Can CBD Prevent or Treat Psychosis?
Estimated reading time: 9 minutes
- What is CBD?
- What is Psychosis?
- Does CBD Affect the Symptoms of Psychosis?
- How Might CBD Improve Psychotic Symptoms?
- The Antipsychotic Properties Of CBD
- Can CBD Make psychosis Worse?
- How Much CBD Is Needed For Psychosis?
- A New Class of Treatment for Psychosis
- Summary – Can CBD Prevent or Treat Psychosis?
- FAQ – Can CBD help psychosis?
What is CBD?
Cannabis has been illegal in the UK since 1928. But, it has been used for medicine for more than 5,000 years
Cannabis is a complex plant that has more than 100 cannabinoids. The most common psychoactive compound in cannabis, the best known, is THC.
A phytocannabinoid that is found in cannabis plants is CBD. It is one of the most common cannabinoids in cannabis plants.
It comes from the hemp plant and makes up about 40% of the extract from the plant. The body's endocannabinoid system to change how neurotransmitters are released in the brain are affected by CBD. This affects mood, appetite, and pain response. However, the ways in which they do this are different.
THC turns on CB1 receptors in the brain, which makes people feel happy. However, CBD is an antagonist at CB1 receptors, which means it won't make you feel “high” like THC does. CBD can also stop THC from turning on CB1 receptors.
People are paying more attention to the idea that CBD may be useful in psychiatric settings. We learn more and more about the possible medical benefits of cannabis. Psychosis can increase the risk of THC, but CBD might help with psychosis symptoms.
What is Psychosis?
Psychosis is not a single diagnosis, but rather a group of symptoms. It is a medical term for beliefs that aren't based on reality or sense impressions of things that don't exist. Drugs, brain injuries, extreme stress, not getting enough sleep, or a mental illness can cause psychosis.
Psychosis-related conditions:
- Schizophrenia.
- Brief psychotic disorder.
- Delusional disorder.
- Schizoaffective disorder.
- Schizophreniform disorder.
- Schizotypal (personality) disorder.
- Substance/medication-induced psychotic disorder.
- Psychotic disorder due to another medical condition.
Psychosis can also happen with certain types of mood disorders. Those include:
- Bipolar disorder.
- Major depression
During an episode of psychosis, the individual may have hallucinations or delusions. These symptoms often co-occur with cognitive disruptions such as disordered thoughts or difficulties in concentration.
Does CBD Affect the Symptoms of Psychosis?
The physiological relevance and effects of probable in vivo transformation of CBD to delta9-THC in humans.
CBD can reduce psychosis symptoms even though they lack pharmacological effects, which is shown by studies in both animal and human volunteers. Also, cognitive impairment following exposure to high levels of THC, potentially via the endocannabinoid system. Moreover, they suggest that CBD may lower the risk of psychosis in individuals using cannabis.
However, studies indicating the potential benefits of CBD in psychosis tended to be observational case and cohort studies. This limits firm conclusions as to the efficacy of CBD.
The first randomized placebo-controlled trial (RCT) in 2017 compared 88 patients with psychosis. They received either CBD or a placebo over a 6-week period as an adjunctive treatment to antipsychotics. Pre-and post-treatment were assessed by symptomatology, cognition, and overall functioning
The conclusion is that patients treated with CBD show reductions in psychotic symptoms. Furthermore, improvement in functioning and cognitive abilities compared to those who received a placebo. Patients receiving active treatment were more likely to be rated as improved by their treating psychiatrist.
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How Might CBD Improve Psychotic Symptoms?
The release of certain neurotransmitters in the brain is thought to work. Here we can mention noradrenaline, acetylcholine, serotonin, and, most importantly, dopamine. Too much dopamine in the brain causes psychotic symptoms. Because, the dopamine hypothesis, has been the main way to treat psychosis up until now.
By binding to dopamine receptors, antipsychotic drugs stop the body from making dopamine. It is pretty normal to have dopamine production for some people who are psychotic. Because of this, studying the effects of other neurotransmitter systems could lead to new types of treatments.
Overall, people who are at risk have less brain activity than people who are healthy. However, those who get CBD have much more brain activity than those who get a placebo.
CBD could help fix some of the changes in parts of the brain that are linked to psychosis according to a study.
The Antipsychotic Properties Of CBD
According to Zuardi and colleagues' case study, CBD treatment for schizophrenia can be effective. The researchers used a dose of CBD of up to 1500 mg per day for four weeks. Testing to see if it could help with acute psychotic symptoms.
Only one patient responded satisfactorily to CBD monotherapy for treatment-resistant schizophrenia in a 2006 study. However, the dosage may have been insufficient. A further study on the benefits of CBD for schizophrenia evaluated flexible doses of up to 400 mg daily. 6 Parkinson's disease patients were tested and found that all subjects improved their psychotic symptoms over the course of four weeks.
CBD's antipsychotic qualities have been studied in three clinical trials since then, with mixed findings.
CBD's therapeutic effects were controlled in an experiment in 2012, the cannabinoid was found to be as beneficial as amisulpride. This is a common antipsychotic medicine, in treating schizophrenic symptoms. Furthermore, CBD exhibited fewer negative side effects, such as minimal weight gain and fewer extrapyramidal symptoms.
CBD has also been used to treat acute psychosis in people with schizophrenia and other types of psychotic illnesses. All not involving the affective system. After 6 weeks of taking 1000 mg of CBD every day, the CBD group had fewer positive psychotic symptoms than the placebo group. At the end of their treatment, the CBD group did better than the control group on the CGI-I scale. Patients who took CBD had a trend-level improvement in their ability to think and move.
Can CBD Make psychosis Worse?
Based on what we know so far, CBD does not seem to make schizophrenia symptoms worse. On the other hand, THC may make the signs of schizophrenia worse.
How Much CBD Is Needed For Psychosis?
All three trials with psychosis patients show the dose range for reducing psychotic symptoms (probably between 800 and 1000 mg/d). However, not cognitive symptoms, should be higher than the dose range for causing anxiety effects (between 200 and 400 mg/d).
Can Cannabis Increase Psychosis?
THC has long-term negative effects on the developing brain. Furthermore, also has cognitive deficits and exacerbation of psychotic symptoms and antipsychotic responsiveness, especially in younger patients.
Can CBD Reduce Psychosis?
Fewer psychotic symptoms and better functional and cognitive abilities for people taking CBD, compared to those who got a placebo. When a patient got active treatment, their psychiatrist was also more likely to say that they were getting better.
A New Class of Treatment for Psychosis
There are small improvements in how well people think and how their illness affects their quality of life and overall functioning when the effects of CBD as a supplement to traditional antipsychotic drugs are looked at.
But the benefit is only for psychosis symptoms that are good, like hallucinations and delusions. CBD has no effect on negative symptoms like flattening the mood and mood changes.
Also, CBD was only used as an extra treatment in most studies. All the people who took part in the studies kept taking their regular antipsychotics. More research is needed to figure out if CBD could be helpful as a stand-alone treatment for psychosis.
Summary – Can CBD Prevent or Treat Psychosis?
Researchers have looked into how CBD affects many other neuropsychiatric conditions. Conditions like epilepsy, PTSD, depression, dystonia, Parkinson's Disease and Huntington's disorder. Also, diseases that affect other organs and systems, like inflammation, immune response, ischaemia, diabetes, cancer, and many others. Most of these indications are still at the level of studies on animals in a lab.
New research shows that the plant has been misunderstood, although cannabis has a negative reputation when it comes to psychotic diseases like schizophrenia. Studies have shown that CBD slows down the progression of psychosis and even prevents it.
FAQ – CBD for psychosis?
Research is ongoing, but some studies suggest that CBD might have potential benefits in managing certain symptoms of psychosis, such as reducing the frequency and severity of episodes. However, it is crucial to approach this with caution and always consult with a healthcare professional before starting any new treatment.
CBD is believed to interact with the body's endocannabinoid system, which plays a role in regulating various functions, including mood and cognitive processes. It might help by balancing the chemical imbalances in the brain associated with psychosis, but more research is needed to fully understand its mechanisms.
CBD is generally considered safe for most people, with few and mild side effects reported. However, its safety and efficacy as a treatment for psychosis specifically require further research. Always discuss potential risks and benefits with a healthcare provider.
There is no universally recommended dosage of CBD for treating psychosis, as it can vary based on individual factors such as body weight, the severity of symptoms, and tolerance. It's essential to start with a low dose and gradually increase as advised by a healthcare professional.
It's important not to replace any current medication with CBD without consulting a healthcare provider. While CBD may offer potential benefits, it should not be seen as a substitute for prescribed medications, especially without professional guidance due to the risk of adverse effects or interactions.
I am a certified expert in Medicinal Cannabis. We are all about giving correct and trustworthy information. We know how important it is to learn about CBD and cannabis, which is why we want to be your go-to source for trustworthy information. We help you improve your health by using our knowledge and experience as a starting point.
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