Updated on September 15th, 2023
PTSD or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is a psychological disorder that develops in some people after having experienced a traumatic event. Many people have reported that CBD for PTSD is more effective than regular medication but still not everyone knows what CBD is, let alone how to use cannabidiol.
Normally, people that have experienced a scary, traumatic or life-threatening event have been extremely afraid and stressed out. These symptoms will usually fade away naturally, but PTSD patients remain afraid and stressed even in normal situations when they are no longer in danger.
According to the National Center for PTSD, 7.8% of people will experience PTSD at some point during their lives.
The biggest symptom PTSD patients have is anxiety, which can be so severe to the point of being debilitating and having a huge impact on the patients’ life. Recollection nightmares are also very common. It is a form of fear, being remembered over and over again in recollections.
Women are twice as likely (10.4%) as men (5%) to develop PTSD, as stated by the National Center for PTSD.
PTSD also often leads to depression. Scientists have already shown that CBD can reduce depression. Usually, post-traumatic stress disorder lasts from one month to several months, but it can also develop into a chronic situation. When a person has severe post-traumatic stress symptoms for several weeks he/she is likely to be diagnosed with ASD or Acute Stress Disorder.
An estimated 70% of adults in the US have experienced at least one traumatic event during their lifetime and aproximately 20% of them develop PTSD.
CBD for finding relief from PTSD
Preliminary research on cannabinoid treatment for PTSD suggests that cannabinoids might be useful to treat for example Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, or treat other anxiety disorders with CBD. Besides that, other studies show that CBD works particularly well to remove the fear or anxiety as well as the traumatic memory. Overly recollections are avoided and the physiologic responses normally triggered are avoided as well.
Due to the improved sleep patients are reporting to get after taking CBD, the body itself is put in its best position to cope with the stress related to traumatic events, and CBD is often used for sleep treatment.
When you are suffering from PTSD, you’ll probably have a hard time focusing, which makes it a more difficult to work. The best CBD oil for focus and concentration will support you in getting things done. It works for me in any case.
According to Dr. Blair, CBD is particularly adept at removing the fear recollection from the traumatic event and the memory of that fear in PTSD sufferers.
Laboratory Studies
A 2012 lab study proved that CBD administration to rats that were exposed to a predator (cat) prevented the long-lasting anxiogenic effects seen in untreated rats. These results suggest that CBD has a beneficial potential for PTSD treatment.
The findings of a 2013 lab test suggest that the interaction between the cannabinoid and glucocorticoid systems is crucial in the modulation of emotional trauma. 2014 tests suggest that enhancing the cannabinoid transmission may facilitate extinction learning and its recall; the two underlying symptoms of PTSD.
The findings of a 2016 study demonstrated a new circuit responsible for the behavioral and neuronal effects of CBD within the mesolimbic system, confirming the pharmacotherapeutic properties of cannabidiol in the treatment of neuropsychiatric disorders like PTSD.
Clinical Studies
In 2012, a clinical case study showed supporting evidence that PTSD patients may be able to cope with their symptoms using cannabis. Cannabis may dampen the strength or emotional impact of traumatic memories, according to one of the conclusions of the report, but hemp vs cannabis studies would be beneficial to determine which cannabinoids have better effects on traumatic stress.
A 2013 clinical study on the World Trade Center attacks revealed that PTSD is associated with a reduction in circulating levels of the eCB (endocannabinoid) 2-AG in the regulation of the stress response. This data supports the hypothesis that deficient eCB (endocannabinoid) signaling may be related to PTSD.
A clinical case study was performed in 2016 on a ten-year-old girl who suffered from PTSD due to sexual abuse when younger. Pharmaceutical medications provided partial but not long-lasting relief and had major side-effects. As a result of the CBD treatment, she showed maintained decrease in anxiety, as well as improved sleeping patterns.
Children often suffer from ADHD and CBD has shown some remarkable results with ADD/ADHD treatment of children and grown-ups.
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CBD oil dosage for PTSD
Meanwhile, there are plenty of scientific studies done across medical conditions, especially CBD pain treatment and marijuana cancer treatment. They all indicate that full-spectrum hemp oils are more effective than isolated CBD oils.
When there are tiny amounts of other cannabinoids, like THC in the oil, the CBD health benefits are supplemented without risking to get high due to the low concentration.
Of course, we are all different. The cliche statement that CBD dosage is different for everyone is right, albeit that the severity of the PTSD disorder you have plays an even more significant role in determining your dosage.
Patients have reported that they found relief from mild symptoms of PTSD with just 25 mg per day, whereas experience from severe PTSD cases shows that up to 200 mg per day might be needed to improve or find relief from the condition.
The bottom line is that everyone needs to test his or her optimal CBD oil dosing by themselves. Start with 25 mg per day and increase it with 25 mg every two days as long as the symptoms have not been significantly reduced or vanished.
At that point, continue the reached dosage for another week and, when completely cured, reduce to a maintenance dosage of 25 mg per day. You can even take cannabidiol gummies or edibles, which are relaxed and inconspicuous ways of getting the amount of CBD you need.
There are only positive CBD effects and virtually no side effects from CBD, and you cannot overdose CBD. Therefore, there is no issue with testing your dosing level. If you are confused about how many drops your daily dosage is -based on your CBD oil potency- you can use our CBD calculator.
Success Stories of PTSD Patients
We have carefully collected CBD testimonials for this particular condition to serve as proof and inspiration to others. Do not hesitate to record your own experience and share it with us so we can add it to this list and help thousands more patients.
Eye-opening Documentaries about PTSD
Overview of Scientific Studies and Reports
If you are interested in the medical proof and not scared of reading through some professional medical jargon, check out the studies below.
Scientific Research Studies on Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
- 2005 – Enhancing cannabinoid neurotransmission augments the extinction of conditioned fear
- 2007 – The endocannabinoid system and extinction learning
- 2012 – CBD blocks long-lasting behavioral consequences of predator threat stress: Possible involvement of 5HT1A receptors
- 2012 – The endocannabinoid system provides an avenue for evidence-based treatment development for PTSD
- 2013 – Reductions in circulating endocannabinoid levels in individuals with post-traumatic stress disorder following exposure to the world trade center attacks
- 2013 – Stress switches cannabinoid type-1 (CB1) receptor-dependent plasticity from LTD to LTP in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis
- 2012 – Mitigation of post-traumatic stress symptoms by Cannabis resin: A review of the clinical and neurobiological evidence
- 2013 – A current overview of cannabinoids and glucocorticoids in facilitating extinction of aversive memories: potential extinction enhancers
- 2013 – Cannabinoids and traumatic stress modulation of contextual fear extinction and GR expression in the amygdala-hippocampal-prefrontal circuit
- 2013 – The anxiolytic effect of cannabidiol on chronically stressed mice depends on hippocampal neurogenesis: Involvement of the endocannabinoid system
- 2014 – Modulation of Fear Memory by Dietary Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids via Cannabinoid Receptors
- 2014 – Cannabinoid modulation of fear extinction brain circuits: A novel target to advance anxiety treatment
- 2015 – The Use of Medicinal Marijuana for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: A Review
- 2015 – Non-antidepressant long-term treatment in post-traumatic stress disorder
- 2016 – CBD Modulates Fear Memory Formation Through Interactions with Serotonergic Transmission in the Mesolimbic System
- 2016 – Bidirectional Effects of CBD on Contextual Fear Memory Extinction
- 2016 – Effectiveness of Cannabidiol Oil for Pediatric Anxiety and Insomnia as Part of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: A Case Report
- 2017 – CBD disrupts the consolidation of specific and generalized fear memories via dorsal hippocampus CB1 and CB2 receptors
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