Alternative Treatment for Anxiety; Cannabis (Marijuana)

Dr. Sean Breen — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 00:12:17 +0000

As medical director for Medical Cannabis of Southern California I evaluate patients frequently who complain of chronic anxiety. Their symptoms range from always anticipating disaster, often worrying excessively about money, health, family or work. Many times the source of their anxiety is difficult to pinpoint. There anxiety goes beyond the normal day to day concerns that most people experience. People who suffer from anxiety just cant seem to shake their concerns even though they may understand that they are worrying beyond what the situations warrants. It seems like lately more and more patients are unable to focus, maintain their relationships and get a good nights sleep because of real economic concerns that they may be going through. This state is one that if not taken care of will burn out patients adrenal glands, suppress their immune systems and lead to collapse of their overall health. Quite often I hear patients tell me “I am at the end of my rope and need help.” Typically patients who present to their primary care physicians with these symptoms get quickly diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder and prescribed medications. The most common medications that I see patients come in with are Valium or Xanax (which are a class of drugs called benzodiazepines) These drugs interact with a compound in the brain called GABA and ultimately lead to relaxation. The problem with these drugs are that not only is there a high incidence of dependence and tolerance but frequently lead to abuse. Also patients will tell me that “they relax me but I am a complete zombie and can’t not live like that.” Their emotions are completely blunted and there quality of life is not improved which is the goal of any treatment. Secondly patients get placed on medications such as Lexapro which are used to treat both depression and anxiety. Unfortunately, these medications produce many sexual side effects which reduces the overall quality of life of the patient. For example I just had a 30 year old women who came in to my office because she had been on Lexapro for anxiety for the past 2 years. Although she said her symptoms have improved she has not had sex with her husband for almost a year because of lack of sex drive. This was in turn causing a strain on their relationship and worsening her symptoms.

Many patients do not realize that cannabis (marijuana) is an incredible anxiolytic (anti-anxiety medication). I works by binding to receptors in our central nervous system (brain/spinal cord) and peripheral nervous system (nerves which leave the spinal cord and extend to the rest of the body) Within 3 minutes of inhaling (vaporizing) patients will experience a generalized body relaxation. Soon after patients can experience euphoria which is great for patients who also have depression. This state will usually persist for 3-6 hours depending on the dose. If used prior to going to bed patients often get a restful nights sleep and wake up feeling refreshed. The advantages of using cannabis is that it is not toxic to any of the major organ systems, has no potential for overdose and also does not produce a physical addiction. Many patients are also unaware that there are different strains of cannabis which produce different results when used. Indica Strains tend to be lower in THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) which is the main psychoactive cannabinoid. Patients will typically describe the effect as a general body relaxation vs a head high. This allows patients to medicate and still be able to carry out normal conversations with family, friends and co-workers. Because most people’s experience with cannabis has been from marijuana obtained illegally from the street they tend to have used Sativa strains which are much higher in THC and have more of a mind-altering effect. Regardless, because cannabis is so benign from a toxicity standpoint, it is definitely worth a try to see if you will benefit. I always tell my patients that the great thing about cannabis is that if you try it and it doesn’t help, you simply stop using it and in the meantime have done no harm to your body. However most of my patients experience great relief from their symptoms.

For more information about Dr. Sean Breen please visit his website at www.mcsocal.com Medical Cannabis of Southern California has three offices in Long Beach, Irvine and Encinitas. Patients can pre-qualify for free online from the privacy of their home. If you would like to make an appointment to see if you can benefit from the medicinal use of cannabis give our office manager a call at 877-721-0047

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Alternative Treatment for Anxiety; Cannabis (Marijuana)