Does CBD oil help you with your depression and/or anxiety?

I’ve been using the cbd oil for over a week now and feel like I’m making some progress! I started out with 2-3 drops once or twice a day then upped to 10 drops at the advice of someone. Well let me tell you - that was way too much for me but I didn’t know it at the time. I even thought it wasn’t helping me or I needed more. I felt so horrible and literally cried for days. I was ready to call my doctor and ask for anti-depressants immediately. BUT I reached out to someone who has training with cbd oil to ask about dosage. She gave me a call, explained it to me, and then suggested that I was using way too much She suggested that I try 1-3 drops at the most. Once I brought it down to 1 drop a day I felt much better! I am learning how my body reacts to the cbd oil and if I have an very stressful day I can add another drop if needed. I am sleeping very well too. I’ve learned that the cbd oil is very powerful and useful! I am encouraged that this will be very helpful to me. If you plan to try the cbd oil it’s a good thing to start out with lower amounts. Beware of companies that try to sell you a higher dosage until you know what your body needs.

I agree with you 100%, I got mine from the medical marijuana shop, they told me to use an entire dropper full. OMG I thought I was going to throw everything up, nauseous. It has no THC in it. I cut it way back and felt better but decided to give it a break for now

Came upon this group because of depression from a failed relationship of 30 years. Right now I’m using alcohol as a coping mechanism. I have access to street marijuana. But what I have read on this thread scares me ! So many mind altering drugs .. legal and illegal? There’s got to be a better way... ??

@krisby Sorry to hear what depression has done to your life and is continuing to do so. Alcohol and marijuana are mind altering and worsen depression in the long run. Depression can be scary as well as addictions. Hope you can find some support here and not punish yourself as you do not deserve such-no one does. Lots of support here. Many of us have struggled w/ depression for a long, long time.

@cdcc the 10 drops I was using was 1/2 dropper full and it was terrible! I can’t imagine if I had used a whole dropper!! I might even try using it every other day now to see how that goes!

@krisby I am sorry to hear your situation. If at all possible, I would suggest not using alcohol as a coping mechanism. The last thing you want is to become dependent on that. Most of us here are trying to treat our depression naturally as possible or at least get off these addicting anti-depressants. The CBD oil contains no THC as does marijuana; is completely natural and not addicting (no withdrawals either). I’m not big on using medical marijuana but that’s just me however, I’m ok with the oil due to its lack of THC and am finding good results with it.

Hello @krisby and welcome to Mayo Connect. I am very glad that you are seeking support here at Connect. Many of our members have had lots of experience dealing with stressors and disappointments and I'm sure you will be meeting many of them before long.

I certainly understand your depression - a failed relationship can cause us to doubt ourselves and wonder why all of this has happened. Sometimes the loss of a relationship can also cause us to feel abandoned which can trigger childhood fears. Are these familiar feelings to you right now?

I agree with what others have said that using substances such as alcohol and other drugs are not a good way to cope. Instead it can set you up for an addiction problem that will add to your current depression.

Best solution right now is to find some support for yourself. Do you have a support network of family, friends, church, etc.? You need to talk and even perhaps keep a journal of your feelings right now. A counselor, physician and/or minister might all be able to help you get through this difficult time without resulting in an addiction to chemicals.

I would also encourage you to read some posts regarding dealing with depression at this link, https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/doing-things-to-relieve-depression-motivation-and-ideas/. These discussions provide some ideas for more natural ways of dealing with a down mood.

I would love to hear from you again and know how you are doing. Will you post again?

Teresa

@doxyjune

This is Gail, and I'm a Volunteer Mentor with Mayo Connect. I had been commenting on and experimenting with the dosages for both CBD and Marijuana prior to going on a 3 week vacation. Now that I'm back, I want to report some of what I have learned.

I read that "hemp" extract and marijuana/cannabis extract are not the same. Hemp is grown for industrial use and isn't the marijuana or cannabis that's used for medication. Some companies are using the cheap hemp and are misleading consumers. I suggest you try a CBD product from one of the companies mentioned on this thread as having useful products. I got my CBD DAILY from
mjstherapeutics. org I have no affiliation with this company.

Since each person has different tolerance levels, I recommend starting CBD with 1 pump, or about 2 mg. at first. Then up it 1 mg. at a time until you can feel relief from your anxiety. Also, when taking CBD orally, it may take up to 2 hours to feel the full effects of relief. I found that after I increased my dose from 3 pumps per dose to 8 pumps, and left it under my tongue for about a minute, I had great relief of my anxiety/pain and began to feel better in about 1 hour. The CBD tincture (oil) I have is 5:55, THC:CBD, so it has almost no THC at all. I found that at the effective dose, the CBD also helped my osteoarthritis pain, without making me high. It was a huge help when I was withdrawing from Tramadol 50 mg. and relieved my anxiety from that.

I also tried the Marijuana tincture (oil) and found that .25 mL. from the dropper under my tongue and held for 30 seconds is quite enough to make me a little high. I tried about .35-.40 mL. and that was too much as I felt "stoned" (too high for me) at that dose. Again, it takes up to 2 hours for the full effects to register. For me it only took about 45 minutes. The Marijuana tincture I have is a 3:1 THC:CBD blend, so it is high in THC, the part of the cannabis plant that makes you high. This was recommended to my husband when he bought some for my pain. It does relieve my pain, but I really don't like being high and trying to function in daily life. I don't like being high at any time actually.

I hope this is helpful for you and others who have questions about different types of Marijuana /CBD and how they affected me. Again, be sure that what you buy is a "cannabis" derivative, not hemp.

Gail,
Volunteer Mentor

Ordered some books and CBD oil. Seeing a therapist occasionally, not sure if it's helping , plus there very expensive . Lots of great information here and non-judgement . I have learned a lot from mayo connect.

@lalyfa, I saw yesterday that the FDA has approved a drug for seizures that contains CBD. It is the first drug that has been approved with any part of the cannabis plant included. I hope that some docs will try it for off label uses that it seems many have already learned it is effective. That is an awful sentence, but, my point is that I have read many accounts of uses of CBD oil for many conditions with at least some success.