If you’re one of the 18% of the population suffering from depression, you might be frustrated and scared while weighing your options. Prescription antidepressants have a lot of side effects – it doesn’t seem fair. You didn’t choose to have depression or anxiety, yet the solutions seem to be a punishment.
The good news is CBD is around to get rid of some of that fear and frustration. CBD is becoming more widely accepted as a solution to help treat your depression and anxiety, and it’s not nearly as scary as pharmaceutical solutions.
Let’s take a look at what CBD is, how it can help you, if it’s the right solution for you, and where to get it.
First, let’s learn a little more about depression and anxiety.
What is Depression?
Depression is a serious medical condition that’s more popular than you might think. It negatively changes how you think, feel, and act.
Depression is typically linked to a chemical imbalance in the brain.
The most common behavior of depressed people is being sad and uninterested for long periods of time with no perceived trigger for the emotions.
What are Different Depression Types?
There are a number of different types of depression. The big difference between them is what causes your depression, the symptoms, and severity.
Different types of depressions are:
- major depression
- persistent depression
- manic depression (bipolar disorder)
- depressive psychosis
- perinatal depression
- premenstrual dysphoric disorder
- seasonal depression
- situational depression
- atypical depression
What Causes Depression?
There are a few different causes of depression.
One cause is your brain’s chemistry. Chemical imbalances are a big cause for depression because your brain doesn’t produce the right chemicals in the right quantities at the right time.
Another is genetically based. Depression tends to be hereditary and runs in families.
Personality can also cause depression. If you’re someone who is easily overwhelmed or stressed, you are more likely to be depressed.
The environment can also cause depression. Environments of abuse, neglect, poverty, or violence can make people more vulnerable to depression.
Symptoms for Depression
A lot of people might experience depressive spells, but to be medically depressed means having symptoms for longer than two weeks.
Some symptoms for depression are: feeling sad, having a depressed mood, not liking activities you used to like, trouble sleeping, sleeping too much, weight loss or gain, changes in appetite, increased fatigue, slowed movement and speech, feeling guilty, feeling worthless, having a hard time thinking or concentrating, thoughts of death or suicide.
Are Anxiety and Depression Related?
The medical world says that it’s actually very common for people who suffer from depression to also suffer from anxiety. In fact, anxiety could be a symptom of clinical depression. Equally, depression could be caused by an anxiety disorder.
Both anxiety and depression are a result of imbalanced chemistry in the brain. The treatment for both disorders is largely the same.
What is CBD?
CBD is a chemical compound found in the hemp or marijuana plant. CBD stands for cannabidiol and you’ll probably hear a lot of people talking about it, especially its connection to the medical world.
Another way to think about it is that CBD is the legal part of the cannabis plant that doesn’t result in the “high” (that’s the THC).
How is CBD Administered?
The convenient thing about CBD is how easy it is to take doses.
One of the more popular options is to take CBD as an oil. This could also come as a spray or a pill. You can also choose CBD-infused food or beverages.
Another option is CBD balms, lotions or creams that are applied directly to the skin.
CBD is also commonly ingested in vape form. The only problem with this form is you might experience some coughing or throat irritation with continued use.
Is CBD an Antidepressant?
CBD can’t be called an antidepressant until more tests are done, but so far there are very clear indications that CBD helps to treat depression and anxiety.
Using CBD For Depression
The simple answer is that CBD helps restore the chemistry in your brain.
More specifically, CBD might help the hippocampus as well as help to regulate serotonin levels. The hippocampus is a part of your brain responsible for emotions, and low serotonin levels are a big contributor to depression.
This means that using CBD for depression is a real solution.
Can You Take CBD Oil with Antidepressants?
Don’t take CBD oil with antidepressants unless you talk to your doctor first. It might interact with your medication and you want to make sure you don’t hurt yourself.
It’s also very dangerous to abruptly stop your antidepressants and introduce CBD oil as an alternative. A simple conversation with your doctor will make sure your transition is as safe as possible.
Side Effects of Using CBD
Just like any drug, there are some side effects of using CBD. Some of the more popular ones are appetite changes, mood changes, diarrhea, drowsiness, nausea, and dizziness.
It’s worth mentioning that taking CBD typically results in very few side effects and a lot of people don’t experience any at all.
Is CBD Safe to Use?
After seeing those side effects, you might be a little uneasy. It might make you feel better to know that the World Health Organization published a document all about CBD and how safe it is to use.
The document says that the toxicity of CBD is low, and it showed no potential for abuse in their study. It also concludes that “CBD alone produced no significant psychoactive, cardiovascular or other effects”.
In plain English, the conclusion according to that document is that CBD is safe to use.
CBD vs. Conventional Medicine for Treating Depression
So how does CBD compare to conventional medicine when it comes to treating depression? Does CBD help for depression? Unfortunately, we don’t have enough research yet – but all of the studies published seem to point to CBD as a very viable option.
The good news is there are a few animal tests that are very promising. One study performed on rats showed that CBD takes effect much faster than conventional antidepressants.
Another study showed that brain chemistry changed and produced more antidepressants and anti-anxiety effects when the subjects used CBD.
Yet another CBD depression study concluded that using CBD resulted in anti-stress effects which could be used to treat depression.
Is CBD Better Than Antidepressants?
As more research is done, we’ll get more results. As it stands, CBD for depression works faster than conventional medicine and has fewer adverse side effects. Additionally, CBD oil might be a less expensive option depending on insurance and antidepressant type.
This might mean that CBD oil for depression is better than antidepressants in some cases.
Where Can You Buy CBD to Help with Depression?
This is the only tricky thing about CBD. There are a lot of companies that lie or trick their customers and add additional harmful products to their CBD oils. Things like cough syrup or synthetic CBD’s. These have a lot of potentially harmful side-effects.
The last thing you want is to introduce harmful chemicals into your body while using CBD for your depression or anxiety.
The only solution is to buy from a respected and reputable source like Hempika. We offer the best CBD oil for depression as well as CBD for bipolar depression.
Conclusion
Having depression or anxiety can be a big deal, and finding the right solution is a tough task. There have been a number of studies saying that using CBD for anxiety and depression is a viable option.
Have a conversation with your doctor about if CBD oil for depression is right for you.
Afterward, check out Hempika for safe CBD oil for depression. This is the start of your life with reduced depression or anxiety.
Author: C. B.
Source(s):
- https://adaa.org/about-adaa/press-room/facts-statistics
- https://www.webmd.com/depression/guide/detecting-depression
- https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/depression/expert-answers/depression-and-anxiety/faq-20057989
- https://www.who.int/medicines/access/controlled-substances/5.2_CBD.pdf
- https://doi.org/10.1007/s12035-018-1143-4
- https://www.theroc.us/researchlibrary/Antidepressant-Like%20and%20Anxiolytic-Like%20Effects%20of%20Cannabidiol-%20A%20Chemical%20Compound%20of%20Cannabis%20sativa.pdf
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6161644/
