CBD and Anxiety

What you should know about CBD and Anxiety. 6 minute read time.

The amount of people that experience mental health issues has increased dramatically in recent years.

Many are turning to consuming CBD as the answer to all their concerns, including stress relief for CBD Oil for Anxiety, Depression, and Bipolar. But, do they know the right CBD dosage for anxiety? Anxiety Review Contrary to popular belief, having an anxiety disorder or mania and depression is not the same thing as simply being stressed about something. Anxiety disorders are something that people struggle with it on a daily basis and it is not just temporary stress about some important activity or event coming up.

We all know this nervous feeling – our hearts beat faster, our stomachs get unsettled, and we may even start to sweat a little more. This is a completely normal emotion and feeling to have – especially when we have a big event coming up. Maybe we have a job interview or are giving a big presentation, or maybe we need to have a conversation with someone that we have been dreading. Either way, being stressed or anxious about those kinds of things is a normal part of life. ​ However, when we start to feel this way every day, or start to have frequent panic attacks – that is more serious. This is when we step into the territory of having an anxiety disorder. Anxiety disorders can be due to a variety of causes such as environment, genetics, personality, and even certain medical conditions. Anxiety disorders are considered one of the most common mental illnesses in the United States. And, although support of mental health has been increased in recent years, it still has a long way to go. ​ A good majority of people still do not share about their anxiety and depression because there is still a stigma around these topics. Additionally, the traditional anti-anxiety medications have several unpleasant side effects that deter patients from taking them. Side effects can include drowsiness, nausea, dry mouth, trouble sleeping, agitation, and sexual dysfunction. As you can see, these can seriously affect a person’s day to day activities and quality of life. Therefore, CBD could be a way to offer some reduced anxiety for these patients. It may allow them to decrease their dose of these medications and potentially even get eliminate them for good! ​ CBD Review - First, what is CBD? CBD is a phytocannabinoid (aka a chemical compound) from cannabis plants, which means it can come from either industrial hemp or medical marijuana plants. The health benefits of CBD have taken the world by storm and seem to be constantly expanding as more people start to utilize their CBD products. Second, how does CBD work? ​ It is thought that CBD works by enhancing the endocannabinoid system (ECS) and restoring balance (also known as homeostasis). It binds to cannabinoid receptors to produce its effects. Many CBD users prefer to use full spectrum CBD products because they contain other cannabinoids in addition to CBD but it may show up on a drug test so we have the option of  isolate (without THC) available now and soon to be broad spectrum which will be without the THC. 

However, more research into the mechanism of action of CBD is showing that it works on other receptors as well. Specifically relating to anxiety, CBD is thought to work through serotonin receptors. This is similar to a medication class that helps treat anxiety known as SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors).

These drugs help increase serotonin levels, which is a neurotransmitter (aka a chemical messenger in the brain) that helps elevate mood and decrease anxiety. So, CBD is thought to enhance serotonin as well, which makes sense why many feel it helps them with stress relief. ​ What types of CBD are there? CBD comes in a wide variety of forms. The most popular CBD form is the CBD oil tinctures. However, there are other kinds such as CBD capsules, CBD gummies, topical products such as salves or creams, vaping products, CBD for pets, and other CBD products.

What Kinds of Anxiety Does CBD Help With? Research into CBD and anxiety shows that it may be able to help with several different kinds of anxiety disorders. However, a lot of this is preclinical data. This means there have only been animal studies or small studies in humans and not full on randomized placebo-controlled trials like prescription anxiety medications to support them. ​ Although, anxiety is one of the few health benefits of CBD that have been studied in humans so far (even if they are small studies). Most of the other reported uses have only been in cell culture or animals.

The preclinical data supports the possible use of CBD with Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD), Panic Disorder (PD), Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and Bipolar Disorder. But again, further research into these areas are needed. ​ Some studies show that CBD does not cause anxiety at high servings, which is contrary to other anti-anxiety medications. Also, CBD is thought to counteract the anxiety that can be induced by its cousin compound – THC. ​ Important Note So, it seems that CBD may be an option for a lot of different kinds of anxiety. Although, it should not be a replacement for prescription medications without doctors approval – it should be used WITH these medications to help manage anxiety. Eventually, the CBD alone may be able to help enough to get off of prescription medications, but this should never be your go-to option (unless your physician tells you explicitly). ​ Additionally, always be aware of your allergies or sensitivities. Before starting any new CBD product always check the labeling for all the ingredients to make sure you do not have a problem with any of them. Sometimes, people may be sensitive to certain carrier oils in the CBD oil tinctures, so they would want to choose a product with a different carrier oil. The fewer the ingredients the better.  ​ Additionally, servings will vary from person to person. So, the CBD serving for anxiety that your friend is taking may be different than the serving you need. This is because servings depends on a lot of factors – such as age, weight, height, kidney function, liver function, genetics, other drugs you are taking, and others. Fascinatingly, research is showing that older adults might need higher servings of CBD than younger people because as we age our natural endocannabinoids decrease. So, we need higher servings to help restore them back to normal. ​ So, the best advice is to start low and slow (example 3 to 5 drops) and just keep slowly increasing it until you get the anxiety and stress relief you are seeking. (your sweet spot).  Just use the serving ranges you have researched as a guidance for what range you should be shooting for when increasing your serving. Then, eventually it will become personalized to you. ​ What Does the Research Say?

Anxiety There are a number of studies that have found that CBD reduces self-reported anxiety and sympathetic arousal in non-clinical populations (those without a mental disorder). Research also suggests it may reduce anxiety that was artificially induced in an experiment with patients with social phobia, according to Loflin et al. (2017). ​ Depression A review of the literature published in 2017 (Loflin et al.) could find no study that examined CBD as a treatment for depression specifically. A study regarding mice, the researchers examined found that mice treated with CBD acted in a way similarly to the way they acted after receiving an antidepressant medication. Therefore, there is virtually little to no research support for the use of CBD oil as a treatment for depression. ​ Bipolar Disorder & Mania The depressive episode of bipolar disorder has already been covered in the depression section (above). What about CBD oil’s impact on bipolar disorder’s manic or hypomanic episodes? ​ Sadly, this has not yet been studied. What has been studied is cannabis use on the effect of bipolar disorder symptoms. More than 70 percent of people with bipolar disorder have reported trying cannabis, and around 30 percent use it regularly. However, such regular use is associated with earlier onset of bipolar disorder, poorer outcomes, and fluctuations in a person’s cycling patterns and severity of manic or hypomanic episodes (Bally et al., 2014). ​ More research is needed to see whether supplementing CBD oil might help alleviate some of the negative impact of cannabis use. And additional research is needed to examine whether CBD oil on its own might provide some benefits to people with bipolar disorder. ​ Future of CBD and Anxiety Although this is reaching a bit – CBD may decrease the amount of people that are not seeking treatment for their anxiety disorders. ​ Currently, CBD is available to purchase online, over the counter at various pharmacies, supplement stores, and organic stores. Those with anxiety disorders also feel there is a stigma around going to the pharmacy and picking up their “anxiety medication”. This leads some patients to just stop getting their medications altogether and not getting the treatment they need. ​ Therefore, if they eventually can decrease their serving enough and get off their anxiety medications and just take CBD (again with physician approval), they would not feel judged for picking up their medications. This is because CBD is not only used for anxiety – but for other benefits as well such as pain, inflammation, acne, and much more. So, no one could really guess the reason a person is taking CBD oil. ​ Additionally, for those patients that do not seek any treatment at all – CBD could offer them at least some anxiety relief even if it is not the same as the prescription medications. This is a better option than them not seeking any treatment and suffering the consequences of anxiety – such as depression and suicidal ideation, high blood pressure, and heart problems. ​ Take Away Points Overall, CBD servings are going to vary from person to person. The amount of CBD you need depends on a variety of factors including age, weight, genetics, and other factors. Always talk with a healthcare professional before starting any new CBD products. You have a variety of ways to consume CBD and it is a daily supplement and not a miracle drug.

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