Medical Marijuana and PTSD
What Is PTSD
Medical marijuana and PTSD have a long and beneficial relationship with one another. Before we get into the facts of how marijuana treating PTSD benefits a patient, we will first define exactly what PTSD is. Some individuals develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) following exposure to a shocking, frightening, or deadly experience. It is normal to experience fear during and after a distressing event. Fear is a typical component of the body’s “fight-or-flight” reaction, which enables us to avoid or respond to imminent danger. After a traumatic event, individuals may experience a variety of reactions, and the majority will recover from their symptoms over time. Those who continue to exhibit symptoms may be diagnosed with PTSD.
Who Suffers From PTSD
PTSD can develop at any age in anyone. This includes military veterans as well as individuals who have endured or seen a physical or sexual assault, abuse, accident, natural disaster, or terrorist strike. People with PTSD may experience anxiety or fear even when they are no longer in danger. Not everyone with PTSD has experienced a traumatic event. In rare instances, finding that a close relative or acquaintance has undergone trauma might lead to PTSD.
According to the National Center for PTSD, a unit of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, around seven or eight out of every 100 individuals will develop PTSD over their lifetime. Women are more prone to get PTSD than men. Some features of the traumatic incident and biological factors may increase the likelihood that some individuals would develop PTSD.
Medical Marijuana and PTSD Treatment
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Medical Marijuana and PTSD Study
When it comes to medical marijuana and PTSD doctors have uncovered a tremendous quantity of knowledge regarding the endocannabinoid system and marijuana treating PTSD. CB1 and CB2 receptors get inputs from neurotransmitters derived from fatty acids, which can be naturally produced or delivered by drugs or cannabis. CB1 receptors are abundant in the hippocampus, the region of the brain associated with emotion and memory.
Traumatic events or stressful circumstances cause shifts in the endocannabinoids supplied to the appropriate receptors, resulting in physical and emotional stress responses. Scientists think that cannabinoids in marijuana influence the release of endogenous cannabinoids, hence altering a person’s mood and cortisol levels, making them useful during exposure treatment.
Medical marijuana and PTSD has influence during emotional processing, the endocannabinoid system helps to extinguish or lessen fear reactions associated with a specific memory. It does not make the individual forget the terrible memories, but it helps eliminate the associated and induced dread.
PTSD symptoms can be broken down into four categories:
Re-experiencing the trauma
- Reliving the horrific experience while feeling bodily symptoms such as a beating heart and profuse perspiration
- Recurrent recollections or dreams of the traumatic event
- Unsettling ideas
- Manifestations of stress
Avoidance symptoms:
- Avoiding thoughts or emotions associated with the unpleasant incident
- Avoiding locations, activities, and items that serve as reminders of the traumatic occurrence
- Difficult Conversations
Symptoms of reactivity:
- Easily being startled
- Feeling tight, or on guard
- Having trouble concentrating
- Trouble falling asleep or staying asleep
- Having outbreaks of anger or aggression and feeling irritated
- Engaging in dangerous or damaging conduct
Cognitive signs:
- Problems recalling crucial aspects of the trauma
- Negative self-views and erroneous thoughts about the occurrence that lead to emotions of guilt
- Persistent anxiety, rage, remorse, or humiliation
- Activities that you used to enjoy no longer interest you
- Having problems feeling satisfied or content
A person must exhibit two cognitive, two reactivity, one avoidance, and at least one re-experiencing symptom to be diagnosed.
How To Get A Medical Marijuana Card In Florida
Schedule An Appointment
New patients, re-evaluations, and transfer patients are able to schedule an appointment with our medical marijuana clinic for a medical marijuana card evaluation online or via a phone call at 561-778-5323.
Receive An Evaluation
The certified medical marijuana doctors at Releaf Medical will determine if you qualify for a medical marijuana card in Florida. The process is risk free! If new patients do not qualify, then there is no fee.
Same Day Approval
Releaf Medical marijuana clinic offers new patients same day approval. New patients will be able to register their medical marijuana card application with the state of Florida at the time of their initial appointment.
Medical Marijuana Treating PTSD
Medical marijuana and PTSD have a history of beneficial treatments. Patients undergoing treatment for PTSD often undergo exposure therapy. After repeated exposure, patients’ anxiety and sensations connected with the recollection become more controllable when they recall the incident. Then comes the extinction process, where the decreased fear level is utilized to form a less stressful link with the trauma. Prescription drugs are frequently used in addition to or in place of professional therapy, but marijuana is quickly becoming a preferred method to treat PTSD.
Similar to serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) and anti-anxiety drugs such as buspirone, using marijuana to treat PTSD has an anxiolytic, or anxiety-reducing effect at low dosages. In addition to the THC option, using CBD reduces anxiety without being dose-dependent. It does not induce intoxication comparable to that of marijuana when used alone. Please visit our page on anxiety to learn more about how medicinal marijuana impacts the anxiety component of PTSD.
Medical marijuana and PTSD treatment should begin by using smaller dosages of THC. This should be in cooperation with their healthcare practitioner. Once an appropriate dose has been identified, medicinal marijuana is often administered between 2 and 20 mg at night and during the day. PTSD patients worried about issues with impairment should begin treatment with CBD alone.
Tinctures are widely advised for marijuana treating PTSD and anxiety since they are simple to administer and generally contain the CBD and THC concentrations of the substance. However, vaping may not be suited for everyone and may pose additional health hazards.
Concentrates like as wax and shatter should not be used to treat PTSD due to their high THC content, which may aggravate anxiety, discomfort, and paranoia. Also not suggested for medical marijuana and PTSD treatment are edibles, which are difficult to dose precisely.
Because tolerance develops with extended cannabis use, resulting in a diminished action on CB1 receptors, a tolerance break can re-regulate the CB1 receptors.
Medical Marijuana PTSD Study
Research conducted by Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research in 2020 took a year and monitored 150 patients to compare PTSD in cannabis users and non-users. This study examined patients quarterly and used diaries that collected data on the patients’ cannabis use and their ingestion techniques, despite the absence of controls on cannabis consumption or frequency.
This observational study revealed that cannabis users reported a higher reduction in PTSD symptoms and were 2.57 times less likely fulfill the criteria for PTSD after a one-year assessment period. Results indicate that dispensary-available cannabis may hold potential as an alternate therapy for PTSD; nevertheless, more research is required to evaluate how different routes of consumption affect PTSD.
The Takeaway: Medical Marijuana Treating PTSD Can Be Beneficial
Does marijuana help with PTSD? While researchers need to dig deeper to make an official ruling, signs show that marijuana for PTSD can be effective, especially in combination with other forms of treatment. If you are new to cannabis products, it may be beneficial to keep track of your dose and its therapeutic benefits and share this information with your physicians. Cannabinoids may be only one component of your treatment approach, and they cannot replace individualized mental health care. Always notify a skilled healthcare professional immediately of any worsening symptoms.
Please see the guide above about how to obtain your medical marijuana card in Florida, come and see us to get your medical marijuana card for PTSD, and begin safely experimenting under the supervision of experts.
