Cannabidiol as an Intervention for Addictive Behaviors: A Systematic Review of the Evidence

CBD diminished the stress-induced drug-seeking behavior and alcohol’s sedative effects and inhibited the motivation for alcohol SA. These effects of CBD persisted for up to five months, while the plasma levels of CBD were evident for only three days. Elsewhere, CBD lessened measures of impulsivity and anxiety in alcohol-dependent mice (Gonzalez-Cuevas et al., 2018) (Table 1). Since CBD carries mild side effects in animal preclinical and human studies (Iffland and Grotenhermen, 2017; Taylor et al., 2018), and exhibits no rewarding properties (Babalonis et al., 2017; Parker et al., 2004), it may be introduced as a great therapeutic candidate for drug abuse. It should mentione that most of the studies were designed to evaluate the application of CBD for the treatment of drug abuse.

Avoid Mixing These Drugs With CBD

In 2018, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Epidiolex, the first pure-CBD anti-seizure treatment. The FDA approved Epidiolex for treating rare forms of epilepsy, including Dravet syndrome and Lennox-Gastuaut syndrome. In a 2018 clinical trial, 72 children and 60 adults with treatment-resistant epilepsy received 5–50 milligrams per kilogram of body weight (mg/kg) of CBD daily. The authors of a 2015 review found evidence that CBD may also help treat nicotine and cannabis addiction. Always tell your healthcare provider and pharmacist about all your medicines, including prescription, OTC, herbal, or recreational drugs.

How is cannabidiol different from marijuana, cannabis, and hemp?

• In 2013, a study published in Addictive Behaviors evaluated the effects of a CBD treatment for nicotine users over a 7-day period, concluding that it reduced the number of cigarettes smoked by 40% in addicted subjects, while the placebo group didn’t show a significant difference 3.
• That means taking CBD oil with these drugs could have a more substantial effect than you need or make them not work as well.

In contrast, some studies sought to identify receptors implicated in CBD’s action in various animal models of drug abuse and addiction. Recent advances focused on the study of the molecular basis that underlies the neurogenesis promoting actions of CBD in relation with the regulation or drug reward. Lujan et al. described that CBD increased neural progenitor proliferation in the HIPP of cocaine self-administering animals. They explored the activation of MAPK pathway and its downstream pathways that regulate the expression of the transcriptional (CREB) and neurotrophic (BDNF) factors, responsible for the levels of neuronal hippocampal proliferation. Interestingly, the administration of CBD up-regulated ERK1/2 and CREB phosphorylation, as well as BDNF expression in the HIPP of mice that underwent cocaine SA. Furthermore, the number of BrdU/NeuN stained cells in the HIPP was significantly higher in CBD-treated animals (Luján et al., 2018).

• In addition, possible molecular targets underlying CBD’s mechanisms of action are discussed.
• CBD may produce favorable outcomes for people attempting to lower their blood pressure.
• You may have also heard celebrities, influencers and podcast presenters touting the many benefits of taking a regular dose of the medicinal cannabis concoction, from treating anxiety and insomnia to general pain relief.
• Moreover, CBD’s influence on the rewarding characteristic of morphine in the CPP paradigm has also been evaluated.
• Anxiety levels remained high in those who took the 100 and 900 mg CBD dose.
• Hemp is defined as any part of the cannabis sativa plant with no more than 0.3% of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)A, the mind-altering substance in cannabis.

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Cannabis sativa plant contains numerous chemical entities including cannabinoids, terpenes, and phenolic compounds (Andre et al., 2016). To date, over 120 cannabinoids have been isolated from the plant (Morales et al., is cannabidiol addictive 2017). From these, delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is the main psychotomimetic or hallucinogenic component and the first cannabinoid to be identified and studied. First described and synthesized by Roger Adams in 1942 (Adams, 1942), and then isolated for the first time by Gaoni and Mechoulam in 1964 (Gaoni and Mechoulam, 1964), THC mediates the rewarding properties of cannabis (Zhang et al., 2004).

Animal studies, and self-reports or research in humans, suggest CBD may also help with:

• This suggests a long-term impact on neural mechanisms relevant to opioid relapse.26 Moreover, the fact that CBD inhibits the reuptake and hydrolysis of AEA could explain some of its potential effects on cannabis withdrawal syndrome and other addictive processes.
• Watch for side effects and don’t take more than the dose that your doctor recommends.
• If you notice these effects while using CBD oil, discontinue and discuss side effects with a healthcare provider as soon as possible.
• Three-month treatment with Sativex (up to 113.4 of THC/105 mg of CBD) concurrent with weekly motivational enhancement therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy reduced cannabis use with no significant increases in withdrawal in cannabis-dependent participants.

Nabiximols (Sativex; containing THC 2.7 mg/dose and CBD 2.5 mg/dose) has been found to significantly reduce scores on the cannabis withdrawal scale, as well as cravings, irritability, and depression in cannabis dependent individuals https://ecosoberhouse.com/article/how-alcohol-can-affect-relationships/ (Allsop et al., 2014). Three-month treatment with Sativex (up to 113.4 of THC/105 mg of CBD) concurrent with weekly motivational enhancement therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy reduced cannabis use with no significant increases in withdrawal in cannabis-dependent participants. Craving scores increased during the first two weeks but progressively returned to baseline levels from the third week of treatment (Trigo et al., 2016) (Table 2).