A permanent nervous state, generated by an excessive fear of adversity, which afflicts a large group of the population. It is related to stress, but not only.
In addition, no matter the age, gender or social class, anxiety threatens the quality of life of people from very different conditions. CBD, a non-psychotropic cannabinoid in cannabis and non-addictive, could alleviate the symptoms of this psychological affliction. No CBD product can be considered a medicine or should be a substitute for them.
What is anxiety?
Anxiety is, according to the RAE, a state of agitation, restlessness or anxiety of the mood. But those who suffer from it know that it encompasses much broader concepts. Because it can be a permanent state, which does not offer rests of stillness or tranquility, and is lived with a feeling of fear and excessive nervousness in the face of adversity.
Sweating, disturbance of the heart rhythm, tiredness, dizziness, palpitations, chest pains, feeling of panic, sadness or respiratory inability are some of its symptoms. It is commonly related to stress and nervousness, but it goes much further because it can even make people unable to perform daily tasks. Of course, there are numerous types of anxiety (generalized, social, panic disorders or phobias, among others), and different degrees of distress.
What is the cause?
As with some other mental illnesses, the causes of anxiety are not even-handed. Depending on the person, anxiety can be motivated by one reason or another. However, although there are no specific causes of anxiety, there are causes that are repeated in many of the patients who suffer from it.
Namely:
- prolonged stress states
- specific stressful situations: exposure to violence, loss of loved ones or significant changes in lifestyle (change of residence or job,
- separation, pregnancy, etc.), for example
- genetic disposition
- Alcohol and drug use
- Medication consumption
Types of anxiety
As we mentioned before, anxiety is not a disease with specific symptoms or single causes, and there is no single type of anxiety. Some of the most common types of anxiety are GAD (Generalized Anxiety Disorder), OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder), phobias or PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder).
Generalized anxiety disorder
Generalized anxiety disorder, also known as GAD, is one of the most common types of anxiety among patients. It is characterized by a state of nervousness and permanent stress, for a prolonged time (at least six months), and which also manifests itself as an excessive fear of adversity, and amplified worries.
Phobias
Phobia disorder manifests itself as an excessive fear or panic about something specific, which usually does not arouse any fear in other people. There are phobias towards animals (zoophobia, see spiders or birds), crowded places, heights (acrophobia), flying (aerophobia), or wounds and blood (hematophobia), among many others. In any case, in the presence of the reasons that arouse the phobia, it is not uncommon for the person to become totally incapacitated.
Does CBD really work to combat anxiety?
CBD, the non-psychotropic cannabinoid in cannabis, interacts with the human body by connecting with our body’s endocannabinoid system . This system is distributed as a network of receptors throughout our body, and is present in our brain, immune system and nervous system, among others. Hence, it can offer therapeutic properties.
Cannabis has about 80 cannabinoids, THC among them, and it turns out that cannabidiol, better known as CBD, would have promising properties, capable of counteracting stress.
Benefits of CBD for Anxiety
The main benefits of CBD for anxiety come from its anxiolytic properties and also its properties to improve sleep quality. Since, by connecting with the receptors of our endocannabinoid system, cannabidiol could, on the one hand, mitigate stress and improve our mood. These two symptoms are closely linked to anxiety, which is why CBD would have benefits for anxiety.
On the other hand, by being able to reduce the REM phase of sleep, CBD would be beneficial for people suffering from post-traumatic stress, who usually suffer from insomnia problems, derived from nightmares related to the traumatic episode during the REM phase.
CBD for generalized anxiety
CBD would be an efficient cannabinoid against the symptoms of generalized anxiety. According to some studies carried out to date, the intake of CBD could mitigate the symptoms of generalized anxiety, social anxiety and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31866386/).
The dosage and mode of administration of cannabidiol, as with the rest of the active components administered during medical treatments, would be essential for the success of the treatment, and therefore the case of each patient would be unique.
How to take CBD for anxiety?
Cannabidiol could be administered in the form of oils, capsules, or by vaporizing flowers. Of course, there are two very important points to keep in mind about how to take CBD for anxiety.
The first is the legal framework of the country where one consumes CBD. In the case of Spain, for example, the intake of CBD (derived from oils, capsules or vaporized flowers) is not allowed, since cannabidiol is not on the list of authorized food supplements of the Spanish Agency for Medicines and Health Products (AEMPS).
And the second, that in order to obtain therapeutic benefits from CBD, it would be essential to follow a treatment prescribed by a professional, who adjusts the modes of administration and the dosage of the cannabinoid to the needs of the person suffering from anxiety. This is complicated in Spain, where there are still no medical cannabis programmes endorsed by the Administration. For this reason, and in the absence of personalized treatments, it is usually recommended to start consuming CBD from microdoses, which can be increased depending on the effects awakened in the patient.
Frequently asked questions
Is its use allowed ingested in Spain?
In Spain, the intake of CBD derived from CBD oils, capsules or vaporized flowers is not allowed, because cannabidiol is not on the list of authorized food supplements of the Spanish Agency for Medicines and Health Products (AEMPS).
How quickly could CBD work against anxiety?
The effect of CBD will depend on the dose, mode of consumption, weight, gender, tolerance and so many other characteristics of the patient himself. As a result, no even-handed guideline can be established for how quickly CBD works.
Bibliography and Digital Sources
- Ravi, D., Sunjeev, K., Mayurun, R., Kishoj, Y., Vivek, G., Redman, E., Curran, V. & Morgan, C. (2013) “Cannabidiol enhances consolidation of explicit fear extinction in humans” Psychopharmacology 226.
- “Can CBD Help with Anxiety?” American Association of Anxiety. 2019
- Nature. 2011. Cannabidiol Reduces the Anxiety Induced by Simulated Public Speaking in Treatment-Naïve Social Phobia Patients https://www.nature.com/articles/npp20116
- Esther M. Blessing et al. “Cannabidiol as a Potential Treatment for Anxiety Disorders.” 2015
- Scott Shannon, MD et al. “Cannabidiol in Anxiety and Sleep: A Large Case Series,”2019
- Springer. 2013. Cannabidiol enhances consolidation of explicit fear extinction in humans. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00213-012-2955-y
- Vanessa P. Soares and Alline C. Campos. “Evidences for the Anti-panic Actions of Cannabidiol,” 2017
- Nobuo Masataka. “Anxiolytic Effects of Repeated Cannabidiol Treatment in Teenagers With Social Anxiety Disorders.” Primate Research Institute. Japan. 2019
- Bergamaschi, Mateus M., et al. “Cannabidiol reduces the anxiety induced by simulated public speaking in treatment-naive social phobia patients.” Neuropsychopharmacology 36.6 (2011)
- Peter Grinspoon, MD “Cannabidiol (CBD) — what we know and what we don’t.”Hardvard Contributor. 2019
- Skelley JW, Deas CM, Curren Z, Ennis J. Use of cannabidiol in anxiety and anxiety-related disorders. J Am Pharm Assoc (2003). 2020.
- Salerno, Lindsey et.al. Is Cannabis an effective treatment for anxiety?. Anxiety.org. 2018
- Sublingual Cannabidiol for Anxiety. Mclean Hospital. Clinical Trial. 2019.
- MedLine Plus. 2019. Anxiety. https://medlineplus.gov/spanish/anxiety.html
- A Clinical Trial of a Hemp-Derived Cannabidiol Product for Anxiety. Mclean Hospital. Clinical Trial. 2020.
- Cannabidiol for the Treatment of Anxiety Disorders: An 8-Week Pilot Study. McMaster University. 2020.
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