According to World Health Organization (WHO), cannabis is described as a psychoactive drug used for both medical and recreational purposes. One of the medical purposes can be the treatment of anxiety. Even though the prime use of cannabis is to treat anxiety, there can be some disadvantages. In this article, we will look at some of the disadvantages of using cannabis as a treatment for anxiety.
First, what is anxiety exactly? Well, anxiety is a type of psychiatric disorder that makes you feel fear or worry at random situations.
Some of symptoms of anxiety are:
Difficulty in concentrating – studies have shown that, people with anxiety have hard time concentrating on their studies or even at work.
Irritability – anxiety also makes you to be upset easily. This may affect the relationship between you and family.
Panic attacks – Since most of the time you feel fear and worry, this may actually lead to panic attacks.
Sleep problems – since there is no peace of mind, this may actually affect your sleeping pattern; making it hard to be sleepy at night.
Avoiding Social Situations – this is where you avoid social situations because of the fear of being judged. This may later lead to depression.
All of the above problems can be treated, by the use of cannabidiol (CBD), High THC an active ingredient in the cannabis. Though anxiety is treatable by the use of cannabis, it may also come with some side effects, namely:
Withdrawals – withdrawals can happen if you have been using a different type of medication for anxiety. To be clear, you won’t experience withdrawals from using CBD, but if only you were using other addictive medications for anxiety. So it is recommended to seek medical guidance before switching to CBD substance.
THC Effect – Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is also an active ingredient found in the cannabis, THC tends to get you “high”; which to some people, it leads them to feel even more anxious. It is recommended only to use CBD concentrated cannabis for anxiety treatment purposes.
Memory Problems – even though CBD substance can help reduce anxiety, it also makes you feel sedated or fuzzy, which later affects the memory.
Diarrhea – from the term, too much of anything is poison; high level use of CBD products may result to diarrhea. So see a medical doctor to know how much you should consume.
Damage the Liver – Just like how Alcohol and other drugs can damage the liver, cannabis products are no exception. Too much use of CBD oils can damage the liver.
Legality – Some of the countries have not legalized marijuana yet, making it difficult to use it for anxiety treatment, according to the West Coast Botanical dispensary.
Conclusion
Seek medical guidance before using cannabis as an anxiety treatment. This will help you manage the risk of experience the side effects of the drug.