I’ve struggled with anxiety over my entire life. There was always a gentle simmer of stress underneath my calm exterior. Sometimes it was because I was working too hard, other times because I was studying too hard. But I could always get it back under control quite quickly. I didn’t have to consider panic attack treatment because it never got that bad.
That was until two years ago when my issues with anxiety took over my entire experience. It forced me to quit my job and radically change many aspects of my life. For the first time, I struggled with a mental illness. Two years later, I’m happy to report that I am anxiety free. I woke up one day and realized that I felt normal again. But how did I get here? I give thanks in part to daily supplementation with CBD oil for panic attacks.
Perhaps you are wondering why I chose to use cannabidiol (CBD) oil for panic attacks instead of relying on conventional pharmaceuticals like clonazepam and alprazolam. Initially, I was prescribed both of these medications but disliked the results. Although they prevented me from having full-scale panic attacks, they did not make any of my stress and anxiety go away. They weren’t effective panic attack treatment for me.
It felt like I was plugging a dam with my finger - the prescribed medicine fixed the problem for the moment, but I still felt a constant sense of dread. A panic attack could hit at any moment. I quickly realized I needed much more than a pharmaceutical.
Plus, I found that with these anti-anxiety medications, I was left feeling sedated. Most of the time I would pass out within an hour of taking one. I realized that if I actually wanted to fix my anxiety attacks, I needed to find a longer-term solution with something more holistic approach. That’s when someone I trusted suggested using CBD oil for panic attacks.
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I began taking CBD oil on a daily basis about one year ago. I found that CBD oil never once left me sedated, or feeling ‘high’. As the cannabinoid built up in my body over time, I began to notice a real change in my health and well-being.
CBD and Anxiety: Significant Changes
One of the significant changes I remember clearly, was that I was not constantly living life waiting for a panic attack to strike. I also did not wake up with a constant sense of dread, something I had been living with for more than a year. Finally, instead of waking up in the middle of the night with thoughts spiraling out of control, I was getting a full night's sleep.
I have found that taking CBD oil for panic attacks was much more effective than my previous prescriptions. It helped bring my degree of anxiety back down to a much healthier level without simply covering it up. Unlike other panic attack treatments, I didn’t feel different; I felt normal.
How did a plant-based compound so profoundly treat my anxiety when other harsher medications failed?
Still, Don’t Believe CBD Works for Anxiety and Panic Attacks?
Even despite my testimonial, you might still be skeptical, or have some questions about just how CBD works. After all, CBD is only one compound out of dozens found in cannabis, and we all know marijuana makes people stoned, right? Doesn't CBD trigger the same effects?
Unlike THC, CBD is non-psychoactive. If you, long ago, stopped smoking marijuana due to an increased sense of paranoia, you can be assured that CBD has none of these psychoactive side effects. In my case, I only ever feel a gentle sense of calm.
Also, unlike THC, CBD is sourced from hemp plants, making it increasingly legal to buy, sell and consume in all 50 states and many countries around the world. Sourcing an effective natural whole-plant medicine is one of the main reasons people have explored CBD for panic attacks.
The Science Behind CBD and Anxiety
Beyond the basic facts of CBD oil, there is significant scientific backing regarding CBD for the treatment of anxiety. If you’ve never explored the science behind CBD before, it works through stimulating various aspects of your endocannabinoid system. This system is, among other functions, responsible for regulating mood.
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Many anti-anxiety medications were developed to respond to deficiencies in the endocannabinoid system, particularly with the transmission and release of serotonin. If you are familiar at all with any traditional medications, benzodiazepines and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are two of the most commonly prescribed. Typically, benzodiazepines are used for short-term relief, with SSRI’s prescribed for long-term treatment.
Recent in vitro research uncovered a relationship between CBD and the serotonin receptors in human brain tissue. It was found that CBD increases the transmission of serotonin and the signaling of the 5-HT1A receptors. In another recent animal study, CBD appeared to stimulate growth and development of neural tissue in the brain, and the same results showed CBD to have properties common to classic antidepressants.[1][2]
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Although much of the research into CBD for panic attacks and anxiety is preliminary, there is a growing selection of exciting findings published on the use of CBD for anxiety in humans. A popular study examined how a dose of CBD could affect people with social anxiety disorder before speaking.
The study compared self-reported indications of anxiety, as well as physiological indicators in test subjects before a public speaking engagement. The study pitted a control group of healthy individuals against the group of people with social anxiety disorders. When each group took a dose of CBD, the study discovered remarkable changes in their base level of anxiety. Each group reported lower stress levels, and their physical indicators of stress, like heart rate and blood pressure, were also much lower. [3]
Why I Decided to Use CBD for Anxiety
Anti-anxiety medications are not for everyone seeking panic attack treatment. While they may help during a crisis, they are not safe for long-term consumption and are a known risk substance for abuse. Many people report significant side effects during and after use, like the loss of sex drive, a sense of apathy, and a feeling of being on “autopilot.” These side effects were the main reason why I chose to find an alternative therapy for my own battle with anxiety.[4]
Anxiety is a complicated issue to tackle, no matter what your situation is. While I made many changes in my life that have gotten me to a better place, I found that CBD oil was definitely a major piece of the puzzle. It left me free to continue my journey without feeling overly sedated or like I was on autopilot. Mostly, I feel that it allowed me to move beyond my crippling daily anxiety, and let me explore other therapies like exercise, lifestyle changes and counseling.
Most importantly, it killed the overwhelming sense of dread I experienced on an everyday basis. Through some changes on my part, and daily use of CBD oil for anxiety, I am in a much healthier space mentally then I was two years ago.
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References:
[1]https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16258853
[2]https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26187374
