CBD and Opioid Epidemic – Here Is What You Need To Know

CBD is actually everywhere with rumors saying that it cures everything from cancer to bad moods. However, these are claims which are yet to be proved scientifically. All the same, studies on animals have it that CBD has some health benefits like pain relief, treating inflammation, arthritis and even anxiety. There is however a recent study which showed that CBD actually helps to curb cravings among people with opioid dependence. With confidence therefore, researchers say that CBD can help to fight opioid addiction and the opioid epidemic. It is however worth noting that purchasing OTC CBD is not a guarantee to treat the opioid addiction.

An overview of Addiction

For a better understanding of the manner in which CBD helps in treating opioid addiction, let us take a closer look of addiction and its alteration of the normal behavior. Addiction is largely explained as a complicated condition which is normally manifested by the compulsive substance use regardless of the harmful consequence. Addiction is termed as a disease since it hijacks and also alters the manner in which the brain functions.

The brain areas which are responsible of controlling daily perceptions of pleasurable activities are very susceptible to addictive drugs. These events will occur as a result of drug abuse with common drugs like alcohol, methamphetamines, cocaine and opioids as well.

The effective use of CBD against pain and depression

CBD oil actually shows a high potential in pain relief. The anecdotal evidence shows that this product is ideal for managing chronic pain in most cases. CBD is very promising since it does not have the intoxicating effects. Additionally, it is likely to cause less side effects as compared to other products.

CBD also shows some promises in treating depression as well. The good thing about this product is that it will cause very mild side effects. CBD appears to have the ability to interact positively with the serotonin receptors found in the brain. For this reason, depression will be a thing of the past.

Can CBD be used as Addiction Antidote?

Research about the potential of CBD to cure opioid addiction is very preliminary but at the same time growing. For instance, it has been illustrated that CBD actually lowers the craving for heroin both for humans and rats as well. It is also said that CBD causes a few and minor side effects making it an ideal option to treat this kind of addiction. Later in this article, we shall discuss the different studies about CBD and opioid addiction and what researchers had to say.

Opioid Epidemic and Usage of CBD

How can CBD help with the opioid epidemic? This remains a very big puzzle among so many people. Specialists say that there is a possibility that CBD will affect the manner in which brain cells that are damaged by the opioids actually communicate.

Additionally, it is thought that CBD could lower the anxiety and cravings which are the most common symptoms of the opioid withdrawal. The ability to decrease these two will decrease the drug use in the long run. This therefore means that even though the manner in which CBD works remains unknown, provided that it works for anxiety and craving means that the results are promising.

Research and studies involved

As we mentioned earlier, research is still ongoing on the effect that CBD has on opioid addiction. One family physician for instance said that he helped so many patients in tapering off opioids by simply substituting them with CBD. Provided that one starts slow, he said that they could finally get their desired results.

Another specialist said that she helped patients get rid of this addiction by putting them under CBD administration. She however said that more patients needed to use cannabis before they could confidently say that they successfully found a cure.

Where can you find CBD products?

In case you were wondering where you can buy CBD products, there are several options available. All products ranging from oils, edibles, CBD pain relief rub, to CBD pain relief cream can actually be found online from many retailers. Provided that you reside in a CBD-legalized state which has a cannabis dispensary, you can benefit from their knowledgeable staff. You might also have a trustworthy pharmacy which stocks CBD products which might also be another avenue. The bottom line therefore is that it will be very easy to find CBD oil online for sale. All said and done, consider consulting a physician before trying out these products.

Conclusion

The opioid epidemic has continued claiming so many lives where the last decade has seen a loss of 300,000 individuals. This means that it is actually important to improve the options of treatment. The options to treat this condition are only addressing the physical cravings which come with the use of opioids. They therefore fail to address anxiety and cravings which are caused by environmental cues. CBD on the other hand can fill the gaps and is therefore required to be further studied. This is on account that it reduces the cue-induced anxiety and craving which often lead to a relapse. This article therefore suggests that focus should be laid on creating the CBD-based therapies for the opioid disorder.

Reference Links

https://www.addictionpolicy.org/blog/tag/research-you-can-use/can-cbd-help-in-the-treatment-of-and-recovery-from-opioid-use-disorder
https://www.livescience.com/65530-cbd-heroin-addiction.html
https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/cbd-oil-may-help-limit-cravings-anxiety-heroin-users-study-n1007856
https://www.consumerreports.org/cbd/can-cbd-treat-opioid-addiction/
https://www.mountsinai.org/about/newsroom/2019/cbd-reduces-craving-and-anxiety-in-people-with-heroin-use-disorder
https://khn.org/morning-breakout/study-finds-cbd-can-help-dampen-cravings-for-opioids-potentially-adding-weapon-in-fight-against-crisis/
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2019-05-cbd-weapon-war-opioid-addiction.html
https://www.healthline.com/health/reading-a-cbd-label#where-to-buy