> Methods: For the open-label stage of clinical trial NCT02548559, autoregressive linear modeling assessed efficacy and tolerability of four-weeks of 1 mL t.i.d. treatment with a full-spectrum, high-CBD sublingual solution (9.97 mg/mL CBD, 0.23 mg/mL Δ-9-tetrahydrocannabinol) in 14 outpatients with moderate-to-severe anxiety, defined as ≥16 on the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) or ≥11 on the Overall Anxiety Severity and Impairment Scale (OASIS).
Sorry, but mental health studies without a placebo control group are useless.
It's well known that placebo groups have a very strong response in these studies. Unless you have a control group, you have no idea if the effects are due to the active drug or due to involvement in the study.
Also, it doesn't make sense for them to use a THC-inclusive blend and then attribute the effects entirely to CBD. The amount of THC consumed by patients per day was about 0.7mg sublingually. That's not enough to get people "high" but it is enough to be relevant for the drug's effects.
This is not a good study. I'm surprised to see this attached to Harvard.
Lets be clear here: CBD is not a CB1 or CB2 agonist (or antagonist, or anything else). It is active at the serotonin-1a autoreceptor (like buspirone) as a partial agonist and then only at dosages that are infeasibly expensive at current market pricing. An adult human typically requires multiple 0.3 to 0.6 gram (that's 600 milligram) doses per day to reach a physiologically active level.
Dosing and pricing it like THC is simply placebo. It is not THC. This study is based off obviously false premises.
It also binds to a number of other receptors throughout the brain, but I don't think it's accurate to reduce its effects to a singular 5-HT1A receptor. It especially doesn't match the clinical effects, as Buspirone requires weeks to show effects while high doses of CBD are active within hours.
But you're very right that the CBD dose in this study is far lower than other studies. Typical study doses are 300mg of CBD or more.
> Dosing and pricing it like THC is simply placebo. It is not THC.
The study was of a mixed CBD/THC mixture. The patients were actually receiving a total of 0.7mg of THC per day. Not enough for overt effects, but enough to do something (and also fail any drug tests they might take).
The real flaw in this study is the lack of placebo group. You can't run a real psychiatric medication study without a control group and expect useful results.
We give CBD oil to our elderly dog. About 15mg, 2x/day. Dog is ~60lbs.
There may be other (non-THC) cannabinoids/etc involved -- product ingredients are "Broad Spectrum CBD, Hemp Seed Oil", and is sold online as "CBD Oil".
Dogs are not humans of course. I have not tested this product on myself. But I've clearly and immediately observed positive physiological effects after my dog has ingested this product.
These are not laboratory conditions, but our tests were at least moderately-controlled and double-blind. After a couple weeks of varying dosages (including down to zero), we felt further experiments would be unnecessary and unkind.
She has been in good shape ever since, with zero relapses into previous conditions, which were obvious and chronic. We have increased the dosage twice in the intervening ~3 years, when she was starting to show the smallest echo of the old condition. Each increase has had a clear, positive, and immediate (<1 day) effect.
I have no dog in this fight. Well...I have no stake in this discussion of any other sort.
I know how "miracle drug" this sounds, and I apologize if it strains credulity. YMMV. I'm deeply grateful for the impact CBD oil has had on my dog. I hope other dogs are equally fortunate. People too, if it works for them.
Interesting, my wife bought some 'strong' cdb oil caps and I ended up taking them - I certainly felt like I could feel them after taking one or two. Would be interested if it was all placebo as I found the effect (esp alongside 5htp) very pleasant and gave me excellent sleep.
"Cannabidiol (CBD) is a compound found within the Cannabis sativa plant. Previous studies suggest CBD may reduce anxiety. In this clinical trial, 14 patients with anxiety were treated for four-weeks with a cannabis-derived study product with high levels of CBD, administered under their tongue 3 times each day. All patients knew that they were being given CBD. Following four weeks of treatment, patients reported reduced anxiety as well as improvements in mood, sleep, quality of life, and measures reflecting their self-control and ability to think flexibly. Patients did not experience any serious negative effects during the trial. The impact of this product is now being evaluated in more patients with anxiety."
Sorry to hijack the thread, CBD has been studied as potential adjuvant for cancer (here's one lab that did multiple studies https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=McAllister+SD&cauthor_...) allegedly due to inhibition of some genes that caused metastasis.
At best it would mean, antitumoral benefits can be gained before and after chemo, but I'm not sure. If anybody is knowledgeable on this topic, hit me up.
I tried CBD a few times for my Essential Tremor, since it was a recommended form of home treatment. Didn't help that at all and I can't recall feeling any calmer about anything while using it. I've also given CBD treats to my dog and his behavior usually doesn't change.
Really makes me wonder if CBD by itself is just a placebo thing or only really helps a small subset of people.
A lot of these studies gave their test subjects CBD in dosages of several hundred miligrams at once. In oil form that's often entire bottles ($30-50 per legal product in my jurisdiction). So it's basically financially infeasible for anyone to self-medicate with CBD unless they get it from prescriptions for an actual medically diagnosed condition.
Your comment is ridiculously uninformed, and based on tropes that have been around for years and completely debunked. CBD is not addictive. Anxiety is not a normal state. Treating anxiety is not an escape and is medically necessary for many people.
Anxiety ISN'T a normal emotion, but my brain is physically and physiologically broken to produce irrational anxiety for perfectly normal and expected situations, and puts me in fight or flight mode for the most benign things.
But I take a low dose of lexipro. Now I have normal and controllable responses to stressful situations and am NORMAL.
Your characterization of this as essentially drugging yourself to forget anxiety is disgusting, inflammatory, and beyond inaccurate, and what's more is that people pushing such a stupid and unreasonable take are a HUGE hindrance to people seeking care. I used to be afraid that drugs would "make me a different person" but no, in the same way a person with diabetes using supplemental insulin isn't "changing who they are", my brain is broken, and this medication can help to patch the hole.
SSRIs aren't freakin benzos. CBD isn't a hallucinogen. Go reevaluate some things.
It isn't that simple. Imagine if someone was so afraid of heights they won't walk on a sidewalk or climb a step stool. What if they tried to overcome it and couldn't? What if it affects their daily lives in a significantly negative way. What if they want to kill themselves?
Now replace "fear of heights" with any emotion. You're right, it's normal to be anxious(or angry, sad, etc) every so often but what if it's all the time?
In my opinion people like you aren't really ignorant, you know there are people who struggle intensely with emotions, you just don't have empathy. Since you don't suffer from constant anxiety you think others must not either, that's it's the same level as yours and they should overcome it.
I don't think anyone is taking CBD to "escape painful emotions". A lot of people have CBD and don't even feel any difference. It's like saying your cup of coffee is some kind of desperate, drug-fueled escape. It's technically psychoactive but that kind of language is a huge stretch.
Congratulations I guess for demonstrating that you are unfamiliar with CBD, anxiety, and empathy in general. I guess you'll enjoy that you "triggered" some people. You might hink about what motivates this in you.
I thought this was pretty well-known already, but good to see it being studied. Pure CBD is probably one of the most effective anti-anxiety compounds out there, with zero effects other than "less anxious".
[+] [-] PragmaticPulp|3 years ago|reply
Sorry, but mental health studies without a placebo control group are useless.
It's well known that placebo groups have a very strong response in these studies. Unless you have a control group, you have no idea if the effects are due to the active drug or due to involvement in the study.
Also, it doesn't make sense for them to use a THC-inclusive blend and then attribute the effects entirely to CBD. The amount of THC consumed by patients per day was about 0.7mg sublingually. That's not enough to get people "high" but it is enough to be relevant for the drug's effects.
This is not a good study. I'm surprised to see this attached to Harvard.
[+] [-] throwoutway|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] superkuh|3 years ago|reply
Dosing and pricing it like THC is simply placebo. It is not THC. This study is based off obviously false premises.
[+] [-] PragmaticPulp|3 years ago|reply
CBD does act on CB1 and CB2: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2219532/
It also binds to a number of other receptors throughout the brain, but I don't think it's accurate to reduce its effects to a singular 5-HT1A receptor. It especially doesn't match the clinical effects, as Buspirone requires weeks to show effects while high doses of CBD are active within hours.
But you're very right that the CBD dose in this study is far lower than other studies. Typical study doses are 300mg of CBD or more.
> Dosing and pricing it like THC is simply placebo. It is not THC.
The study was of a mixed CBD/THC mixture. The patients were actually receiving a total of 0.7mg of THC per day. Not enough for overt effects, but enough to do something (and also fail any drug tests they might take).
The real flaw in this study is the lack of placebo group. You can't run a real psychiatric medication study without a control group and expect useful results.
[+] [-] quesera|3 years ago|reply
There may be other (non-THC) cannabinoids/etc involved -- product ingredients are "Broad Spectrum CBD, Hemp Seed Oil", and is sold online as "CBD Oil".
Dogs are not humans of course. I have not tested this product on myself. But I've clearly and immediately observed positive physiological effects after my dog has ingested this product.
These are not laboratory conditions, but our tests were at least moderately-controlled and double-blind. After a couple weeks of varying dosages (including down to zero), we felt further experiments would be unnecessary and unkind.
She has been in good shape ever since, with zero relapses into previous conditions, which were obvious and chronic. We have increased the dosage twice in the intervening ~3 years, when she was starting to show the smallest echo of the old condition. Each increase has had a clear, positive, and immediate (<1 day) effect.
I have no dog in this fight. Well...I have no stake in this discussion of any other sort.
I know how "miracle drug" this sounds, and I apologize if it strains credulity. YMMV. I'm deeply grateful for the impact CBD oil has had on my dog. I hope other dogs are equally fortunate. People too, if it works for them.
[+] [-] mtreis86|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] bgilly|3 years ago|reply
Do you have any references for the dosing data that you’ve mentioned?
[+] [-] ljf|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] themitigating|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] tsol|3 years ago|reply
I mean.. citation needed. That's the generally recognized MoA.
[+] [-] currio|3 years ago|reply
Relveant summary:
"Cannabidiol (CBD) is a compound found within the Cannabis sativa plant. Previous studies suggest CBD may reduce anxiety. In this clinical trial, 14 patients with anxiety were treated for four-weeks with a cannabis-derived study product with high levels of CBD, administered under their tongue 3 times each day. All patients knew that they were being given CBD. Following four weeks of treatment, patients reported reduced anxiety as well as improvements in mood, sleep, quality of life, and measures reflecting their self-control and ability to think flexibly. Patients did not experience any serious negative effects during the trial. The impact of this product is now being evaluated in more patients with anxiety."
[+] [-] mrguyorama|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] unknown|3 years ago|reply
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[+] [-] agumonkey|3 years ago|reply
Yet some scientists have data on negative effects on chemotherapy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hG6lvLB0kQ
At best it would mean, antitumoral benefits can be gained before and after chemo, but I'm not sure. If anybody is knowledgeable on this topic, hit me up.
[+] [-] spike021|3 years ago|reply
Really makes me wonder if CBD by itself is just a placebo thing or only really helps a small subset of people.
[+] [-] ssnistfajen|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] joemazerino|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] Garrrrrr|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] hlk|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] riley_dog|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] birdyrooster|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] endisneigh|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] gtirloni|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] davidguetta|3 years ago|reply
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[+] [-] mmastrac|3 years ago|reply
You _really_ need to inform yourself.
[+] [-] mrguyorama|3 years ago|reply
But I take a low dose of lexipro. Now I have normal and controllable responses to stressful situations and am NORMAL.
Your characterization of this as essentially drugging yourself to forget anxiety is disgusting, inflammatory, and beyond inaccurate, and what's more is that people pushing such a stupid and unreasonable take are a HUGE hindrance to people seeking care. I used to be afraid that drugs would "make me a different person" but no, in the same way a person with diabetes using supplemental insulin isn't "changing who they are", my brain is broken, and this medication can help to patch the hole.
SSRIs aren't freakin benzos. CBD isn't a hallucinogen. Go reevaluate some things.
[+] [-] Lucasoato|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] gtirloni|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] themitigating|3 years ago|reply
Now replace "fear of heights" with any emotion. You're right, it's normal to be anxious(or angry, sad, etc) every so often but what if it's all the time?
In my opinion people like you aren't really ignorant, you know there are people who struggle intensely with emotions, you just don't have empathy. Since you don't suffer from constant anxiety you think others must not either, that's it's the same level as yours and they should overcome it.
[+] [-] ketzo|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] asveikau|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] mypalmike|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] unknown|3 years ago|reply
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[+] [-] mmastrac|3 years ago|reply