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

I have been totally off the effexor and all anti-depressants for 2 weeks now. The dizziness is getting much better however my emotions/agitation are horrible. I cry at everything and am extremely crabby/agitated. I realize most of this has to do with the withdrawal. I really want to see this through to find out if I can live without anti-depressants but at the same time I know it's very hard on my family. I have another doctor appt beginning of April and she says that if I don't feel better by then I most likely will need to go back on an anti-depressant. For the most part I agree with her. My hopes of proving her wrong as getting slim however. I'd like to know how long it took some of you who have withdrawn from anti-depressants to feel somewhat 'normal' or you knew you had to go back on them? I guess I'm asking if another month is a good amount of time for me to determine what I should do. In some ways I feel like I should start on them again now but I'm not going there yet? BTW, I am in no way feeling suicidal. Mornings seem to be my worst time and by early evenings I feel somewhat better - is this strange too? I haven't tried the CBD living water yet but did find a place near me to get it. Just havent had the time to get there. I also have the Ativan which I take one night to help with sleep. I'm trying not to take it unless really necessary. Tomorrow I have a huge even that my husband and I are in charge of so I'm planning to take an Ativan in the morning to get me through the day without falling apart (crying scene) in front of everyone (or yelling at them) :)! Thanks for all your input!!

CBD oil:
I am taking CBD oil and find good results. I use it in the morning for anxiety and at night for anxiety and sleep aid. It does not make you feel cloudy or drowsy at all. It just keeps things on an equilibrium so that you are better able to cope. I was not taking it daily, but being isolated has increased my anxiety levels ten-fold, and I have been using it daily. In Canada, you can get the CBD oil with 'marijuana', but I get just the CBD oil. No reason other than I am apprehensive getting the other. I am told the combo works very well for those who take it. Gives them a bit of a high, but nothing like just plain MJ. I would recommend CBD oil for anyone suffering with anxiety.
I was on anti-depressants for 25 years and weaned off them completely Dec 25/19. Anxiety went through the roof, and I got the CBD oil on the advice of my son. It has really helped me. I don't want to go on anti-depressants ever again. Getting off was extremely hard

you and I sound very much alike. I have been off my antidepressants(have tried many since effexor quit 2 1/2 years ago) for 4 months and still don't have any good days.. i don't know if I will ever feel like I did when I was on the effexor for 18 years before it quit working. If I felt half as good as when it was working I would be happy. I also take attivan, but am at 3 mg. a day just to help me through the anxiety. My worst time is first thing in the morning(usually awake at 4;00 I assume from trying so many drugs) and it is bad till noon and sometimes improves by evening. I have been told depending on how long you have been on antidepressants that it can take up to 6 mths to a year to feel better. I don't mean to sound like a downer but am stating what I have read. If you are still following any replies as you were posting in 2018 I would be interested where you are now with the cbd oil and meds.

@lalyfa

Welcome to Mayo Connect. I am a Volunteer Mentor and not a medical professional. As such I can offer the benefit of my personal experience, as can others on this site, but not medical diagnoses nor medical opinions. We strive to help each other with the understanding that we are all different and what works for me may not work for you. I have gotten so much good from participating in Mayo Connect that I love it.

Yes, I have used CBD tincture and CBD Living Water for anxiety. I haven't used it for depression as I already take an antidepressant. It doesn't seem to interfere with my Citalopram.

I decided to try CBD when I was withdrawing from Tramadol, a synthetic opiate I had been taking for pain (with 2 other medications) for over a year. As I began slowly reducing my use, I experienced a lot of anxiety and muscle tremors in my legs especially. I know that using a marijuana medication meant that my pain doctor would not prescribe for me again, but I was getting off the pain medications one by one anyway, so I don't care.

The CBD Living Water was my favorite as it just was like drinking bottled water and was immediately available in my system. Within a few minutes of drinking one serving, my anxiety began reducing. It was so benign that I thought perhaps it was just my own thoughts that were calming me down--my belief that it would help. So, I bought the CBD tincture as kind of a test to see if I reacted the same. The next time I was having withdrawal anxiety I used the CBD Tincture. I didn't realize at that time that it can take up to 2+ hours to have effect when you take the tincture, but that was actually good for my test purposes. My anxiety continued for another hour until slowly the tincture began taking effect. I decided then that the CBD Living Water worked best for my anxiety.

CBD Living Water is expensive at $5.00 per bottle with 2 servings. It has no flavor (the tincture had a sweet weird flavor I didn't like) and is easy to drink. I only used 4 bottles to help me through my withdrawal. I don't use it now, but I will if I have anxiety in the future. I am impressed with how helpful it was in my withdrawal. I think it would help in withdrawal from cigarettes too. I did that 34 years ago though.

Are you willing to share what you're anxiety is about? I had panic and anxiety attacks for years and used Ativan and later Lorazepam for them, especially when I had to fly in planes. About 6 years ago I started taking Citalopram antidepressant, and all my anxiety/panic attacks went away. I only had it again recently during my withdrawal process. I know my relief from anxiety is from the Citalopram. I even did 7 zip lines in Costa Rica a little over a year ago. My flights there, to Panama and back were anxiety free. That has been so incredible for me! I love traveling now.

Please let me know if you have questions,. I also hope others on Mayo Connect will let you know their experiences with CBD and Marijuana as medical alternative treatments.

Gail B
Volunteer Mentor

Hi bravesurvivor I get an alert on my email so I can reply. Actually I no longer take anything. Two years ago I was kicked out of my psychiatrist office, I was going through health issues and missed an appointment and forgot to let them know and when I tried to make an appointment again they told me not only that my psychiatrist was no longer there but I wasn’t allowed back because I was a no call no show. I’ was upset about it but I’m very thankful for that today. It took me one year to go through all the withdrawals from quitting the meds cold turkey. That was a horrible time I was sick all the time trying to get them out of my system. In the meantime I felt that I needed to take something because my body was conditioned to believe it needed something I was on the meds for so long. I remember thinking that I wanted to start doing something natural that’s where I tried cbd but it never worked. So I found meditation and yoga, that was what got me feeling better. I know it doesn’t sound like it would work but two years later and still not on meds or cbd and I’m happy with no anxiety or depression. I’m realizing how much time of my life I missed just going through the motions like a zombie, I literally don’t remember a lot of that time it’s black like I was in a coma. I wouldn’t change what I’m doing now for anything I’m back to my old self again with real emotions that I never felt before , able too do and say things I remember the next day and no zombie. I wish you lots of luck in your journey and if you ever need anything don’t hesitate to ask I’m here to help anyone that wants it. 💙