CBD for Depression

Cannabidiol or CBD is a type of natural compound that is found in marijuana plants. These compounds are called cannabinoids. These compounds regularly occur in cannabis plants in varying degrees. Most of the cannabis plants that are harvested for CBD use are hemp. Marijuana plants tend to contain more of the cannabinoid THC.

THC is a cannabinoid that is commonly associated with the high or psychoactive effects that we typically experience when using marijuana. Because of the lower rates of THC in hemp plants, CBD medications won’t produce the same psychoactive effects.

Using CBD has become a much more popular trend in the past two years. CBD products that are verified to contain less than .3% THC are widely available for sale. With the legality of these products now much more open there’s been a variety of new studies into CBD use and conditions that could benefit from CBD use. One condition that is seeing many benefits with CBD use is depression.

CBD has been showing some excellent results when it comes to treating depression as well as the symptoms of cognitive impairment, discomfort with public speaking and anxiety. CBD could pose an ongoing improvement to managing conditions like depression as well as physical conditions like chronic pain and inflammation.

The Research and CBD

CBD can provide a wide range of benefits and related effects associated with serotonin receptors in the brain. A low serotonin level is often connected to depression. Taking CBD won’t necessarily boost serotonin levels but it can help to affect how your brain responds to the serotonin that can already be found in your system.

In studies from 2014 which were conducted on animals, CBD affected receptors in the brain and produced an anti-anxiety and antidepressant effect. In more recent studies conducted in 2018, CBD was determined to deliver an antistress effect which ensures that there was a reduction in depression that was related to stress effects.

CBD is still something that is being studied. New research interviews are being published every year now that it’s more widely available. The long-term effects of CBD are not known quite effectively and the information regarding CBD is bound to change as new long term studies are published.

Could CBD work as an Alternative to antidepressants?

When it comes to treating depression successfully, CBD appears to have many of the same benefits of antidepressant medications and with fewer side effects.

Most antidepressant medications will take several weeks to start working and it can often take some time and coordination with medical professionals to find the ideal dosage for a patient. CBD works much faster and has a sustained antidepressant-like effect. It’s also easier to calculate the dosage of CBD and the side effects associated with even a large dose of CBD are minimal.

CBD has very little side effects especially compared to antidepressant medication. Most of the side effects are related to dry mouth, diarrhea with a small potential for drug interactions and the liver. Antidepressants have a series of side effects including sexual dysfunction, mood swings, agitation, and insomnia. The worst part is that most of these side effects can be common in the early stages of using antidepressants.

CBD may not Stand as a direct replacement to antidepressant medications but it can be an excellent way that you can wean yourself off antidepressants and slowly decrease your dose to find a better solution with CBD. Speaking to a physician can always be a wise choice before you begin using CBD as it can have some drug interactions.

Can I use it if I Experience Anxiety?

Anxiety and depression are common to occur together. When people experience one condition they are at an increased risk of experiencing another. CBD can work at helping with both.

In a recent study surrounding individuals that suffer from Social anxiety, 600 mg of CBD allowed the group to experience a significant drop in their anxiety levels. Even lowering the dose to 300 mg still provided some benefits for reducing anxiety levels.

As anxiety and depression may have a relation to low serotonin or a lowered effect of serotonin on the receptors, having CBD in the system can work at improving conditions in anxiety and depression.

If you are interested in using CBD to treat your own condition, be sure to contact us today