Cannabis for Anxiety

Mental health is vastly misunderstood and undertreated by the traditional healthcare system. As legalization and research on cannabis medicine move forward, however, we are seeing people with mood disorders getting relief from cannabis. In fact, in one recent study, 66% of self-reported cannabis use sessions on one app resulted in positive anxiety relief.

But cannabis might not help with everyone’s anxiety. For a minority of consumers, their anxiety actually increases after using it. We’ll learn how to best avoid these situations where our anxiety and paranoia can lead to undesirable experiences. But first, we’ll need to cover what generalized anxiety disorder is.

What is Anxiety Disorder?

Those who live with general anxiety disorder are typically characterized by excessive, persistent worry and fear about everyday situations. Symptoms of anxiety include an increased heart rate, rapid breathing, and excessive sweating. All of these physical symptoms can lead to a general feeling of fatigue since these symptoms can be draining on the mind and body.

According to the National Alliance for Mental Illness (NAMI), over 40 million adults have been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder. This is over 19% of the overall population. Most develop symptoms of anxiety before age 21. Perhaps another 10-20 million Americans live with an undiagnosed anxiety condition.

For most of us without an anxiety disorder, feeling stressed or anxious is perfectly normal in stressful situations. Having to perform a task like public speaking or taking an important exam can make anyone feel anxious. Anxiety is only an indicator of an underlying condition when feelings become persistent, obsessive or excessive, all-consuming, and harm our activities of daily living. When anxiety interferes with our lives, it’s time to get help.

Some people living with anxiety conditions may experience episodes of intense anxiety, to the point where they might need hospitalization. These episodes are referred to as panic attacks. Panic attacks often feel like:

• An intense feeling of nervousness,
• Never-ending, escalating restlessness and tension.
• Sensing impending danger or doom.
• Catastrophizing, or always playing out worst-case scenarios.
• Rapidly increasing heart rate.
• Breathing rapidly is also called hyperventilation.
• Excessive sweating.
• Trembling.
• Feeling weak, drained, and tired. or tired.
• The difficulty, or perhaps near impossibility, of concentrating on anything other than present worry.

Can Cannabis Help With Your Anxiety?

Living with a condition like anxiety can be awful. Thankfully, cannabis may provide some relief. Cannabis is thought to help treat mental health issues like anxiety, depression, and PTSD. Anxiety is considered a qualifying condition in most states with medical cannabis programs.

Up until this point, most of the research that has been done regarding studying how cannabis might help treat anxiety has isolated individual cannabinoids, THC and CBD. Researchers at Whistler Therapeutics in British Columbia Canada set out to change this. They documented a promising study, the goal of which was to find cultivars that might be best for helping to relieve symptoms caused by anxiety.

They did this by observing the chemical fingerprint of the plant medicine, a mixture of both terpenes and cannabinoids, which they called a “chemotype”. Even though the study was small scale and had considerable restrictions, the results could lead to more research on cannabis for mental health. For more on cannabinoids, be sure to take a deep dive into our Cannabinoids Guide.

Some of the Best Cultivars for Anxiety

The results the research team got might help us better understand other studies in the future. What the researchers found were 4 cultivars that they feel will help treat anxiety symptoms and 4 that they recommend avoiding. All four of these have high THC levels, but this is certainly not to say that low-level THC cultivars cannot treat anxiety. Here are the four cultivars the research team came away with.

• Bubba Kush. This Indica-dominant cultivar is known for its effects that can often be tranquilizing. This is a variant that is probably best consumed at night at the end of your day.
• Blue Dream. This hybrid combines the legendary blueberry cultivar with a unique haze variant to create an uplifting and creative medicated experience. There’s a nice mellow there as well, according to most patients, but not overly powerful that it will ruin your day.
• Kosher Kush. Kosher Kush is another nighttime cultivar that relieves the stress of the day, increases appetite as well as causes feelings of tranquility and euphoria. The lineage of this variant is a bit of a mystery, but it’s mostly thought of as having OG Kush parents.
• Mazar x Blueberry OG. This hybrid is great for relaxing as well as treating both depression and anxiety. It is also a great choice for those patients seeking pain relief.

Cultivars for Patients with Anxiety to Avoid

The researchers found that the terpene terpinolene was prominent in the cultivars that were ineffective in treating anxiety. For whatever reason, this terpene had a negative interaction with patients with anxiety. The researchers narrowed it down to four cultivars that they recommend patients with anxiety should avoid. Four of the worst cultivars for treating anxiety include:

• Chocolope
• Blueberry Lambsbread
• CBD Shark
• Tangerine Dream

Remember that this was a small study in one dispensary in Canada, and one of these cannabis strains mentioned above may be actually wonderful for your anxiety! Learning what is best for your body, including what terpenes and cannabinoids it prefers, is important.

Your Results May Vary

If your anxiety makes you paranoid, there’s a chance that cannabis can make this worse, and it won’t matter what strain you pick. This is why we always recommend going low and slow with cannabis medicine, especially when trying edibles.

As with any supplement or medication, results will vary from patient to patient. The above lists of cannabis strains to try and cannabis strains to avoid for anxiety might surprise some of our readers who find that some of the cultivars work for them, and vice versa. Always discuss with your doctor whether treating your anxiety with cannabis is a healthy option. Always experiment and consume responsibly.

As research on cannabis medicine progresses, we will see more of these studies done. The results of these studies will tell us which cultivars, cannabinoids, and terpenes best treat conditions like anxiety, and bring some much-needed relief to those of us who live with them.

HashDash guides are for educational and entertainment purposes only. This article is not intended to diagnose, treat, or cure anxiety disorders or any other conditions.

What We Learned: Cannabis for Anxiety

Millions of people suffer from anxiety. Fortunately, cannabis may help. Here’s what else we learned in this chapter:

• We all feel anxiety in stressful situations. When feelings of anxiousness become consuming and persistent, we should seek professional help.
• Over 40 million Americans are diagnosed with anxiety disorder.
• Anxiety disorders are qualifying conditions for medical cannabis cards in most states.
• While high-THC cultivars may help with anxiety, it all depends on the individual. Low THC and high CBD might be more effective for you.
• If cannabis makes you anxious or paranoid, it’s best to consume cautiously to avoid a panic attack.

We’re close to the halfway point of our Cannabis and the Body guide! If you’re ready to learn more, answer the question below and let’s keep it moving.