clinical trials in humans.
Is CBD harmful?
Marcel Bonn Miller, adjunct assistant professor at Penn’s Perelman school of medicine, said that CBD can be taken safely. Side effects from Epidiolex include diarrhea, fatigue, weakness and decreased appetite. The safe daily limit of Epidiolex, as well as the amount that should be taken during pregnancy, are still unknown.
Recently, the F.D.A. Curaleaf Inc. was warned by the F.D.A. about “unsubstantiated” claims that the plant extract could treat various conditions such as anxiety, depression, cancer, and withdrawal. (In a statement, Curaleaf Inc. stated that some of its products had been discontinued and it was working closely with the F.D.A.
Dr. Smita Die, who chairs the American Psychiatric Association’s Council on Addiction Psychiatry’s Cannabis Work Group, has not recommended CBD for anxiety or PTSD. She is concerned that patients may turn to unproven CBD products to delay seeking proper mental health care.
Unexpected side effects may occur in certain CBD products. Virginia Commonwealth University’s toxicologists reviewed nine CBD products that were advertised as 100% natural. One contained DXM (dextromethorphan), an ingredient in over-the-counter cough medicines and considered addictive when abused. A further four were found to contain Spice (synthetic cannabinoid) that can cause anxiety, psychosis and death according to Forensic Sciences International.
Research has shown that only a third of the 84 CBD-rich products were listed on their labels. CBD users who used more THC than was indicated have had their drug tests fail.
According to the American Association of Poison Control Centers (AAPCC), 1,090 people called poison control centers in relation to CBD this year. More than a third of those contacted poison control centers about CBD received medical attention. 46 patients were admitted to critical care units, possibly due to drug interactions or exposure to other products. The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty and Animal Abuse’s Animal Poison Control Center received concern from 318 animals.