With so much misinformation and junk-science on the internet, it is important to get solid facts from doctors and scientists you can trust before deciding if medical marijuana could help you. Now leading experts at Harvard Medical School are here to help you separate fact from frightening fiction about medical cannabis so you can make informed decisions. There are benefits for some conditions, and no benefit for others. And, while there is a lot of positive talk about cannabis, there are risks—especially if you’re over 55. CBD, or cannabidiol, is the second most prevalent active ingredient in cannabis (marijuana).
How to use CBD
- The World Health Organization considers rescheduling can-nabis and cannabinoids.
- In addition, CBD reduced retinal levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) which has been correlated with the breakdown of blood-retinal barrier [142].
- In a study with human recombinant CYP it has been shown that CYP1A1, CYP1A2, CYP2C9, CYP2C19, CYP2D6, CYP3A4 and CYP3A5 can metabolize CBD, of which CYP3A4 and CYP2C19 play a dominant role in liver microsomes [68].
- In these pathological conditions CBD decreased organ damage and dysfunction, oxidative and nitrative stress, inflammatory processes and apoptosis, among others.
- The authors noted that current treatments could have adverse effects, and some people stop using them for this reason.
In vitro and in vivo data suggest that CBD interacts with pharmaceuticals, specifically drugs metabolized by the liver. In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, CBD was efficacious in reducing atonic seizures in patients with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, also taking clobazam, valproate, lamotrigine, levetiracetam, or rufinamide [65]. Treatment-related AEs, including somnolence, were mostly mild and occurred in 62% of 86 patients treated with 20 mg/kg/day CBD for 14 weeks. Severe AEs included sedation occurring in 23% of 86 patients receiving CBD; 14% patients treated with CBD and one (1%) treated with placebo withdrew from the study. In 2017, Garberg et al. administered 50 mg/kg IV CBD to four piglets to evaluate drug safety and potential neuroprotective effects. CBD significantly reduced brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) expression and other signaling proteins in the hippocampus and frontal cortex with no effect in the striatum.
Medications changed by the liver (Cytochrome P450 1A1 (CYP1A substrates) interacts with CANNABIDIOL (CBD)
Epidiolex® increases plasma concentrations of drugs metabolized by CYP2C19 such as diazepam or clobazam. Following 90 days of oral CBD ( mg/kg/day), liver and kidney weights in rhesus monkeys were 13-56% greater than controls, without morphological changes in the organs [61]. In the Epidiolex® FDA approval notification [27] and Epidiolex® prescription information [19], CBD’s in vivo AEs in humans included, similar to other anti-epileptics, is cannabidiol addictive suicidal thoughts, suicide attempts, agitation, depression, aggression, and panic attacks. Relevant studies reporting CBD’s AEs or toxicity were identified from PubMed, Cochrane Central, and EMBASE through January 2019. Studies defining CBD’s beneficial effects were included to provide balance in estimating risk/benefit. A significant safety concern with CBD is that it is primarily marketed and sold as a supplement, not a medication.
- If you live in a state that hasn’t yet legalized medical cannabis or these products are unavailable, you can still benefit from products containing industrial hemp-derived CBD.
- The results showed that there was “strong preclinical evidence” to support the treatment of anxiety disorders with CBD, though more research is needed on long-term dosing.
- CBD may also interact with other over-the-counter and prescription drugs, including blood thinners.
- In conclusion, the studies conducted so far do not reveal hypotensive action of CBD in hypertension, although this compound exhibit antioxidative properties in this disease.
The Effects of Cannabidiol, a Non-Intoxicating Compound of Cannabis, on the Cardiovascular System in Health and Disease
The bottom line is to talk with your health care provider about the CBD products you are taking and be completely honest about your dosing. It’s important to also let your doctor know if you’re taking other supplements along with CBD since those can also cause different side effects. And the drugs could make side effects that CBD can cause even worse. Research suggests that CBD is safe when taken orally in small doses for a short period of time.
- We need more research, but CBD is proving to be a helpful, relatively non-toxic option for managing anxiety, insomnia, and chronic pain.
- Without sufficient high-quality evidence in human studies, we can’t pinpoint effective doses, and because CBD currently is typically available as an unregulated supplement, it can be difficult to know exactly what you are getting, or to conduct studies.
- According to preclinical evidence from studies, CBD may benefit pain and inflammation related to arthritis, but human studies are lacking.
- It may also affect peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors’ gamma activity.
- So far, the FDA has approved only one CBD medication, called Epidiolex, for the treatment of two types of epilepsy.
In addition, although careful titration and treatment adjustment after initiation is critical to symptom improvement and adverse effects care, current literature has failed to address this issue. Cannabidiol (CBD) is one of the primary cannabinoids found in significant but variable concentrations in cannabinoid-based medicines (CBM). While structurally similar to Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), CBD does not cause intoxication or euphoria (Russo 2017) and has showed considerable tolerability in humans with a low abuse potential (Chesney et al. 2020). This favorable safety profile has led to the recent mitigation of legal and regulatory barriers surrounding purified CBD products in several countries and recent increased interest in CBD treatments. While recent rulings clarified that CBD is not a drug under the 1961 United Nations as Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, regulatory status in the USA remains extremely confusing. When derived from cannabis, CBD is a schedule 1 drug but when derived from “industrial hemp” plants it may be lawful federally (Corroon and Kight 2018; Corroon et al. 2020).
This approval covers the treatment of seizures in people with severe types of epilepsy called Lennox-Gastaut syndrome and Dravet syndrome. The study participants added oral doses of 2 to 5mg of CBD per day to their existing anti-epilepsy medications. The study’s researchers monitored the participants for 12 weeks, recording any negative side effects and checking on the frequency of their seizures. However, severe adverse effects were recorded in 12 percent of the participants. CBD is excreted both in the unaltered state and in the form of metabolites with urine and faeces [4,67]. The reported half-life of CBD in humans depends on the study (different doses, routes of administration) and may vary from about one hour to five days [58,67].
Benefits of CBD Oil
Without sufficient high-quality evidence in human studies, we can’t pinpoint effective doses, and because CBD currently is typically available as an unregulated supplement, it can be difficult to know exactly what you are getting, or to conduct studies. A 2021 CDC health advisory warned that some CBD products on the market may contain delta-8 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), an ingredient found in marijuana that produces a high. This type of THC hasn’t been widely studied, but it could cause a severe reaction. That may include a hard time breathing, slurred speech, low blood pressure, uncoordinated movement, trouble moving, and even a coma.
