Cannabis use among military veterans after residential treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder.

Abstract

The present investigation prospectively evaluated whether treatment changes in PTSD symptom severity, among military Veterans in residential PTSD treatment, were related to cannabis use 4 months after discharge from residential rehabilitation. The sample was comprised of 432 male military Veteran patients (Mage = 51.06 years, SD = 4.17), who had a primary diagnosis of PTSD and were admitted to a VA residential rehabilitation program for PTSD. Results demonstrated that lower levels of change in PCL-M scores between treatment intake and discharge were significantly predictive of greater frequency of cannabis use at 4-month follow-up (p < .05), even after accounting for the effects of length of treatment stay and frequency of cannabis use during the 2 months before treatment intake. Furthermore, post hoc analyses revealed that less change in PTSD avoidance/numbing and hyperarousal symptom severity during treatment was significantly predictive of a greater frequency of cannabis use at 4-month follow-up, after controlling for relevant covariates. Notably, these effects were specific to cannabis and were not found for the other substances examined among this sample, including alcohol and opiates. Implications of the findings are discussed with regard to the extant literature and future directions.

Use and effects of cannabinoids in military veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder

“…2,5,[16][17][18] Bonn-Miller et al 16 conducted a cross-sectional study that examined the relationship between PTSD symptom severity and motives for marijuana use among 103 young adult marijuana users who reported at least one traumatic event in their lifetime. The study concluded that symptom severity was significantly related to coping-oriented marijuana use motives.…”

“…2,19 Bonn-Miller et al 2 used a prospective cohort study design to analyze cannabis use in relation to PTSD symptom severity in a population of 432 male military veterans (mean ± S.D. age, 51 ± 4 years) admitted to a VA residential treatment program for patients with PTSD.…”

“…Conflicting results of published studies further blur the distinction between cannabis as a potentially beneficial alternative to conventional pharmacotherapy and behavioral therapies and cannabis as a substance that might worsen patient outcomes when used for selfmedication. [2][3][4][5] This article reviews published evidence regarding the use of cannabis to address symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among military veterans.…”

Associations of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms With Marijuana and Synthetic Cannabis Use Among Young Adult U.S. Veterans: A Pilot Investigation

“…Unfortunately, little is known about marijuana and synthetic cannabis use among this population. Previous studies examining PTSD symptoms and marijuana use have tended to recruit participants through treatment settings at the VHA or within the military behavioral health system (Back et al, 2014;Boden et al, 2013;Bonn-Miller et al, 2011, 2012a. Furthermore, previous research in this area has been largely limited to interviews with a small sample of veterans about their perceptions of relationships between their substance use and PTSD symptoms (Back et al, 2014).…”

Adverse effects and Drug Interactions Associated with Inhaled Recreational and Medical Marijuana

“…Results indicated that a greater than 75% reduction in symptoms, as measured by the Clinician Administered Posttraumatic Scale for DSM-IV (CAPS), was observed in patients using cannabis compared when they were not users of cannabis. 53 Increased psychotic symptoms in patients with PTSD receiving marijuana were identified by Bonn-Miller et al 54 Patients (n=432, male) in the study participated in a residential PTSD treatment at Miscellaneous adverse drug reactions Several investigators have evaluated adverse drug reactions associated with medical marijuana. Wang et al evaluated the adverse effects associated with medical cannabinoid use (oral ∆-9-tetrahydrocannabinol or ∆-9 tetrahydrocannabinolcannabidiol and oromucosal ∆-9-tetrahydrocannabinolcannabidiol were evaluated) in a systematic review and meta analysis.…”