Sydney, Australia: Patients diagnosed with anxiety and/or post-traumatic stress respond favorably to medical cannabis treatment, according to observational study data published in the Journal of Pharmacy Technology.
A team of Australian investigators assessed the safety and efficacy of oral cannabinoid formulations (either tinctures or capsules) containing various ratios of THC and CBD in 198 patients with anxiety disorders. The median doses consumed by study participants were 50.0 mg/day for CBD and 4.4 mg/day for THC. (Australian law permits physicians to authorize cannabis products to patients unresponsive to conventional prescription treatments.)
Researchers reported, “The total participant sample reported significantly improved anxiety, depression, fatigue, and ability to take part in social roles and activities.”
Among the subset of subjects diagnosed specifically with post-traumatic stress, cannabis therapy similarly “improved anxiety, depression, fatigue, and social abilities,” with CBD-dominant formulations exhibiting the greatest efficacy.
The most common adverse events experienced by participants were dry mouth, somnolence, and fatigue.
The findings are consistent with those of recent observational studies from the United Kingdom which similarly showed that cannabis therapy was safe and effective for patients with generalized anxiety and post-traumatic stress.
Full text of the study, “The effectiveness and the adverse events of cannabidiol and tetrahydrocannabinol used in the treatment of anxiety disorders in a PTSD population: An interim analysis of an observational study,” appears in the Journal of Pharmacy Technology. Additional information on cannabis and post-traumatic stress is available from NORML’s publication, Clinical Applications for Cannabis & Cannabinoids.