Healing With CBD: Overcoming Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder With CBD Oil
Written By
Nishant Garund
Medically Reviewed by Dr. Varuni AgarwalDr. Varuni Agarwal is an esteemed Ayurvedic physician specializing in diagnosing diseases through Ayurvedic dosha imbalances and providing personalized treatments. She focuses on ahara (diet) and vihara (lifestyle) to manage and heal various ailments.
Trauma is something that most people experience at least once in their lifetime. A lasting effect of traumatic events can occasionally take the form of post-traumatic stress disorder, a psychiatric condition that lasts long after the occurrence.
A person may develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after experiencing a stressful event that makes them feel scared, shocked, and helpless. There may be long-term consequences, such as anxiety, trouble sleeping, and flashbacks. PTSD can be brought on by, among other things, accidents, wars, crimes, fires, losing a loved one, or even physical or mental abuse. Thoughts and memories sometimes come back even if the threat has passed, causing the person to suffer.
Post traumatic stress disorder affects more women than men. As time passes, the person could feel worse rather than better, experiencing more worry and anxiety. Years of life disruption due to PTSD are possible, but recovery is possible with treatment.
This article examines the definition of PTSD, its signs and symptoms, potential causes, and therapies, as well as the efficacy of using CBD for anxiety, panic attacks, insomnia, and other PTSD symptoms.
Table of Contents
Some common PTSD symptoms
People with PTSD continue to experience vivid, stressful thoughts and sensations connected to their experience long after the horrific incident has passed. For example, flashbacks or dreams may cause them to relive the incident, experience sadness, fear, or rage, and feel distant or estranged from other people. In addition, a loud noise or an unintentional touch can trigger significant adverse reactions in those with PTSD, who may avoid circumstances or people who remind them of the traumatic occurrence.
The following four categories best describe PTSD symptoms, with individual symptoms having a range of severity.
Intrusion: Persistent, unwanted thoughts, disturbing nightmares, or flashbacks to the traumatic incident are examples of intrusive thoughts.
Avoidance: People often steer clear of people, places, things, activities, and situations that can bring back unpleasant memories as part of their avoidance strategy. People may try to forget or suppress their memories of the traumatic experience and avoid discussing what happened or how they feel about it.
Changes in cognition and mood: This includes the inability to recall important details of the traumatic event, negative thoughts and feelings that lead to persistent and distorted beliefs about oneself or others, and distorted ideas about the cause or consequences of the possibility that lead to placing blame on oneself or others. It can also lead to fear, horror, anger, guilt, or shame, a significant decline in interest in once-enjoyed activities, a sense of estrangement from others, or the inability to experience positive emotions.
Changes in arousal and reactivity: Arousal and reactive symptoms can include being agitated and expressing anger, acting recklessly or self-destructively, being suspiciously excessively aware of one's surroundings, being frightened, or having trouble focusing or sleeping.
In the days following a stressful occurrence, many people are affected by symptoms resembling those mentioned above. A person must experience symptoms for more than a month and have severe discomfort or difficulties with everyday functioning to be diagnosed with PTSD. Most people experience symptoms within three months of the event, but they can also arise later and last for weeks, months, or even years. PTSD frequently co-occurs with other closely related diseases like depression, substance abuse, memory issues, and other physical and mental health issues.
Approaches for overcoming PTSD
While people often overcome setbacks and even some traumatic events, PTSD is a serious mental illness that needs to be tackled strategically, and getting help makes all the difference. Medication and psychotherapy are two common traditional PTSD treatments. Antidepressants are drugs that can help manage anxiety and depressive symptoms. Additionally, doctors may recommend medicine to promote sleep and lessen nightmares. Psychotherapy, often known as talking therapy, is one of the additional treatments. In addition, cognitive-behavioural therapy may be helpful for people living with PTSD. There is also evidence that Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), which addresses the dysregulation of the learning process of traumatic memories, is also helpful in treating PTSD and trauma-related disorders. One can join support groups, engage in light exercise to relieve stress and set attainable goals to overcome PTSD.
How Does CBD Help with PTSD?
Anticonvulsants and antipsychotics are typically used to treat PTSD pharmacologically, although many patients do not respond to these medications. Many others encounter unfavourable side effects that prevent them from taking the medicines sufficiently or for extended periods. Patients with PTSD are more prone to use cannabis than people without PTSD, possibly as a result of the absence of effective treatments.
Even though there are many PTSD treatments, there is mounting evidence that CBD may be helpful in symptom management. It does, however, conclude that more study into its medicinal applications, efficacy, and safety is still required. According to studies, ingesting CBD soon after a stressful experience may make it harder for the brain to create memories that could later arise and lead to PTSD symptoms.
Another study discovered evidence that medications that affect the endocannabinoid system may lessen the symptoms that a person living with PTSD encounters. This is because PTSD is significantly influenced by anxiety and memory, which can be affected by the endocannabinoid system, which contains CBD receptors.
CBD for managing PTSD symptoms
Using CBD for anxiety, sleeplessness, and nightmares and other symptoms associated with PTSD can be immensely helpful. Wide-ranging therapeutic benefits of CBD include neuroprotective, analgesic, antipsychotic, anticonvulsant, and antioxidant activities. Therefore, the precise mechanism by which CBD may aid patients with PTSD may take some time to identify, but researchers have begun to sketch a possible picture of the procedure. The fact that CBD does not frequently produce anxiety, in contrast to other medications often used to treat PTSD, may represent a potential advantage of CBD over other medications that target the endocannabinoid system. The biphasic action of other drugs can make treatment plans more difficult.
How safe is CBD oil?
Unlike THC, which creates hallucinogenic effects, CBD possesses anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, anxiolytic, and antipsychotic properties. Because CBD doesn't cause a euphoric high, it is a widely used therapeutic supplement. CBD has fewer side effects than other substances (like THC), even at large doses.
While using CBD oil alone has not been linked to any significant health or safety risks, several drug interactions have been noted, particularly with blood thinners and glaucoma drugs. We strongly advise seeing your doctor before adding CBD if you currently use other medications. Drowsiness, diarrhoea, and headaches are some additional side effects that have been noted.
Buying CBD Oil For PTSD
CBD oil is a safe and efficient therapeutic option for symptom reduction and life-quality enhancement. Neet offers the best quality full-spectrum CBD oil for PTSD in India from Neet CBD. Neet CBD oil is available for purchase through our online store. 100% organic hemp is used for the extraction of Neet CBD oil. We work with other labs to manufacture our full spectrum extract to ensure our goods are accurate on the label. This ensures that we have complete control over the product from the field to the final interest.
Recommended dose
It's crucial to start with a low dose and gradually raise it if you're thinking about taking CBD oil for PTSD. The dosage advice varies and is dependent on the product you select. Drops are the most popular form of CBD oil administration. Put the Neet CBD dose under your tongue, where it can be quickly and readily absorbed before ingested.
Studies have demonstrated that CBD oil can dramatically reduce anxiety symptoms, with effects appearing one to two hours later. The secret is to move slowly and start slowly. Record your dosage and symptoms in a daily journal. You'll know you've found the proper dosage when your symptoms improve.