Do you suffer from anxiety?
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, roughly 19% of adults have some form of anxiety disorder. Medical marijuana is now available as a treatment option for patients in Pennsylvania. Since it became an approved condition July 20, many are already seeking anxiety relief with this new plant-based choice also known as cannabis.
“I have already seen a lot of positive results in patients who have been coming to The Healing Center and using medical marijuana to treat their anxiety,” Jill Zimbicki Pharmacist at The Healing Center says. “This has been life changing for some patients.”
“Anxiety is one of the only approved conditions that most can relate,” says Chris Kohan, co-founder of The Healing Center, the Pittsburgh area’s premier dispensary group with a location in Washington.
“There is no doubt that cannabis can help treat anxiety, but it may take a little trial and error. The important part is to consult with your medical professional at the dispensary to determine proper strain, delivery method, and dosage to start.”
Dr. Bryan Doner, co-founder of Compassionate Certification Centers says, “I feel that the addition of anxiety to the qualifying conditions in Pennsylvania’s Medical Marijuana Program has the potential to help a tremendous amount of patients.”
DOCTOR SAYS RESULTS WITH PTSD SHOW GREAT POTENTIAL FOR ANXIETY PATIENTS
The five major types of anxiety disorders are Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Panic Disorder, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Social Phobia (or Social Anxiety Disorder). PTSD has been an approved condition since the program was implemented.
“We have already seen wonderful clinical results with so many PTSD patients and the anxiety component of their disorder,” Doner says. “This will also help provide a focus on medical cannabis research in the area of anxiety, which is a common symptom of so many disease entities.”
PHARMACIST BELIEVES CANNABIS MAY REPLACE OTHER ANXIETY MEDICINES
Dr. Michael S. Butler, Pharmacist and General Manager at The Healing Center sees a lot of potential for patients to find relief without the use of pharmaceuticals that have been traditionally prescribed before cannabis became an option for them. “I believe that high CBD forms of medical marijuana have the potential to replace the majority of benzodiazepine drugs prescribed for anxiety in the US within the next 10 years. It is that effective” CBD is short for cannabidiol, an active ingredient found in the cannabis plant that communicates with receptors in the human body. THC is short for tetrahydrocannabinol, the psychoactive ingredient of the plant which also communicates with receptors.
Medical marijuana may also be an option for some patients to begin while taking other types of anxiety treatments and may work with other prescriptions according to Jennifer Krasnicki, Pharmacist at The Healing Center. “Theoretically, medical marijuana can work more quickly than drugs such as SSRIs for initial treatment of anxiety. Patients already on SSRIs/SNRIs may find the additional relief they are looking for with medical marijuana,“ she says.
If you are suffering from anxiety and are interested in learning about medical marijuana, please take the first step and talk to your doctor or a medical professional in the PA Medical Marijuana Program.
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