Medical Marijuana Treatment for PTSD
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a serious mental health condition that affects millions of Americans every year. Sparked by a traumatic event, symptoms of PTSD may include flashbacks, irritability, depression, and more.
While this condition may be difficult to live with, multiple treatment options are available to patients. In addition to medication, therapy, and other forms of counseling, medical marijuana may be an effective supplement to patients living with PTSD.
What Is PTSD?
PTSD occurs when someone experiences, witnesses, or knows someone who experienced a traumatic event. While we commonly associate PTSD with combat veterans, anyone can develop this condition and many types of trauma can trigger its onset — from car accidents to childhood abuse to encountering the aftermath of a violent event.
Symptoms of PTSD may include:
- Recurrent intrusive memories of the traumatic event
- Flashbacks and nightmares
- Avoiding activities or situations that may trigger memories of the event
- Severe emotional and physical reactions when encountering a trigger
- Avoiding thinking or talking about the event
- Feeling emotionally numb and/or depressed
- Feelings of hopelessness
- Difficulty experiencing positive emotions
- Engaging in destructive behaviors
- Feeling on edge, easily startled, or frightened
- Difficulty sleeping
- Difficulty concentrating
- Irritability and aggressiveness
PTSD can severely disrupt a patient’s life. If you have PTSD, this condition may affect your ability to go to work or school, maintain and develop relationships, and live life without emotional distress.
You can receive treatment for PTSD in the form of medication, talk therapy, residential treatment, and more — and research suggests medical marijuana may also help relieve symptoms.
Medical Marijuana and PTSD
Many symptoms of PTSD are difficult to live with and have a direct impact on your quality of life — the depression, anxiety, irritability, and insomnia, for example. Current treatments for these symptoms are not always effective, and the side effects of PTSD medication can be equally unpleasant.
Medical marijuana may help relieve these symptoms and act as an effective supplement to a PTSD treatment program. Marijuana induces drowsiness, causes feelings of euphoria, and has nausea-reducing effects that can help with anxiety-induced queasiness.
In addition, studies suggest medical marijuana may reduce PTSD symptoms. One study based in New Mexico saw PTSD patients see more than a 75% reduction in symptoms after using medical cannabis. Another Canadian study used a synthetic cannabinoid to treat nightmares in PTSD patients, and 72% of patients experienced fewer nightmares after this treatment.
Not all states have approved PTSD as a qualifying condition for medical marijuana, but many states do certify PTSD patients for cannabis use. If your state does not list PTSD as a qualifying condition, you may be able to petition your state’s medical marijuana program to add PTSD to the list.
Contact the Sanctuary Today
If you have post-traumatic stress disorder, medical cannabis may help relieve some of your symptoms. Applying for a medical marijuana card in your state allows you to receive the treatment you need, and the Sanctuary Wellness Institute can help.
Our friendly staff connects prospective patients with state-licensed physicians to help you apply for a cannabis card in your state. Our evaluations are simple, streamlined, and follow your state’s guidelines.
Arkansas Medical Marijuana Card Locations
Medical Marijuana Doctors Little Rock, AR 400 West Capitol Avenue Suite 1700 Little Rock, AR 72201
Call (501) 226-4177
Medical Marijuana Doctors Bentonville, AR 609 SW 8th Street 6th Floor Bentonville, AR 72712
Call (479) 319-2673
John DiBella is a medical marijuana advocate, owner of The Sanctuary Wellness Institute, and a writer. When he’s not writing blogs about medical marijuana, he enjoys hiking, camping and sailing.
