Thanks to its enormous therapeutic potential, CBD (cannabidiol) is attracting new patients every year in search of a gentle and natural solution to stress, anxiety and depression. According to scientific studies, CBD would be able to regulate our endocannabinoid system, and thus, to alleviate some symptoms of depression.
In this article, you will find all the information related to CBD and depression. How does CBD work on depressed people? What are its benefits on the short and long term? Can CBD be mixed with traditional antidepressants? Without further ado, discover the power of CBD in the context of depression.
What are the symptoms of depression?
Depression is considered a neurochemical imbalance or deficiency. However, many doctors and scientists believe that this neurochemical problem is more a symptom than a cause of depression. Whatever its origin, depression has symptoms that vary from person to person. The biggest risk factor with depression is, of course, self-harm, suicide, substance abuse, and many other health problems.
Typically, people with depression experience great sadness, hopelessness, and a complete lack of motivation. Other symptoms of depression include feelings of indifference, loss of appetite and energy, difficulty sleeping, poor concentration, and low self-esteem.
If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, it is absolutely essential to consult a doctor before turning to CBD. Depression is a very serious illness that needs to be addressed as soon as possible by a medical professional to prevent your condition from getting worse by the day.
The benefits of CBD for depressed people
Well known for its calming and relaxing effects, CBD helps toalleviate some of the symptoms of depression and lighten the mind of patients who are often very polluted by harmful thoughts. Moreover, scientific research has shown that CBD is able to interact with the endocannabinoid system. Thus, CBD promotes the release of serotonin and dopamine. This allows to bring to depressed people a pleasant feeling of lightness, well-being, joy, and good mood. Even if the benefits of therapeutic hemp are ephemeral and dissipate after a few hours, the consumption of CBD contributes to the improvement of symptoms in the long term.
In fact, a recent scientific study was conducted on rats and mice to prove the effectiveness of CBD on depression symptoms. The results indicate that CBD causes a rapid and long-lasting antidepressant effect on the animals. Thanks to these experiments, the researchers were able to highlight the very promising therapeutic virtues of CBD, which could perhaps in the future become a fast-acting antidepressant drug. In other words, CBD is particularly effective in giving a boost during periods of intense discomfort.
What are the advantages of CBD compared to conventional drugs?
For now, the first results suggest that CBD could be more effective than conventional antidepressants. It should be noted that depressed patients generally need 2 to 4 weeks to assimilate drug treatments and feel a significant change. In addition to being very long-acting, these treatments are ineffective in 40% of patients. This is a huge percentage that reflects the reality and the lack of solutions to treat this widespread disease.
Taking antidepressants also has many side effects that vary from patient to patient: drowsiness or excitement, weight gain or loss, constipation, dry mouth, nausea and vomiting, low blood pressure, low libido, etc. Although antidepressants are intended to bring patients out of depression, they tend to worsen their quality of life in some respects.
For the Brazilian scientists who conducted the experiment on rats and mice, CBD in a single dose eliminates most of the symptoms of depression the same day. The animals regain normal activity almost instantly and the beneficial effects can be felt for a whole week. When taken regularly, CBD helps maintain the positive effects over the long term, and thus, reduces depressive behaviour.
Can CBD be taken alongside antidepressants?
Antidepressants can cause many side effects, and they present a high risk of addiction. So, is it possible to mix CBD with antidepressants that are already heavy on side effects? To date, there are no reports of studies that discuss the risks of CBD combined with antidepressants. This does not mean that there is no risk, but rather that bad reports are rare. In a few isolated cases, taking CBD alongside antidepressants has caused mild drowsiness and decreased concentration. In other words, the risk of side effects is really minimal. As a precaution, always seek advice from your doctor or pharmacist before making any changes that could interfere with your treatment.
Can CBD cure depression?
Although it holds great promise for the future, CBD cannot be considered a medicine or a treatment in its own right. Today, CBD cannot claim to cure any disease, but according to scientific research, it is only a matter of time before cannabis proves itself in the medical field. At present, we know that CBD interacts with the endocannabinoid system and helps regulate certain imbalances in our bodies such as appetite, mood, and sleep. By promoting the production of serotonin and dopamine, CBD also helps relieve stress and restore a sense of well-being after the first dose.
How long does it take to feel the benefits of CBD?
The advantage of CBD is that it is able to provide you with quick, even instantaneous, relaxing effects depending on how you take it. From a psychological and neurological point of view, the improvement is immediate, where antidepressants take several weeks to take effect. If you consume it regularly, the effects will be prolonged. That being said, CBD cannot be considered a miracle cure for depression. It calms your mind, fights stress and anxiety, improves the quality of sleep, and helps you have a more peaceful day.
