Stress and anxiety treated with cannabidiol

Over-the-counter CBD products have made their way into the nutritional and wellness markets. One of the most commonly cited features of CBD is its ability to reduce stress and anxiety. A 2018 survey of CBD consumers conducted by European scientists showed that the three main diseases for which cannabidiol was used were:

• Relief of pain symptoms;
• Anxiety/Stress;
• Depression.

A study conducted at the end of 2021 showed that the main reasons for using OTC CBD were:

• stress relief;
• dealing with anxiety;
• sleep improvement.

A 2020-21 analysis of social media content in Europe, Canada, and the United States found that CBD is the most discussed therapeutic option for anxiety disorders and chronic pain. However, there are problems associated with the low quality of CBD oil from unknown manufacturers, the possible presence of controlled substances, and the difficulty of administering high dosages in the treatment of serious anxiety conditions.

Along with the proven use of CBD for stress and anxiety in self-medicated people, there is a growing number of clinical studies demonstrating the anxiolytic effects of cannabidiol in various psychopathologies. Several randomized clinical trials have confirmed the ability of CBD to stop panic attacks and relieve anxiety, both in healthy volunteers and in patients with various diagnoses.

It should be noted that the evidence base in this area is replenished almost daily.

Research Details and Dosage of CBD to Combat Stress

In healthy volunteers in controlled studies, oral doses of 300 or 600 mg cannabidiol reduced public speaking anxiety and decreased blood pressure and cardiovascular response to physical and mental stress (600 mg). Such anxiolytic effects of CBD use are associated with altered brain activity in the cortico-limbic areas of the brain that control cognitive and emotional regulation. In healthy volunteers, 7 days of CBD treatment (600 mg/day) also reduced the hemodynamic response to acute physical stress.

In drug-naive patients with generalized social anxiety disorder, oral doses of 300 or 600 mg reduced anxiety and increased stress tolerance. Similarly, in adolescents with social anxiety disorder, after 4 weeks of CBD consumption (300 mg/day), measures of anxiety and fear of negative evaluation decreased. As in healthy volunteers, the anxiolytic effects of CBD in anxiety disorders are also associated with changes in corticolimbic activity. Moreover, in untreated participants at clinically high risk for psychosis, CBD (600 mg) partially normalized changes in limbic, striatal, and median brain function in RCTs. A follow-up study by the same group found that 7-day treatment with CBD (600mg/day) in patients at clinically high risk for psychosis partially restored the cortisol response identified during the Trier social stress test to levels seen in controls. group. In this study, feelings of anxiety in response to a stress test were highest in high-risk patients and lowest in healthy individuals, with high-risk patients treated with CBD for 7 days showing an intermediate response.

Anxiety is often combined with other manifestations of stress. The anxiolytic effects of CBD in other pathologies have been tested. In adults with anxiety or poor sleep, CBD treatment (25–175 mg per day) reduced anxiety and improved sleep in 84% of study participants. Patients with non-cancer pain and mental health symptoms achieved significant reductions in previously reported pain symptoms, depression, and anxiety.

Mechanism of action of CBD in anxiety

Many preclinical studies have examined the anxiolytic and mnemonic effects of CBD in animal models of anxiety and acquired fear with systemic or direct administration of CBD to the brain, revealing potential mechanisms of action for cannabidiol in these models. The effects of CBD on fear memory formation also depended on its ability to suppress the activity of dopamine neurons directly in the ventral cortex, an effect that is also thought to underlie CBD's putative antipsychotic properties.

Thus, the therapeutic ability of CBD in managing anxiety and stress does not depend on a single molecular target and involves multiple biological processes. This may also explain why CBD has anxiolytic effects in many different types of anxiety disorders. Accordingly, there is a strong evidence base about the pronounced positive effect of cannabidiol on the treatment of stress and the relief of anxiety disorders.