Medical Marijuana for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

What is PTSD?

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a disorder in which someone learns about, experiences, or witnesses a horrific event and has difficulty moving on from it. PTSD can affect people differently. For some who have been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, the symptoms are prevalent early on, but for other individuals with PTSD, their symptoms can appear months or even years later. These symptoms of PTSD can take on many forms, but the most common are nightmares, flashbacks, avoidance of certain things that remind you of the traumatic event, anxiety, depression, and intense reactions.

Does Cannabis Help with PTSD?

Smoking medical marijuana for PTSD is an option for individuals to alleviate some of their symptoms. Studies have shown that combining medical marijuana for PTSD with any type of therapy or medication prescribed for anxiety or depression can be helpful in managing post-traumatic stress disorder. Medical cannabis may reduce the frequency of nightmares and flashbacks and improve the quality of sleep for a person with PTSD. Marijuana has also been shown to help reduce anxiety in people prone to anxiousness. Using medical marijuana for PTSD can help these individuals improve their quality of life after going through, hearing about, or seeing a traumatic incident.

Best Cannabis Strains for PTSD

Marijuana has also been shown to help reduce anxiety in people prone to anxiousness. However, some strains of marijuana are believed to be more effective in managing PTSD symptoms than others. Research shows that using cannabis strains that contain a high amount of CBD will help because they increase the dopamine and serotonin in the brain, creating a sense of calm and happiness while lowering stress. Similarly, using cannabis oil for PTSD has been suggested as a potential treatment option to help manage high-stress situations. Medical cannabis and cannabis oil may reduce the frequency of nightmares and flashbacks and improve the quality of sleep for a person with PTSD.

Can I Get a Medical Marijuana Card for PTSD?

Post-traumatic stress disorder is recognized by the state of Illinois to be a qualifying health condition for patients to receive a medical marijuana card. PTSD patients can use their medical marijuana card to possess medical cannabis from a licensed Illinois marijuana dispensary. Medical marijuana can also be prescribed for anxiety and PTSD by a licensed healthcare professional. There are treatment options available to help those experiencing PTSD cope, and these are usually in the form of therapy - whether it’s cognitive behavior therapy, exposure therapy, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy, biofeedback, and support therapies.

Using medical marijuana for PTSD can help these individuals improve their quality of life after going through, hearing about, or seeing a traumatic incident.

**Always seek professional advice from a doctor before self-medicating with medical cannabis for PTSD. This information is not meant to be advice for patients with post-traumatic stress disorder.