CBD for anxiety and anxiety disorders

In 2021 the book “The scared person” by Daan Heerma van Voss was published. In it, the author describes his own experience with anxiety disorders and his search for the source of anxiety, his own and anxiety in general.

Can CBD be a tool for anxiety and anxiety disorders? You can read it in this blog!

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Anxiety disorder

More than 10% of the Dutch suffer from an anxiety disorder. About 132,000 people even have a panic disorder. Also in other Western countries about 10% of the population has to deal with this. If you look at how many people suffer from an anxiety disorder at some point in their lives, that figure is even 33%.

CBD to be embraced as a therapeutic agent for anxiety disorders in the US

The consequences of anxiety disorders are recognized in many countries. For example, the pressure on care, the costs of care and the economic consequences are examined. In the United States, several doctors have embraced CBD as a therapeutic agent for anxiety disorders.

Anti-anxiety drugs, chemical-based pharmaceuticals, have been around for decades. Although the drugs are successful in treating anxiety disorders, they often unfortunately turn out to have harmful side effects in the long term.

CBD and research

Extensive research into the effect of CBD has now shown that CBD has no side effects. At most, people become sleepier or have more energy. This is because the cannabinoids from plants are so similar to our own endocannabinoids that they are recognized by the body as natural.

Scientists are especially excited about the effects of CBD on the nervous system. This concerns the successful treatment of, for example, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy and pain. Other discoveries remained underexposed. The effect of this was known, such as improving mood, sleeping better and reducing anxiety, but they initially found that less interesting.

That changed after the discovery of the endocannabinoid system in our body. The endocannabinoid system (ECS) acts as a kind of first aid system that is activated when our body is out of balance. It doesn’t matter what the cause of the imbalance is, it can be illness, physical injury, emotional pain or stress. We know from research that the ECS is the system that activates all the other systems needed to bring the body back into balance. It is therefore literally vital that it continues to function properly.

CBD for anxiety disorders

Research into CBD in anxiety disorders is now in full swing. This does not only concern temporary fear (e.g. of public speaking) or fears in general, but also specific fears such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

These studies didn’t just look at the psychological side of anxiety. For example, it also looked at the physiological symptoms of anxiety, such as increased heart rate and sweating. These also decreased with the use of CBD.

Remarkably, the presence of the cannabinoid THC actually increases anxiety. Only CBD has good results for anxiety. And full spectrum CBD, all cannabinoids without THC, gives the best results. Try Hempcare’s CBD oil to see if it can help you with this.

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Good company

Public speaking is a form of anxiety disorder. If that bothers you, you’re in good company, because Hollywood star Jennifer Aniston used CBD to control her fear of speaking. Other Hollywood stars also use CBD to help them calm down in social situations, which is officially called “social anxiety disorder”. These are fears in which you fear a public reaction or criticism.

Other studies also showed that CBD also helps in panic situations. Among other things, it ensures that a rapidly increasing heart rate is kept under control. The CBD must then be taken preventively.

There are also anxiety-related conditions where CBD can help. An example of this is obsessive-compulsive disorder, which is officially called an obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Dosage

The dosage appears to differ quite a bit in anxiety disorders. This is partly related to the method of use. When adding CBD with a spray, food or capsule, a higher dosage is of course necessary than with the directly under the tongue method. But the amount of the dose is also related to the specific anxiety disorder.

Therefore, when self-medicating, it is recommended to start with a small dose. With Hempcare, for example, this is 1-5 drops per intake, under the tongue. Then you can gradually increase the dose until you achieve the desired result. Keep in mind that most people only notice the effect after five days; this is especially true for first-time users of CBD.

Additional information

In case of fear, it can also be useful to divide the daily dose over two or three moments. So, for example, half of the drops in the morning after breakfast and the second half in the evening an hour before going to sleep.

Sources:

Antianxiety effect of cannabidiol in the elevated plus-maze’
F.S. Guimaraes, T.M. Chiaretti, F.G. Graeff, A.W. Zuardi
Psychophamracology
1990
DOI: 10.1007/BF02244012

Cannabidiol as a Potential Treatment for Anxiety Disorders
Esther M. Blessing, Maria M. Steenkamp, Jorge Manzanares and Charles R. Marmar
Neurotherapeutics
12 oktober 2015
DOI: 10.1007/s13311-015-0387-1

Use of cannabidiol in anxiety and anxiety-related disorders
Jessica W. Skelley, Crystal M. Deas, Zachary Curren, Jonathan Ennis
Journal of American Pharmacists Association
2020
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.japh.2019.11.008

Cannabidiol Reduces the Anxiety Induced by Simulated Public Speaking
Mateus Bergamaschi, Regina H.C. Quieroz, Marcos H.N. Chagas, Danielle C.G.de Oliveira and ohers
Neuropsychopharmacology
09 februari 2011
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/npp.2011.6