Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

Understand how medical marijuana helps with PTSD.

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Medical marijuana can help you find relief from PTSD symptoms. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition that can develop after experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event. Symptoms include flashbacks, nightmares, anxiety, and difficulty sleeping. 

Symptoms 

• Flashbacks or nightmares

• Severe anxiety

• Uncontrollable thoughts about the event

• Negative thoughts about oneself or the world

• Ongoing negative emotions, such as fear, anger, guilt, or shame

• Difficulty concentrating

• Problems sleeping

• Feelings of isolation, irritability, and guilt

Causes 

• Natural disasters

• Serious accidents

• Terrorist acts

• War/combat

• Rape/sexual assault

• Historical trauma

• Intimate partner violence

• Bullying

Diagnosis

• A person may be diagnosed with PTSD if their symptoms last for an extended period and begin to interfere with daily life. 

Initial Treatment

• Initial treatment for PTSD is usually psychotherapy and/or SSRIs or SNRIs. 

• Trauma-focused treatment involves talking about the traumas experienced to examine the root causes of suffering.

Medical marijuana can help with PTSD?

Benefits

• Symptom reduction
  Studies suggest that marijuana can reduce symptoms of PTSD, such as flashbacks, nightmares, anxiety, and hyperarousal. People report dreaming less after using marijuana which helps reduce the frequency and intensity of nightmares. 

• Improved treatment outcomes
  Some studies suggest that people who use cannabis at the start of PTSD therapy may benefit more from treatment. 

• Therapeutic potential
  Pre-clinical studies suggest that cannabinoids like cannabidiol (CBD) may help treat PTSD. 

Factors to consider

• The endocannabinoid system plays a significant role in PTSD .

• PTSD is most effectively treated by a combination of pharmacotherapy and counseling.

• Some people with PTSD credit cannabis use with saving their lives.

**A note from us: Because PTSD is typically classified as a mental health and not a medical diagnosis, a separate evaluation from a mental health clinician is required to diagnose PTSD. Cannabis card certification involves one appointment for a PTSD evaluation, and a second separate evaluation by a physician to certify the diagnosis. Each appointment has a separate charge. We are able to perform both appointments on the same day.