In recent times Cannabis And PTSD, psilocybin, and MDMA are being studied as possible treatment options for post-traumatic stress disorders and new studies on cannabis. However, less well-known is cannabis. According to some quick searches on PubMed the cannabis plant has a more extensive and more extensive association with PTSD in the literature of science than any other psychedelic. Although you might not be aware of it just by reading the headlines.
In putting aside for a moment what psychedelics’ effectiveness might or could not be as groundbreaking treatment for PTSD There’s no doubt that cannabis is accessible to the majority of patients. Get access to. Recent research, which includes three recent research studies (from three countries) indicates that an increasing number of PTSD sufferers are taking medication using cannabis and are finding it beneficial.
New Studies On Cannabis, DEPRESSION DRIVES CANNABIS USE
A paper published that appears in BMC Psychiatry from researchers based in Ontario, Canada, provides some insights into the use of cannabis in PTSD sufferers during the initial round of the coronavirus pandemic. From April 3, to June 24, 2020, 462 people who self-reported PTSD filled out an online questionnaire that evaluated mental health indicators and consumption of cannabis prior to the outbreak and during the seven days preceding taking the survey.
The increase in depression that occurred during the pandemic led to increased marijuana use.
Stress depression, anxiety, and stress increased across the board However, by separating people according to their cannabis usage patterns including not making use of less or the same amount or using more the researchers discovered something fascinating. Patients suffering from PTSD who increased their use of cannabis during the outbreak had a higher chance to suffer “meaningful perceived worsening of depression symptoms,” the authors write.
Could this suggest that the use of cannabis has aggravated depression? It’s theoretically possible since the study doesn’t consider the issue of causality. But, the most likely because of what research in the past has proven about the link between depression and cannabis is that it worked in the opposite direction. The worsening of depression led to increased marijuana use. This means that those who were suffering from depression could have been in the midst of the epidemic and taking cannabis to feel more at ease.
The amount to which cannabis aids, if it did will be beyond this study however a new study that has a different design addresses the question more specifically.
CANNABIS MAY IMPROVE QUALITY OF LIFE IN PTSD PATIENTS
In the UK patients who suffer from PTSD are eligible for medical cannabis. But a dearth of evidence from clinical trials limits its use, say the London-based authors in a December 2022 study published that appeared in Expert Review of Neurotherapeutics. Therefore, they devised the study to use the responses of patients to validated questionnaires in order to determine the changes in sleep quality, anxiety, and symptoms of PTSD (intrusions or avoidance and hyperarousal) over time.
When comparing scores of the 144 PTSD patients at baseline, and three, one and six months following the first time they tried medical cannabis The researchers found significant improvement in all three categories over all time periods of follow-up. The adverse events associated with cannabis use were typically mild or moderate as well as fatigue and insomnia occurring most frequently at 20 events each.
The study has a number of drawbacks. It’s observational in nature which leaves several variables uncontrolled and some like frequency and dose size, are depend on participant reports. Additionally, that all outcomes are subjective.
“Nevertheless, this study can serve to inform future randomized placebo-controlled trials with the aim of confirming these promising effects, whilst informing current clinical practice,” the authors note. “Future work should also focus on including objective measures, determining optimal dosages, and conducting comparisons to existing treatments to better inform prescribing of add-on or sole [medical cannabis] therapy.”
New Studies On Cannabis HELPS PTSD PATIENTS SLEEP BETTER
The improvement in sleep quality could be a significant mechanism by cannabis that can help reduce PTSD symptoms both during the day and at night, say the Israeli-based authors of a study that was published on December 22, 2022, in Journal of Anxiety Disorders. To find out more about the effects of cannabis on sleep they sought 77 medical cannabis patients with PTSD to submit a daily report regarding the frequency of cannabis use in the prior evening, and the following sleep disturbances throughout the night.
The closer to the time the person smoked cannabis the less likely they’d have nightmares. Incredibly, the more close to bedtime that a person used cannabis more likely they would experience nightmares. This may result in less anxiety during the day.
The analysis of the authors discovered that those who used products that had greater CBD concentrations (primarily smoking cannabis but not only) experienced fewer awakenings early and, consequently, more restful sleep. The number of awakenings at night which was the third outcome measurement variable is not linked to any aspect of cannabis usage. However, the researchers discovered that people who slept later had lower frequency of awakenings.
This is a relatively small study, which again isn’t controlled that are based on the self-reporting of participants, but it is a part of a growing body of clinical as well as preclinical research that suggests the benefits of cannabis to post-traumatic stress disorder for instance, by improving sleep. According to the authors in the conclusion of their research paper, “Given the high comorbidity of PTSD symptoms and sleep disturbances and the potential for medical cannabis to have effects on both. A greater understanding of how patients experience the effects of medical cannabis on overall PTSD symptoms and sleep disturbances is warranted.”