After-effects of trauma could be mentally debilitating for a person. There have been many anecdotes and studies which assures us the anti-anxiety and insomnia relieving effects of cannabis use. While fresh studies tend to look further into these assertions and highlight the compounds which are responsible for these effects.
The negative effects of PTSD ( post-traumatic stress disorder) could arise if you have gone through a life-changing experience or met an accident that caused you a great loss or if you have survived a horrible war.
You can easily obtain medical marijuana in or meet cannabis doctors in Fontana or San Diego as cannabis laws in California are liberal both in terms of medical land recreational use.
But the question is,
How effective is cannabis in the treatment of PTSD?
Comprehending PTSD
If you have gone through a frightening experience or witness a shocking event then it would activate your body’s natural defense mechanism, developing a fight response. In most of the cases, our natural fight response would help us to move past a frightening event. Though in some cases it becomes difficult for us to fight such stress and it builds over time and could fright us even years ager the event has passed, such reoccurring and prolonged stress is called PTSD.
Events like the death of a spouse or a loved one can also trigger PTSD. Symptoms of such stress could develop in the initial two months though could take years to substantiate.
Negative flashbacks, bad dreams, rushing heartbeat, and sweating are some common symptoms of PTSD that could follow the patient in the initial months. In fact, the National Institute of Mental Health revealed that patients could be found avoiding places or objects that could remind them of the traumatic experience, indicating that patience is still somewhere in the resistance phase. Negative self-image and loss of interest in everyday activities could also be noticed.
Evidence of Medical Marijuana in Disentangling PTSD patients
Self-administrated use of medical marijuana has helped many patients from emotional distress and has reported positive results in PTSD cases.
New Mexico has listed PTSD as the qualifying condition for medical marijuana.
This study conducted on 80 patients in a period of two years (2009-2011) showed a great amount of reduction in CAPS (cryopyrin-associated autoinflammatory syndrome) symptom score which implement a degree of PTSD indication severity.
Moreover, this review of the American Journal of Health-System concluded that a great number of military veterans with PTSD symptoms showed a reduction of insomnia and anxiety with the use of cannabis.
Pharmaceuticals Use May Not be The Best Practice For PTSD
Therapy and antidepressants are used in combination for the treatment of PTSD typically. Prescription drugs like Prozac andZolod act as SSRIs(serotonin reuptake inhibitors). According to this journal of neuropsychopharmacology, SRRIs showed that only20-30 percent of people showed complete relief from PTSD and have a response rate of about 60 percent with PTSD cases.
Moreover, Dr. Alexander Neumeister, the director at the molecular imaging program at NYU School of Medicine added that there is no pharmacological procedures developed particularly for PTSD and antidepressant solely do not work.
420 Clinic Fontana 