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These days, medical marijuana is increasingly recommended and often substituted for prescription drugs that have serious side-effects and addictive properties.
Drug addiction is a chronically relapsing disorder characterized by the compulsive desire to use drugs and a loss of control over consumption. Cannabidiol (CBD), is thought to modulate various neuronal circuits involved in drug addiction. The goal of this systematic review is to summarize the available preclinical and clinical data on the impact of CBD on addictive behaviors.
This article has been created based on data received from numerous resources. Withdrawal from a source may cause bodily harm, pain, nausea, etc. Please do all your research and if you decide cannabis is the best method for you then please seek help from a trusted professional, start with low dosing, and monitor your cannabis dosing. Good luck on your adventure to recovery!
It's not easy! But, it's not impossible!
A limited number of preclinical studies suggest that CBD may have therapeutic properties on opioid, cocaine, and psychostimulant addiction, and some preliminary data suggest that it may be beneficial in cannabis and tobacco addiction.
The reason why addiction is so hard to kick is the cyclic nature by which its symptoms occur. Opioids produce pleasure and euphoria, activating the brain’s reward pathways. With continued use, sensitivity to the drug decreases and more is required to achieve the same effect. At a certain point, cessation of the drug gives rise to withdrawal symptoms, or adverse effects like pain and anxiety. The grip of opioids is particularly strong as they induce intense withdrawal symptoms – pain, nausea, vomiting, anxiety – while tolerance builds quickly.
* The Intoxication Phase: when the drug produces positive rewarding experiences
* The Withdrawal Phase: when the user experiences acute physical and psychological withdrawal symptoms
* The Relapse Phase: when the user experiences cravings and is at risk of drug-seeking behaviors after abstinence.
Multiple cannabinoids derived from the marijuana plant have potential therapeutic benefits but most have not been well investigated, despite the widespread legalization of medical marijuana in the USA and other countries.
Different phytocannabinoids appear to induce opposing actions that can confound the development of treatment interventions. Whereas THC has been well documented to be rewarding and to enhance sensitivity to other drugs, cannabidiol (CBD), in contrast, appears to have low reinforcing properties with limited abuse potential and to inhibit drug-seeking behavior.
Other considerations such as CBD's anxiolytic properties and minimal adverse side effects also support its potential viability as a treatment option for a variety of symptoms associated with drug addiction.
As the legal landscape for medical marijuana unfolds, it is important to distinguish it from "medical CBD" and other specific cannabinoids, that can more appropriately be used to maximize the medicinal potential of the marijuana plant.
Medical Marijuana could lower Prescription Drug Use
New research shows that the use of legal medical marijuana for medicinal purposes lowered prescription drug use among Medicare enrollees.Researchers in the study, which was published in Health Affairs, included data about prescriptions filled from 2010 to 2013 by Medicare Part D enrollees. Only conditions that had an FDA-approved medication that could be treated with medical marijuana were included.
Conditions such as anxiety, depression, glaucoma, nausea, pain, psychosis, seizures, sleep disorders, and spasticity were examined.
Researchers discovered that prescriptions in the pain category decreased by 1826 daily doses, and depression medication decreased by 265 daily doses.
Researchers discovered that prescriptions in the pain category decreased by 1826 daily doses, and depression medication decreased by 265 daily doses.
Medical marijuana can decrease eye pressure by 25% in patients with glaucoma, but the effects last 1 hour. Researchers found that the daily doses for glaucoma medication increased by 35.
"It turns out that glaucoma is one of the most Googled searches linked to marijuana, right after pain," said study co-author W. David Bradford. "Glaucoma is an extremely serious condition. The patient then goes into the doctor, the doctor diagnoses the patient with glaucoma, and no doctor is going to let the patient walk out without being treated."
A Canadian researcher discovered that 63% of patients reported using medical cannabis as a substitute for prescription drugs, such as opioids, sedatives, and anti-depressants.
There is already evidence that cannabis is used to substitute opioids!
THIS IS GOOD NEWS!.......
"In the United States, total prescription drug spending in Medicare for both program and enrollee spending fell by $165 million per year in 2013 after the implementation of several state medical cannabis laws. The most common reported drug substitution was opioids, followed by benzodiazepines and antidepressants."
The researchers estimate the savings to Medicare alone would have been $468 million if all states were to adopt the laws.
CBD on Heroin:
The findings highlight the unique contributions of distinct cannabis constituents to addiction vulnerability and suggest that CBD may be a potential treatment for heroin craving and relapse.
It has been shown that cannabidiol attenuates cue-induced reinstatement of heroin seeking. We investigated the effects of cannabidiol on brain reward function and on the reward-facilitating effect of morphine and cocaine using the intracranial self-stimulation (ICSS) paradigm. A low dose of cannabidiol did not affect the reinforcing efficacy of brain stimulation, whereas higher doses significantly elevated the threshold frequency required for MFB ICSS. Both cocaine and morphine lowered ICSS thresholds. Cannabidiol inhibited the reward-facilitating effect of morphine, but not cocaine. The present findings indicate that cannabidiol does not exhibit reinforcing properties in the ICSS paradigm at any of the doses tested, while it decreases the reward-facilitating effects of morphine.
Our results suggest that cannabidiol interferes with brain reward mechanisms responsible for the expression of the acute reinforcing properties of opioids, thus indicating that cannabidiol may be clinically useful in attenuating the rewarding effects of opioids.
"Opioid analgesic overdose mortality continues to rise in the US, driven by increases in prescribing for chronic pain."
* * * * * * * PLEASE SEE A TRUSTED PROFESSIONAL TO HELP
Studies on Rats about Nicotine addiction and CBD:
Those treated with CBD significantly reduced the number of cigarettes smoked by ~40% during treatment. These preliminary data suggest CBD to be a potential treatment for nicotine addiction.
CBD's health effects on Alcohol Dependence:
Even if a person who is alcohol-dependent wants to stop drinking, the negative impact of withdrawal will often prevent them from doing so.
Recent studies provides the first demonstration of CBD as an in vivo neuroprotectant and shows the efficacy of lipophilic antioxidants in preventing binge ethanol-induced brain injury.
CB1 receptor stimulation is involved with subjectively feeling reward/pleasure. However, if the receptors are overstimulated, as by long-term, heavy use of alcohol, their activity/availability will decrease. During a period of abstinence from alcohol, this decreased stimulation may lead to an increased craving for alcohol, in order to re-establish the positive feelings associated with its use. Additionally, during the early phases of abstinence, neurons become overactivated, which can lead to their damage and death.
Therefore, for alcohol-dependent individuals attempting to reduce or eliminate their alcohol use, treatments aimed at increasing signaling of cannabinoid receptors in the brain.
Since cannabinoids may act as neuroprotective agents (with the potential to reduce hyperexcitability and prevent brain cell damage), cannabinoid therapies may directly prevent harm to the brain caused by withdrawal.
Cannabinoid therapy use, in combination with alcohol abstinence, may be helpful in the treatment of alcohol dependence and withdrawal by assisting in the prevention of alcohol cravings.
CBD can help with Addictive Behavior
Studies show that cannabidiol, reduces anxiety via cannabinoid receptor activation in paradigms assessing innate responses to threat. There is also accumulating evidence from animal studies investigating the effects of cannabidiol on fear memory processing indicating that it reduces learned fear in paradigms that are translationally relevant to phobias and post-traumatic stress disorder.
The findings suggest that cannabidiol reduces the expression of drug memory.
Integrating Cannabis into Holistic Care:
To successfully integrate cannabis into addiction recovery, physical, sociocultural, and psychological factors all need to be addressed. Throwing out the prescription bottles and picking up an ounce of cannabis may be effective in the short run, but the process can be made easier by making sure that you and your care team are addressing factors that fuel the addiction, rather than just making simple substitutions.
For example, poor diet can be contributing to pain and inflammation, leading to a greater need to turn to relief in the form of opiates or alcohol. Successfully treating addiction can mean looking at all areas of health and wellness, not simply focusing on medicating behaviors.
Oftentimes, major life stressors and traumas contribute to addiction. Counseling and behavioral therapy are thought to be helpful in addition and cannabis can be seen as a tool to make therapy more effective.
A human trial of 48 participants shows CBD may reduce learned fear. The cannabinoid engages with parts of the brain responsible for memory formation, though the active mechanisms are not entirely clear. The trial found that CBD treatment after a fearful event (an electric shock associated with a colored square) helped to prevent a fear associated with a particular color.
Similarly, early research suggests that CBD has potent anti-anxiety and antipsychotic properties, which could potentially make it useful in therapy sessions. While more research is needed, CBD seems to help people remain in a calm and relaxed state of mind during treatment.
Generally speaking, there are a couple of different approaches people often use to change habits. One is the cold turkey approach, where you immediately cut out all of the factors contributing to addiction. This often means no indulgences, like the occasional glass of beer or a few puffs of cannabis.
Instead of going cold turkey, gradually cutting back or developing a healthier relationship with a substance is a way of taking a harms reduction approach to addiction.
Picking up a cannabis habit in exchange for something more severe like opioid or heroin addiction is harms reduction. The herb has a higher margin of safety than legal substances like alcohol and tobacco. It’s also less addictive than seemingly all other substances of abuse and has yet to be correlated with even a single overdose death.
The harms reduction approach is controversial, as critics view this as simply trading one habit-forming substance for another. However, this criticism largely stems from a culture of zero-tolerance, which has a long history of failure.
Cannabis is not simply a less harmful replacement for more dangerous and disruptive drugs. While some may find that cannabis is simply a healthier alternative to opioids and other substances of abuse, cannabis treatments can have far deeper spiritual and psychological meaning.
Though the cannabis experience is subjective, many find that the psychoactive components in the herb are helpful for getting into a new mindset. It’s also not uncommon to hear people say that they feel more “normal” after consuming cannabis.
Still, research suggests that about 9 percent of cannabis consumers become addicted to the herb. After battling with other forms of addiction, it’s not surprising that many addicts or concerned parties are a little wary about the herb. To find success with cannabis, it’s important to approach the plant with mindful attentiveness.
Keeping a detailed record of how you are using the herb can help consumers stay responsible. This record can include dosages you are taking, time of each dose, cravings, or other noticeable side effects or changes. Taking note of this information helps you and your medical team see precisely whether or not the plant is actually helping. It can also tip you off about other lifestyle or relationship factors that may contribute to binges.
Some other ways to develop a healthy relationship with cannabis include:
- Consider low-THC strains
- Take tolerance breaks
- Stick to lowest therapeutic dose
- Integrate cannabis into a larger treatment plan
- Work with trusted professionals
- Practice self-compassion
Disclaimer: the information presented in this article is intended for educational purposes and should not be used in place of medical advice or treatment.
Please find a team of trusted, Cannabis Medical Professionals to help you on your path to recovery!!
Dosage
Cannabis rich with CBD is a good place to start for someone trying to overcome addiction. Oil, tinctures, edibles, smoking, or vaping flower varieties high in CBD with very low amounts of THC. If you can, find a strain with lower Myrcene terpenes and more caryophyllene terpenes, such as the strain "Cookies."
If using cannabis for pain, you ant to establish the most effective dose by taking the least amount of THC required. When consuming cannabis it is best to start low doses and slowly increase the amount of cannabis, if required to provide the level of effect needed. By taking less, rather than more, and carefully increasing the dose only until optimal effectiveness is reached, you may decrease the likelihood of developing a tolerance to the benefits of cannabis, while also minimizing intoxication from a dose.
It is important to find the right combination of CBD:THC to overcome withdrawal and pain.
Resources:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26269227 https://www.projectcbd.org/condition/4/Addiction
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22862835 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23727505
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19940171 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25258021
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15878999 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25154332
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4444130/pdf/sart-9-2015-033.pdf
https://discovercbd.com/blogs/cbd-news/cbd-and-addiction
https://www.medicaljane.com/2015/01/10/cannabinoid-therapies-for-the-treatment-of-alcohol-dependence/
http://www.ajpb.com/news/medical-marijuana-could-lower-prescription-drug-use
https://discovercbd.com/blogs/cbd-news/cbd-and-addiction
