This condition has harmed the mental health of many people for a long time, especially in a young population, affected by an unconscious society, which usually attacks from a minor point of view and without observing the reality of the mass psychological damage that They can cause, like any disease, a series of medications that mitigate symptoms have been developed, which in most cases result in side effects that only aggravate the patient's mental state.
CBD, a natural medicine that has managed to affect the symptoms of depression, seems to be the option of many patients compared to conventional treatment, or in certain cases, as complements to them, but how can cannabidiol help in this condition? ? Or who claims the benefits of using CBD in the treatment of depression? That and more are the topics we will discuss in this article.
We will make an evaluation of the pros and cons of the interaction, obtaining specific information about its action, in this way we allow you to draw your own conclusions and have a better point of view about this new way to treat depression, which does not affect negative way to the body.
Depression and its effect on the patient
This disease is defined by the World Health Organization as a very common mental disorder, characterized by states such as sadness, loss of interest or pleasure, feelings of guilt, lack of self-esteem, sleep or appetite disorders, feeling tired and lack of concentration.
The factors that can contribute to the cause of depression are basically social, psychological and biological, that is, a person in situations where they have a great personal impact, such as a death, the loss of a job, certain social or family pressure, a sentimental separation and others; as well as psychological conditions of genetic origin.
Depression and Stress In most cases they go hand in hand, and stress may be a cause of anxiety and depression, likewise the latter is associated with different irregularities in physical health, such as cardiovascular problems.
According to the WHO, this disease affects more than 300.000 million people worldwide, it is the main global cause of disability, affecting women more than men and sometimes leading to suicide, being the second cause of death in groups. ages between 15 and 29 years.
There are two types of depression, which are: recurrent depressive disorder, characterized by the appearance of depressive episodes on several occasions, bringing with them several of their symptoms, which depending on the number and frequency with which they appear, these could be classified as mild, moderate or severe. On the other hand, we have the bipolar affective disorder, this is characterized by episodes, both manic and depressive, separated by intervals.
The treatments indicated to attack this condition normally consist of antidepressant medications and psychological therapies. This will depend on the severity of the depression, since in milder cases such strong medications are usually avoided and less invasive treatments are used. Some studies have shown that treating inflammation is also an option to control this disease.
CBD is used to combat depression during research and these were the results.
Numerous studies have tested the action of this cannabinoid as an adjuvant in the treatment of depressive symptoms, finding results that seem promising.
At first we mentioned a study from 2006 where, CBD served as a preventative medication for depression, when verifying its combative action against stress, which as we well know is usually one of the causes of depression; Patients who were users of cannabis compounds were less likely to develop depression than those who did not use it.
In 2010 a study was carried out in mice, where CBD demonstrated to have antidepressant-like effects, especially one well known as Imipramine, which, acts by stimulating the production of norepinephrine and serotonin to relieve depressive symptoms. This occurred while the mice were undergoing a swimming test with CBD, to promote motivation, acting as a producer of positive activity, which was a complete success.
A 2011 study focused on the relationship that has been investigated in previous years, where the deficiency of the signaling of the endocannabinoid system is associated with the etiology of depression at a preclinical level, this being capable of producing symptoms of depression in humans. at a clinical level. On the other hand, there was the same association in patients with depression, who had low levels of endocannabinoids, both circulating and centrally, so it was noted that many antidepressants caused an alteration in endocannabinoid signaling, producing in some cases a neuropathic effect.
In this way, the use of cannabinoids such as CBD is related to reversing this signaling deficiency in a positive way, producing effects similar to those of antidepressants, which would even work better.
Another anecdotal study from 2016 revealed the potential of CBD to improve serotonin and glutamate levels, an effect that occurred immediately after the first injection with CBD in mice. This could clarify the similar action of cannabidiol to antidepressant medications, having Both the antidepressant effect and the improved neurotransmission of 5-HT/glutamate were predicted by the blockade of the 5-HT1A receptor, which is responsible for the release of serotonin.
In that same year, another study similar to that of 2010, once again demonstrated the benefits of CBD on the activity of depressed mice, concluding that the mice were more active and motivated after their dose of CBD.
A very characteristic study carried out in Sweden tells us about the experience of the researchers, when the result of their experiment was unsuccessful. 45.000 people participated in this research, where markers of disturbed behavior during childhood and confounding factors were controlled, in order to associate cannabis use with the probability of suffering from depression; The results obtained were completely contrary, since patients between 18 and 20 years old did not seem to be at risk of suffering from this condition when consuming cannabis, so they concluded that:
"“With the large number of cases and controlling for important background factors, we believe our study adds information to previous findings supporting the hypothesis that cannabis use does not increase the risk of depression.”
What about beta-caryophyllene and depression?
As we probably already know, terpenes are that part of cannabis that is responsible for giving the smell and flavor of the buds, but that is not all, some of them play an important role in its effects on the body, so, It has been noted that terpenes may have their own role as medicine or may help intensify the effects of cannabinoids.
In this case we are talking about the terpene called beta-caryophyllene, which is associated with having beneficial effects on anxiety and depression. It is capable of interacting with the endocannabinoid system in a similar way to cannabidiol and by acting on the CB2 receptor, it does not produces psychoactivity.
A study carried out in mice and published in the journal Physiology and Behavior, was presented with the purpose of demonstrating the effectiveness of beta-caryophyllene against anxiety and depression. The mice, after a dose of 50 mg/kg of this terpene, were subjected to 3 different tests to demonstrate the anxiolytic effect and 3 more for the antidepressant effect, with which the researchers obtained, as a result, an improvement in all the parameters observed during the tests, thus demonstrating that beta-caryophyllene administered preventively is capable of reduce the effects of anxiety and depression
However, studies on this terpene are not complete enough to consider it an adjuvant in the treatment of diseases such as depression, but it is expected that over time it will become on par with CBD.
Benefits of CBD against depressive processes
There are numerous benefits that this compound provides to the treatment of various diseases, directly attacking the symptoms and promoting a better lifestyle for patients, but what benefits exactly are those that work against depression? Next, we will name them:
- Serotonin production: As we have been able to observe in the studies described previously, one of the advantages that the consumption of CBD provides us is the stimulation of the production of serotonin, which is decreased in depressive processes and its increase means, without a doubt, , the patient's improvement, this is thanks to the action of CBD at the level of the endocannabinoid receptors in the brain.
- It enhances sleep quality: One of the very common disorders in depressive states is poor sleep conciliation, which only promotes neuronal damage and therefore a certain worsening of the disease, in addition to altering the good response in the patient's daily routine, CBD thanks to its effects sleep regulator and relaxant, allows him to recover his normal function on sleep and therefore, significantly improve the outcome of his disease, at the same time that his lifestyle prospers.
- Reduces stress and anxiety processes: As we very well know, stress, anxiety and depression go hand in hand, the latter is mainly affected by any of the first two, and thanks to the information that exists on the anxiolytic effects and anti-stress effects of CBD, we have a point in favor in the prevention of depression.
- Reduces inflammation: In some studies, an alteration in immunological markers has been associated with patients with severe depression, including an elevation in the activity of pro-inflammatory cytokines, which tells us that the anti-inflammatory effect that CBD provides in almost all forms of inflammation , helps patients with depression avoid neurodegeneration.
- Zero addiction and side effects: In many cases, it is associated with conventional medications, an addiction on the part of the patient, which in turn could intensify the damage of the side effects that some of them produce, in this way much worse damage to health could be triggered. Of this, CBD, by having a similar effect to these medications, could help not depend on them completely, however, could the patient become addicted to cannabis consumption? Studies have shown that CBD does not cause addiction or serious side effects on health.
CBD oil for depression
If you want to eliminate depression from your daily life, we recommend our CBD oils, which you can find in different concentrations:
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Conclusion on the use of CBD in depression
According to studies carried out on the interaction of CBD and depression, this natural medicine could significantly help patients who suffer from this disorder or who are at risk of developing it, while increasing their levels of norepinephrine and serotonin, helping the body. to fight the disease alone.
CBD acts regularly, that is, you will not have definitive results immediately after consuming it, you will have to go through an adaptation process and you will see improvements little by little, to the point where it is quite noticeable.
We recommend assistance from a health professional to guide you on how you could use this wonderful cannabis compound, taking into account that the doctor could help you establish a dosage appropriate and give you the necessary tips in case you are a beginner, to deal with some side effects, in turn it will be able to give you the correct instructions to combine it with your prescribed medications, since some of these cannot be consumed while consuming CBD.
We also recommend attending psychological therapies, since in this way you can ensure the good result of the medicinal treatment. CBD will help to cope with aggravating situations of the disease, taking care of the process and allowing the patient not to develop another type of more serious condition.