Could cannabinoid formulations help people who are dealing with bipolar disease?
THE PEARLS
[0:00] 2.3 Million Americans suffer from manic depression or bipolar disease; some reported significant improvement when using cannabinoid products
[0:52] Fact: a lot of people describe benefits to their manic depression when using cannabinoids.
[1:54] Lets take a look at the extent and the completeness of the research.
[2:52] This is a very sensitive condition with a number of different treatments that could be applied
THE FULL TRANSCRIPTION
Many of the 2.3 million Americans suffering with manic depression or bipolar disease report that they get significant improvement when they’re using cannabis or other cannabinoid formulations.
But how does that work in this population of people suffering with manic depression or bipolar disease?
I’m Doctor Mary Clifton. I’m the doctor behind https://cbdandcannabisinfo.com
It turns out that a lot of people describe benefits to their manic depression when using cannabinoids.
It’s also thought that it could potentially cause harm. There are risks to short-term memory and also to what’s referred to as “executive function” which is the ability to use a series of cognitive tasks to take a problem to a solution.
When we look at the extent and the completeness of the research, we can in fact show that cannabinoids will, in general, result in an improved mood and better behavior for people who are dealing with bipolar disorder.
In addition, the memory issues and the executive function problems that have been described in other situations don’t seem to be having the same level of impact or potential impact in the bipolar community.
Bipolar or manic depression appears to have benefitted, at least in very small trials, with the use of cannabinoids to try to control symptoms. Patient reports are abundant with bipolar people feeling better as well as they felt that they were able to manage their behavior better with the use of cannabinoid formulations.
People with a history of manic depression actually became manic after administration of cannabinoids. That’s something to worry about. It would suggest that if you’re going to use cannabinoids with this population, you should prefer using products that are higher in CBD and lower in THC, so that there isn’t as much of a risk for hyper-stimulating the brain.
But don’t forget that a lot of other products have also been linked to triggering mania, including western medications used to treat depression like Bupropion and Trazodone and also a number of herbal therapies like Saint John’s wart, Ginseng, and Horny Goat Weed, as well as Celery Root, just to name a few.
The overarching view, at least at this point, looks very reassuring.
DR. MARY CLIFTON
Dr. Mary Clifton is an Internal Medicine doctor and is a recognized expert in CBD, Cannabis, and Medical Marijuana.
She is a published researcher, national speaker on women’s health and osteoporosis, and author of four books, and two new soon-to-be-released books on CBD and Cannabis – what you need to know, how to use them and a COOKBOOK to support ease of use.
