The problem with antidepressants is that they take a week or more to begin providing the desired effect, not to mention they come with a host of side effects. CBD products like tinctures could offer a different method. By using CBD oils, a drop or two under the tongue may start to take effect immediately, delivering instant results that can be measured in minutes instead of days or weeks. With CBD products available in oils, pills, and gummies, there is a possible method of consumption that will work for even those who do not like taking medicine.
Another potential benefit of CBD over antidepressant medications is that they are not addictive. Many of the prescribed medications have a high rate of addiction and users can abuse them with lethal results. Studies have shown that CBD products would not hold this same addictive quality, making CBD a safer alternative to some of the traditional medications that are currently offered.
Each year, millions of people are prescribed anti-depressants to combat depression, but many find these pharmaceuticals affect their personality and general alertness to the point of lethargy, so they are turning to an alternative: CBD. The last few years have seen a marked increase in the marketing and use of CBD as an alternative to anti-depression medication. This is due to changes in US federal and state laws that have allowed for the resumption of the production of hemp in the US as well as states that have allowed the use of cannabis for medical and recreational purposes.
CBD is used to treat a number of conditions that are associated with depression including bipolar disorder, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and a host of other conditions. This is due to the many health benefits that CBD has been proven to have. One of the more promising of these benefits for people suffering from depression is the neuroprotective properties of CBD.
In the case of depression and depression-related conditions, CBD can reduce and even stamp out the symptoms of depression. This is because CBD works with neuroreceptors in the body that naturally process cannabinoids. This system of neuroreceptors is called the endocannabinoid system or ECS.
The ECS is comprised of neurotransmitters that bind to cannabinoid receptors and cannabinoid receptor proteins that are located in the brain and throughout the central nervous system and peripheral nervous system. Traditional treatment for depression includes individual and/or group therapy, usually cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). CBT works by helping patients explore and change negative distorted thoughts, beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors to improve emotional wellness.
CBT is usually provided in combination with a regimen of antidepressant medications. Doctors have a wide selection of medications to prescribe and each belongs to one of several classes of drugs that act in different manners on the brain. While many generally provide similar results, the effects can vary from person to person and they each have side effects.
Clinical studies, as well as history, tells us that CBD and cannabis can be effective in treating depression. The difference between now and the ancient use of cannabis is that we now have the medical and scientific knowledge to determine how CBD and other cannabinoids affect the brain to achieve the antidepressant effects.
And while more research needs to be done, all signs point to CBD eventually becoming the tool of choice to fight depression. The lack of side effects, the wide availability, and the fact that the body is a natural producer and processor of CBD make it a prime candidate to overtake all other medications on the market in the fight against depression.
