Medical cannabis and mental health: A guided systematic review

Cannabis as a substitute for prescription drugs – a cross-sectional study

“…In 2017, Walsh et al published a review of medical cannabis and mental health to try to better understand how medical cannabis use may impact areas of potential concern for clinicians. “Relaxation and relief of anxiety” and “relief of negative mood” or depression were among the most widely reported conditions in 60 publications included in their analysis 22. Because it is common for chronic pain patients to be prescribed combinatorial pharmacotherapy to address comorbidity with depression and/or anxiety, it is largely unknown how often patients may be discontinuing prescription medications when initiating cannabis use 21.…”

“…To avoid adverse effects, particularly in elderly populations, the application of CBD-dominant cannabis varietals and preparations may be warranted. There is a need for more research on mental health disorders and cannabis use, particularly with a focus on CBD rather than THC-dominant cannabis 22. This information is needed for doctors to be able to adequately participate in conversations with their patients, regardless of age, about the role that medical cannabis may play in managing mental health conditions 26…”

Is cannabis treatment for anxiety, mood, and related disorders ready for prime time?

“…However, the meta-analytic evidence supporting such claims is limited to a few conditions including chronic pain (Martín-Sánchez, Furukawa, Taylor, & Martin, 2009), neuropathic pain (Iskedjian, Bereza, Gordon, Piwko, & Einarson, 2007;Phillips, Cherry, Cox, Marshall, & Rice, 2010), and nausea (Machado Rocha, Stefano, De Cassia Haiek, Rosa Oliveira, & Da Silveira, 2008). In some instances, authorization to use medical marijuana has also been extended to psychiatric conditions such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and Tourette's Syndrome (TS), with a recent systematic review suggesting preliminary evidence for PTSD (Walsh et al, 2017). At present time, cancer, HIV/AIDS, MS, and chronic pain, rank among conditions which receive the most frequent approval for medical mari-juana in Canada and the United States (Health Canada, 2016;D'Souza 2016).…”

“…At present time, cancer, HIV/AIDS, MS, and chronic pain, rank among conditions which receive the most frequent approval for medical mari-juana in Canada and the United States (Health Canada, 2016;D'Souza 2016). In some instances, authorization to use medical marijuana has also been extended to psychiatric conditions such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and Tourette's Syndrome (TS), with a recent systematic review suggesting preliminary evidence for PTSD (Walsh et al, 2017).…”

Posmodernidad, sociedades adictivas, cannabis y comportamiento suicida: ¿Hacia un mundo feliz?

“…Así, el Sativex ® ha sido aprobado para el tratamiento del dolor central neuropático en la esclerosis múltiple y el dolor canceroso intratable (Russo et al, 2016); 2) reducción de síntomas positivos y severidad de los síntomas en la esquizofrenia , Zuardi et al, 2012; 3) utilidad en modelos animales (Huizenga et al, 2017, Kaplan et al, 2017b y clínicos (Devinsky et al, 2017, Kaplan et al, 2017a de epilepsia; 4) tratamiento de algunos trastornos de ansiedad, particularmente el trastorno por estrés postraumático (Walsh et al, 2017). De hecho, los autores postulan que el consumo de cannabis podría actuar, más que como una puerta de entrada para el consumo de otras drogas, como una puerta de salida de las mismas; 5) el CBD podría atenuar el refuerzo positivo que ejercerían los opioides al interferir en los mecanismos cerebrales responsables de las propiedades reforzadoras agudas de los opioides, pero no de la cocaína (Hurd, 2017); y 6) el consumo crónico de bajas dosis de 9-THC revertía el declive cognitivo en ratones "maduros o ancianos", y lo hacía por un mecanismo glutamatérgico mediado por el receptor CB 1 y la acetilación de histonas (Bilkei-Gorzo et al, 2017).…”