Use of cannabinoids for the treatment of patients with post-traumatic stress disorder.
Marika L Forsythe, Andrew J Boileau
Journal of basic and clinical physiology and pharmacology March 4, 2021 DOI: 10.1515/jbcpp-2020-0279 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Randomized Case report Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Patients with post-traumatic stress disorder across the reviewed studies |
| Interventions | Cannabis extracts tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) cannabidiol (CBD) synthetic cannabinoids |
| Topics | Cannabis CBD PTSD |
| Keywords | Dronabinol Fear extinction Nabilone |
| Key findings | The authors conclude that cannabinoids, including cannabis extracts, THC, CBD, and synthetic cannabinoids, improve overall PTSD symptoms such as sleep quality and quantity, hyperarousal, and treatment-resistant nightmares, and enhance consolidation and retention when given during extinction training. They report these treatments as relatively well tolerated, with common adverse effects of light-headedness, forgetfulness, dizziness, and headaches. |
Abstract
Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a diagnosis of extreme anxiety caused by a traumatic event. Less than 10% of individuals who have experienced severe trauma will develop this disorder. Treatment options include various psychotherapies, but not all patients respond to them. Different pharmacological approaches have been explored as potential adjuvants, including using cannabinoids to target the endocannabinoid system to reduce the symptoms and enhance extinction training over the associated fear memories. This review was aimed to determine the effects of using cannabinoids for treatment of PTSD. For this review, four cohort studies, four randomized clinical trials, one case report, and one case series were obtained from PubMed within the last 10 years. Cannabis extracts, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD), and synthetic cannabinoids were used in the studies to target the cannabinoid receptors 1 and 2. Cannabinoids were shown to improve overall PTSD symptoms, including sleep quality and quantity, hyperarousal, and treatment-resistant nightmares. When participants were undergoing extinction training, cannabinoids given within the same time interval enhanced consolidation and retention. Cannabinoids have been shown to be an effective treatment option for patients with PTSD. Besides aiding to relieve the symptoms and enhance extinction training, they also are relatively well tolerated. Common adverse effects included light-headedness, forgetfulness, dizziness, and headaches.
Comparable studies
Other narrative reviews on PTSD, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Psychedelic Psychiatry's Brave New World. | 2020 | Review | |
| Reviewing the Potential of Psychedelics for the Treatment of PTSD | 2020 | Review | |
| Novel psychopharmacological therapies for psychiatric disorders: psilocybin and MDMA. | 2016 | Review | |
| MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD: Are memory reconsolidation and fear extinction underlying mechanisms? | 2018 | Review | |
| Clinical applications of hallucinogens: A review. | 2016 | Review |
Citations in the library
Cited by 3
- Treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: A State-of-the-art Review. Current Neuropharmacology 2024
- Fármacos enteógenos y la depresión resistente al tratamiento: Una revisión narrativa Psicumex June 1, 2024
- Review of potential psychedelic treatments for PTSD. Journal of the Neurological Sciences August 15, 2022
Cites 8
- The safety and efficacy of {+/-}3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine-assisted psychotherapy in subjects with chronic, treatment-resistant posttraumatic stress disorder: the first randomized controlled pilot study. Journal of Psychopharmacology July 19, 2010
- The efficacy of nabilone, a synthetic cannabinoid, in the treatment of PTSD-associated nightmares: A preliminary randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled cross-over design study. Psychoneuroendocrinology January 2015
- Use of a synthetic cannabinoid in a correctional population for posttraumatic stress disorder-related insomnia and nightmares, chronic pain, harm reduction, and other indications: a retrospective evaluation. Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology October 2014
- Cannabinoid modulation of prefrontal-limbic activation during fear extinction learning and recall in humans. Neurobiology of Learning and Memory September 2014
- Preliminary, open-label, pilot study of add-on oral Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol in chronic post-traumatic stress disorder. Clinical drug investigation August 2014
and 3 more in the library