Managing Addiction with CBD
A study published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology in 2006 found that CBD reduced anxiety in a group of participants, and did not have the same side effects as the anxiety medication ipsapirone. The authors of the study did not specifically mention the effects of CBD on addiction, but noted that CBD had anxiolytic (anxiety-reducing) effects.
A study published in the British Journal of Pharmacology in 2017 found that CBD reduced vomiting and nausea-like behavior in animals, and that this effect was mediated by the activation of 5-HT1A somatodendritic autoreceptors in the dorsal raphe nucleus. The authors of the study did not specifically mention the effects of CBD on addiction, but noted that CBD had anti-nausea effects.
A review published in the journal Neurotherapeutics in 2015 discussed the early phase in the development of CBD as a treatment for addiction. The authors of the review noted that CBD was effective in reducing opioid relapse, although more thorough research is needed to further support this effect.
Overall, these studies suggest that CBD doesn’t only assist with addiction cravings, but also effectively manages the common symptoms of addiction withdrawal.
References:
- Zuardi, A. W., Crippa, J. A., Dursun, S. M., & Wichert-Ana, L. (2006). The effects of ipsapirone and cannabidiol on human experimental anxiety. Journal of Psychopharmacology, 20(6), 753-759.
- Ren, Y., Whittard, J., Higuera-Matas, A., Morris, C. V., Hurd, Y. L., & Bonn-Miller, M. O. (2017). Cannabidiol, a nonpsychotropic component of cannabis, attenuates vomiting and nausea-like behaviour via indirect agonism of 5-HT(1A) somatodendritic autoreceptors in the dorsal raphe nucleus. British Journal of Pharmacology, 174(9), 1364-1378.
- Hurd, Y. L., Yoon, M., Manini, A. F., Hernandez, S., Olmedo, R., Ostman, M., … Zimmer, A. (2015). Early phase in the development of cannabidiol as a treatment for addiction: Opioid relapse takes initial center stage. Neurotherapeutics, 12(4), 807-815.
