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What is Cannabis CBD Oil for ADHD Treatment?

 

CBD oil is a medical treatment which has been tried for everything from chronic pain to Aspergers.  Many parents with children with ADD and ADHD prefer a dose of the natural anti-inflammatory properties of the cannabis sativa and cannabis Ruderalis plants to the hard drug amphetamine treatments like Vyvanse.  The marijuana plant has some of the best compounds, terpenes and cannabinoids, to fight disease and inflammation.  Dosing for pediatric purposes has to be done carefully to avoid high levels of THC.  CBD oil is typically made with a low THC strain, having THC levels which are on the low end or which are undetectable.  The anticholinergic effect of the plant is still strong and this can help reduce anxiety reactions.  Research has found many cannabinoids have medicinal activity, including the most widely known ones, THC and CBD.  While THC is illegal in many US states, CBD alone is usually legal or in a legal grey area.  CBD has no known psychoactive effect, except a slight reduction in anxiety.  Oils are made via many different routes.  Visit our site here to learn how to make your own cannabis oil with weed grown from seed or cuttings https://www.ncsm.nl/english/information-for-patients/cannabutter-oil-recipe.

 

How Does CBD Oil Work?

CBD oil contains a bounty of cannabinoids including CBD or cannabidiol which has been studied and provides much of the health benefits of the marijuana plant.  However, all the other cannabinoids and terpenes works synergistically with the CBD to produce positive health effects. 

CBD seems to work by several mechanisms including:

1. Anticholinergic effect. The reason weed makes your mouth dry is because it had anticholinergic side effects.  So does CBD oil.  However, hypercholinergic reactions contribute significantly to pain and depression.  Symptoms like sweating, hypersalivation, stomach upset, and racing heart beat can be the results of overactivation of cholinergic functions.  CBD induces stress resilience by turning down these reactions.

2. Anti-inflammatory effect. CBD is well-known on the web for reducing inflammation.  The benefits of reduced inflammation are many.  It can help with depression, ADHD, and even autism spectrum disorders.  In ADHD, reduced inflammation can decrease instability in the nervous system as well as throughout the body, reducing symptoms like constipation and diarrhea which can aggravate ADHD.  Children can take the medication in the form of gummies so they don’t have to deal with yucky pills of cigarettes.

3. Anti-pain effects. CBD engages the body’s endocannabinoid system which is known to be a factor in pain management.  It binds to receptors differently than THC.  It has antianxiety and anti-convulsant activity.

The Legality of CBD Oil

CBD use in the US is a grey area in the law.  One is unlikely to be prosecuted for having CBD oil with THC content lower than 0.3% THC.  Such oil is legal in many states; however, you have to check your local laws to be certain.  There have been attempts to prosecute users of CBD oil to control chronic pain, but most if not all have been dismissed.

CBD oil disclaimers

General Medical Disclaimer:

NCSM and content producers for this article and this site do not provide medical advice and do not have medical credentials.  Consult a physician if you have medical issues that require assistance.  We provide information for learning and educational purposes only.

FDA Disclaimer:

No process of product discussed here is intended to diagnose, cure, or treat an illness and therefore the statements which appear here have not been evaluated by the US FDA.

Drug Screening Disclaimer:

CBD oil products are a wide-open industry and most products have tight quality control.  However, products marketed as having below 0.3% THC may sometimes have more and can cause a failing drug test.  You can have your products tested and choose a product with 0.0% THC so that you can be certain metabolites don’t show up in testing.

 

CBD and ADHD Facts

1. Cannabinoids in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: a randomised-controlled trial(Asherson & Cooper, 2017)

This randomized-controlled trial found that cannabinoids could significantly improve symptoms in ADHD.

1. ADHD and ADD can be marked by a lack of attention as well as physical and mental hyperactivity. It is typically treated with amphetamines which have side effects and drawbacks was as well as benefits.

2. CBD oil has few side effects compared to conventional ADHD medication.

3. There is no high with CBD oil containing less than 0.3% THC and high levels of CBD.

4. Receptors for endocannabinoids are found throughout the body, brain, and nervous system. They help control pain, attention, movement, and sickness behavior.  CBD has a therapeutic effect by targeting these receptors.

5. Those with ADHD may experience frustration due to interruptions in executive functioning which cause problems with attention and impulsivity.

6. There is likely to be a large genetic component to ADHD.

7. ADHD is often treated both with medication and therapy.

8. Many persons with ADHD are in danger of self-medicating with street drugs.

9. CBD can have an anti-inflammatory effect on the brain which improves symptoms in those with ADHD.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CBD Studies

• Cannabidiol as a potential anticancer drug (Massi, Solinas, Cinquina, & Parolaro, 2013). Cannabidiol’s anticancer effect is well known among medical users.

• Cannabidiol and THC are neuroprotective antioxidants (Hampson, Grimaldi, Axelrod, & Wink, 1998)

CBD has well known anti-oxidant effects which reduce damage from free radicals, out of control oxidizers in the body implicated in aging.

• Cannabinoids and the gut: New developments and emerging concepts (Izzo & Sharkey, 2010).

Cannabinoids treat inflammation in the guts.

• Cannabidiol (CBD) and it’s analogs: a review of their effects on inflammation (Burstein, 2015)

• THC: CBD Spray and MS Spasticity Symptoms: Data from latest studies

CBD spray is used to treat many aspects of multiple sclerosis

• Effects of Cannabidiol (CBD) on Regional Cerebral Blood Flow (Crippa, et al., 2004)

The anxiolytic activity of CBD may me mediated through and increase in cerebral blood flow.

• Plasma and brain pharmacokinetic profile of cannabidiol, cannabidivarine, THCV, cannabigerol in rats and mice following oral and intraperitoneal administration and CBD action on obsessive-compulsive behavior (Deiana, et al., 2012)

This study shows that CBD can be used to treat anxiety disorders such as OCD.

• Cannabidiol Reduces Intestinal Inflammation through the Control of the Neuroimmune Axis (Filippis, et al., 2011)

CBD is able to reduce inflammation in the gut through control of the nervous system.  Intestinal conditions are common in disorders like ADHD and Aspergers.  The reason for this correlation is not fully understood.

• Cannabidiol Reduces the Anxiety Induced by Simulated Public Speaking in Treatment-Naïve Social Phobia Patients (Bergamaschi, et al., 2011).

CBD shows promise in the treatment of social phobia.  The gold standard for treatment used to be an MAOI called phenelzine.  This fell out of favor due to side effects like hypertensive crisis.  Then, the gold standard became clonazepam, a benzodiazepine with a medium range period of action that required only one time dosing per day.  As addiction to opioids and benzos began being treated, clonazepam prescriptions are harder to get.  CBD is therefore a welcome addition to the treatment possibilities for social phobia.

• Transdermal delivery of cannabidiol attenuates binge alcohol-induced neurodegeneration in a rodent model of an alcohol use disorder (Liput, Hammell, Stinchcomb, & Nixon, 2013)

A transdermal preparation of CBD is being studied to reduce the damage and inflammation in chronic alcohol abusers.

• Cannabidiol Displays Anti-epileptiform and antiseizure properties in Vitro and in Vivo (Jones, et al., 2010)

CBD has clear positive effects in epilepsy and seizures.  It first became popular nationwide as debate raged about its powerful effects in treating childhood seizures.  It then became known that CBD, the non-psychoactive ingredient of the plant, possesses antiseizure activity just like THC, without the worry about unwanted euphoria or perceptual disturbance (Jones, et al., 2010).

• The anxiolytic effect of cannabidiol on chronically stressed mice depends on hippocampal neurogenesis: involvement of the endocannabinoid system (Campos, et al., 2013).

• Cannabidiol exerts anti-convulsant effects in animal models of temporal lobe and partial seizures (Jones, et al., 2011).

• Neuroprotective and Blood-Retinal Barrier-Preserving Effects of Cannabidiol in Experimental Diabetes (El-Remessy, et al., 2006)

In diabetes, CBD is able to protect the nervous system and the eyes from damage associated with episodes of high blood sugar.

• Inhibition of colon carcinogenesis by a standardized Cannabis Sativa extract with high content of cannabidiol (Romano, et al., 2014).

Cannabis extract inhibits carcinogenesis with anti-inflammatory properties which are also beneficial in the treatment of ADHD.

• Neuroprotective Effects of the Nonpsychoactive Cannabinoid Cannabidiol in Hypoxic-Ischemic Newborn Piglets (Alvarez, et al., 2008).

This animal study shows that CBD protect the brain from inflammation and low blood flow which are implicated in ADHD.

Conclusion

Use of marijuana and CBD have been shown clinically to help in the management of troublesome behaviors which occur in ADHD.  A study done in Germany (2015) showed that many adults with ADHD would prefer cannabis preparations over conventional treatment.  They feel the treatment is more natural, has milder side effects, and is more effective.

Dosing with low or no TCH CBD Oil is easy.  Beginners may want to take about 40 mgs to 100 mgs of CBD per day for several weeks.  Results may take a few days to come on.  Reduction in pain and anxiety will be noticed in just days.  In those with ADHD, attention becomes much more focused and controllable.  Impulsivity may be greatly reduced.  One mother who began treating her son with CBD for ADHD remarked that she is no longer getting bad reports about his behavior from the local school.  Instead he is maintaining a high grade point average and flourishing with the proper treatment.  CBD is currently an experimental but very promising treatment for ADHD.  Studies have established the safety of CBD oil in ADHD.

 

Bibliography

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