Does CBD work?

Using CBD (cannabidiol) for pain, insomnia, anxiety, depression, and countless other conditions has become popular. A lot of people use CBD oil, which comes in a little dropper bottle and often includes some (rather arbitrary) dosing instructions. CBD also comes in pills and gummies and can be vaped. It’s so easy to get, but does it work? Is it safe?

What is CBD?

CBD is an extract of the hemp plant, the same plant that marijuana comes from. Hemp can be used for a lot more than marijuana, though, and contains many different called cannabinoids, including CBD. CBD and other chemicals can be extracted from hemp in ways that keep it from having the intoxicating effects of marijuana.

While marijuana contains THC, which produces a high, CBD products usually don’t have THC. Technically, they may have extremely small amounts of THC and still be called THC-free, but it shouldn’t be enough to get anyone high. This also means that unless you’re using an unrealistically huge amount of CBD, it shouldn’t show up on a drug test, since they test for THC. (Some CBD products do contain small amounts of THC (and are labeled that way), and some people say these products work better for them. THC may make conditions like epilepsy and anxiety worse, though.)

The legality of selling CBD varies from state to state, but no one seems to be trying to prosecute people for buying CBD. It’s easily available in stores and online. You can also check local laws to learn more.

Does it work?

There’s a lot of anecdotal evidence that CBD is effective. It helped my sister get more active when her arthritis and fibromyalgia were bad. A friend of my mom swears by it for her back pain. It helped another person I know cope with mania while waiting for treatment from a physician. So does that mean it’s working? Is it just placebo effect?

WebMD lists CBD as “likely effective for” epilepsy, “possibly effective for” multiple sclerosis, and “insufficient evidence for” a laundry list of other physical and mental conditions (including multiple sclerosis again?).

The problem here is that a lot of studies on CBD have only been carried out in animals so far. First, researchers have to prove that it’s safe for animals, and then they can do studies on how well it works for humans. That being said, some studies have shown promising results. Further studies will have to be done to prove these results or study the effects in humans.

So what about CBD for arthritis? Multiple studies have found that CBD decreases pain and inflammation from arthritis in mice and rats. Some of these studies deal particularly with CBD gels applied to the skin. Unfortunately, a medicine being successful in rats doesn’t necessarily mean it will be successful in humans, and there are very few human arthritis studies with CBD. A study of CBD applied to the skin for osteoarthritis showed that it might be helpful, as did a study of rheumatoid arthritis and oral CBD. Some of the positive effects were small, though, so more studies are still needed. That being said, there’s evidence that people who respond well to CBD can have significant benefit from it.

In terms of non-arthritis conditions,CBD might be effective for epilepsy, but more studies are needed. A study so far has found a reduction in seizures, but another found that it comes with side effects. Early studies have also found that CBD might be useful for people with anxiety disorders and for treating trauma disorders like PTSD. Studies I’ve been able to find that look at CBD and sleep are mostly in association with anxiety and PTSD (or else only in rats), but they’ve been positive so far.

Studies for conditions like diabetes, neuropathic pain, and depression have only been done in mice and rats. Some studies are also very small and somewhat flawed, like a study that found no benefit for people with Crohn’s disease given CBD. (Larger studies are always better, because smaller studies can show biased results more easily.) Unfortunately, all that can be said overall about CBD effectiveness is that we need more studies, but it shows promise for a variety of conditions.

Is it safe?

It’s really important to remember that even though CBD is supposed to be a natural pain reliever, CBD is a drug and can interact with other medicines and health conditions.

My mom had potentially-dangerous side effects when she took CBD with her high blood pressure medication. It seemed to enhance the effects of the beta blockers, and her blood pressure went low, which can be life-threatening if it goes too far. Beta blockers are also used to treat migraine, and they’re on this partial list of drug interactions available from CBD Oil Review. It’s the most complete list I’ve found, but it also includes some drugs that probably don’t interact.

That’s why they say to talk to a doctor before starting CBD, but that can be hard when some doctors are highly polarized on the topic. I’ve seen both ends of the spectrum—my sister’s rheumatologist hesitantly brought it up to my sister on her own when other medicines weren’t working, but my mom’s general practitioner refused to even discuss it and said was unproven and could be dangerous. I think there need to be more studies before it will be easily accepted by the medical community. Still, it’s really important that you talk to a doctor.

Because of the lack of studies, a lot of the drug interactions are unknown. The use of CBD as a medicine is just too new and it’s largely unregulated. That’s why, at best, there’s a partial list of interactions and pieced-together knowledge on CBD safety available online. From what’s known so far, though, it seems like CBD can make the concentration of other medications in the blood increase. CBD has also been found to increase liver enzymes in some people, so your doctor might want to give you regular blood tests.

My experiences

CBD isn’t the side-effect-free wonder drug that some people say it is, but it still might be worth a try if you’re struggling to find something that works (and if your doctor agrees!). If CBD seems like a good fit for you, be careful that you buy from a reputable source. Because there’s no regulation of CBD as a medication, suppliers don’t have to guarantee the contents of what they sell. Some bigger cities have shops devoted to CBD and it can be found in some natural medicine shops, so talking to someone there might be a place to start. Dosages haven’t really been studied, so the instructions for use tend to be very different from one product to the next.

My sister has found CBD extremely helpful for keeping herself more active, and it lets her sleep less and be in less pain. Personally, I had a so-so experience with CBD. It might have been helpful. I’m not completely sure because of how bad my arthritis flare was, and I ended up with really bad dryness in my mouth. I would consider trying it again, though, and I might. I still take it occasionally for extreme anxiety situations.

All of this is just for CBD, the extract of marijuana plants. Medical marijuana is completely different, so if anyone is interested I could cover that in another post. Also, if there’s a particular question you have about CBD, I’d be happy to tell you the current research about it.

-Bri

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