What is PTSD?
Post-traumatic stress disorder, known colloquially as PTSD, is an psychiatric disorder that may occur in people who experienced traumatic events. Combat, serious accidents and abuse are just a few examples of events that can lead to PTSD. A person has PTSD if the initial reaction to the stress of these events, which includes fear, nausea, dizziness, depression and/or sleep disturbances, lasts for several weeks or more. The symptoms can last for decades.
How can Medical Marijuana help PTSD symptoms?
Multiple studies have shown that medical marijuana can help treat PTSD symptoms in even treatment-resistant cases. Cannabinoid receptors are located in various places throughout the body and brain, so both mental and physical symptoms can be altered with medical marijuana treatment.
One study shows how cannabis can reduce activity in the amygdala – a part of the brain associated with fear responses to threats. Meanwhile, another suggests that the plant’s cannabinoids could play a role in extinguishing traumatic memories. Both effects could be therapeutic for those suffering from PTSD – according to recent studies.
Dr. Matthew Brimberry and TXOG Focus Group Results – January 2022
Texas Original Compassionate Cultivation (TXOG) and Texas’ leading medical cannabis provider, Dr. Matthew Brimberry, released results from its post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) focus group detailing the positive effects of medical cannabis use. The focus group consisted of veterans suffering from PTSD who qualify for medical cannabis under the expanded Compassionate Use Program.
- There was an average 47.2% reduction in PTSD symptoms for the group over 90 days using the products from Texas Original.
- 85.7% of the group had a clinically significant reduction in PTSD symptoms at the end of the 90 day window while using the Texas Original products.
- At the end of the 90 day focus group, 71.4% of participants were able to reach a remission of PTSD symptoms while using the Texas Original products.
Notably, 100% of the focus group participants reported they experienced relief from their symptoms associated with PTSD with TXOG’s product. This response reflects recent peer-reviewed studies from Wayne State University and the Federal University of Paraná that reported lower threat-related amygdala reactivity and suppressed anxiety in PTSD patients using medical cannabis.
“Many veterans in Texas and around the country face a much different enemy when they return home, one who is invisible but no less dangerous,” said Morris Denton, CEO of TXOG. “Medical cannabis plays a critical role in many of those veterans’ lives. TXOG stands committed to being an ally in that fight by doing whatever we can to not only help them find symptom relief, but to continue to drive the expansion of medical cannabis legislation that enhances accessibility for more veterans and other Texans suffering from PTSD.”
Focus group participants sampled TXOG’s gummy, lozenge and tincture products at various dosages based on prescriptions from their physicians. Patients overwhelmingly reported a quick product onset, with 77% and 62% of participants experiencing an onset within 30 minutes for gummies and tinctures, respectively. Eighty-five percent of participants also reported they were mostly or very satisfied with the product’s onset. Notably, more than 60% of participants reported a preference for TXOG’s gummy products, which are available in a 0:1 THC-only formulation as well as a 1:1 THC-to-CBD formulation.
Participants also unanimously reported a reduction in supplemental medication consumption after introducing TXOG’s medical cannabis products. All patients reported some level of reduction, with more than 30% of participants removing additional medications or pharmaceutical products completely from their treatment plans in collaboration with their prescribing physicians.
“I was previously prescribed high doses of clonazepam and was pretty much a zombie throughout my time taking it,” a study participant noted. “Once I found out that PTSD was added as a qualifying condition under the Compassionate Use Program, I met with a doctor and contacted Texas Original. This medicine has absolutely changed my life. Before incorporating medical cannabis into my treatment plan, I was afraid to leave my home. This medicine gives me the confidence to go out in public and interact with people. During and following the study, I even started going fishing and hiking more!”