Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition that can develop after someone experiences or witnesses a traumatic event. People with PTSD may have ongoing difficulties like flashbacks, bad dreams, changes in mood and feeling on edge, and feelings of being alone or guilty. It’s thought that between 5% and 10% of people experience PTSD.
Often, PTSD occurs alongside other mental health issues, such as anxiety and depression. People with PTSD are also more likely to develop other health problems, including long-lasting pain, memory issues, and problems with their heart.
Common Ways PTSD is Treated
The usual treatments for PTSD involve talking therapies, like trauma-focused cognitive therapy and eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing (EMDR). Sometimes, medications might also be considered. These can include selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and nonselective monoamine oxidase inhibitors.
While these treatments work well for some people, it’s estimated that about one in three patients may not find relief from them. This highlights the need to explore other potential ways to help people with PTSD.
Exploring Medical Cannabis for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
In recent years, researchers have been increasingly interested in the potential of the cannabis plant to help with various health conditions, including PTSD. Substances found in cannabis, like cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), can interact with the body’s endocannabinoid system.
For instance, THC can activate CB1 receptors (CB1R) in the brain. These receptors are found in areas that play a role in managing fear, such as the amygdala, hippocampus, and ventromedial prefrontal cortex. While CBD doesn’t strongly bind to CB1R and CB2R receptors, both CBD and THC might have effects through their interactions with other targets in the body.
Previous findings from the UK Medical Cannabis Registry indicated that patients using medical cannabis reported changes in PTSD symptoms, sleep, and anxiety after six months of treatment. However, more long-term research is needed to better understand how well and how safely medical cannabis products work for PTSD over time.
The UK Medical Cannabis Registry: Reports from Real-World Patients
Curaleaf Clinic launched the UK Medical Cannabis Registry in 2019. It was the first registry in the UK designed to gather information about the safety and how well medical cannabis works for different health conditions in a real-world setting. By collecting data from patients who are actually using medical cannabis, the UK Medical Cannabis Registry provides valuable insights into the potential of medical cannabis.
Following on from the previous analysis, a recent study looked at patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) from the UK Medical Cannabis Registry to see how patients with PTSD responded to medical cannabis over 18 months.
What the Registry Data Showed
Researchers analysed several PROMs to assess how PTSD symptoms improved in patients. They used different tools to measure PTSD-specific symptoms and overall quality of life. They also noted any side effects experienced by the participants. The key findings were:
- PTSD symptoms: Scores on the IES-R, a measure of PTSD symptoms, showed changes from the start of the study through all follow-up points at 1, 3, 6, 12, and 18 months. Specific aspects of PTSD, such as avoidance, intrusive thoughts, and feeling overly alert, also showed changes.
- General Quality of Life: Patients reported changes in their overall health-related quality of life, as measured by the EQ-5D-5L index. Within this, they reported changes in their ability to carry out usual activities, levels of pain and discomfort, and feelings of anxiety and depression across all time points.
- Anxiety and sleep: Significant changes in anxiety levels and sleep quality were observed between the start of the study and each follow-up point at 1, 3, 6, 12, and 18 months.
- Adverse Events: Adverse events were reported by 70 out of 269 participants (26.02%), and most of these were mild or moderate. The most common side effects reported were difficulty sleeping and tiredness.
What This Means
These findings offer valuable insights into the potential of medical cannabis for managing PTSD symptoms. Changes were seen across all the measures reported by patients throughout the study. However, it’s important to remember that because this study observed what happened to patients in the registry, it doesn’t definitively prove that medical cannabis directly caused these changes.
The Future of Medical Cannabis Research
Observational data, like that gathered through the UK Medical Cannabis Registry, provides crucial information about the potential of medical cannabis. This information can help guide future research and how doctors approach the use of this medication.
Patients of Curaleaf Clinic have the opportunity to join the Curaleaf Access Scheme. This allows them to contribute to this important research while potentially reducing the cost of their care. By participating, you could help us learn more about how well medical cannabis works for various conditions, including PTSD.
