Medicinal cannabis for the treatment of anxiety disorders.

Berger, Maximus; Amminger, G Paul; McGregor, Iain S (2022). Medicinal cannabis for the treatment of anxiety disorders. Australian journal of general practice, 51(8), pp. 586-592. Royal Australian College of General Practitioners 10.31128/AJGP-04-21-5936

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BACKGROUND

Anxiety is second most common reason for medicinal cannabis prescription in Australia and is being treated with both Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)-containing and cannabidiol (CBD)-dominant products.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this article is to summarise recent advances in the understanding of medicinal cannabis in treating anxiety and recent trends in prescribing.

DISCUSSION

Clinical trials and laboratory studies provide evidence of anxiolytic effects of CBD in healthy volunteers and clinical populations, although current evidence is insufficient to support CBD as a first-line treatment. The evidence regarding the use of THC-dominant products for anxiety is ambiguous, with exacerbation of anxiety in some individuals and relief in others. Caution is required as THC can impair driving and cognitive function. Despite the lack of robust supportive evidence, prescription of medicinal cannabis products for anxiety is increasing rapidly, while illicit cannabis is widely used in the community to self-medicate anxiety. Approximately 17% of current prescriptions for anxiety are for CBD- dominant liquid products (oils), wafers and capsules, while the remainder are for THC-containing liquid products (33%) and herbal cannabis for vaporisation (50%). Medical practitioners should carefully consider potential risks and benefits when prescribing medicinal cannabis for anxiety disorders and should 'start low and go slow'.

Item Type:

Journal Article (Review Article)

Division/Institute:

04 Faculty of Medicine > University Psychiatric Services

UniBE Contributor:

Berger, Maximus

Subjects:

600 Technology > 610 Medicine & health

ISSN:

2208-7958

Publisher:

Royal Australian College of General Practitioners

Language:

English

Submitter:

Pubmed Import

Date Deposited:

03 Aug 2022 11:29

Last Modified:

05 Dec 2022 16:22

Publisher DOI:

10.31128/AJGP-04-21-5936

PubMed ID:

35908759

BORIS DOI:

10.48350/171691

URI:

https://boris.unibe.ch/id/eprint/171691

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