Opioid addiction is a major public health crisis worldwide. In the USA alone, opioid addiction is at epidemic levels with an estimated three million US citizens reporting they have either suffered from or currently have an opioid use disorder (OUD). The global numbers are even more devasting. Over 16 million individuals worldwide have reported an OUD.
People addicted to opioids will inevitably experience withdrawal symptoms such as anxiety, insomnia, pain, and gastrointestinal problems to name a few of the most common opioid withdrawal effects.
Drug rehab centers typically use opioids to treat patients withdrawing from opioid addiction. Wanting to provide relief, they offer drugs like methadone and Suboxone that also have their own addictive properties. The current paradigm in opioid treatment is to pursue harm reduction and these less-harmful drugs are very much in line with that principle.
But could there be something even less harmful to treat opioid addiction successfully?
Cannabidiol (CBD) is a promising natural alternative to potentially addictive opioid withdrawal medications. It is derived from specific cannabis plant varieties that contain less than 0.3% THC, so CBD cannot get patients high in any way. CBD is not an opioid and it is not addictive. Most importantly, the safety and effectiveness of CBD for opioid withdrawal is backed by a growing body of scientific research.
Studies on the effectiveness of CBD for opioid withdrawal have gone on for decades. Over time, they have become more structured as they progressed from tests on animals to human subjects. Recent clinical trials show some exciting benefits of CBD for those dealing with opioid withdrawal.
Revisiting Past CBD Studies for Opioid Withdrawal
Research in 2020 at Johns Hopkins University shows that cannabis may help relieve symptoms of opioid withdrawal. The study found that over 72 percent of test subjects said that it had helped them. The next year, NIH reported that study results show that CBD could help reduce symptoms of withdrawal.
The report included a review of 41 articles on clinical studies of opioid withdrawal, and the research proved remarkable. CBD cut down on the cravings in people who had OUD and had stopped using. It also helped minimize anxiety and depression, pain, nausea, insomnia, and other symptoms of opioid withdrawal. Results from a 2019 study using a placebo and a double-blind random process to get the most accurate picture of effectiveness shows CBD has the potential to reduce opioid cravings and anxiety symptoms.
Looking at Current and Future CBD Research
Harvard Health notes the strongest evidence of CBD’s success appears in its ability to reduce epileptic seizures. The literature review suggests that animal studies and human self-reports show that it can reduce anxiety, insomnia and pain. In addition, it can lower cravings for opioid drugs under certain conditions as well.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a first-of-its-kind study at the University of California. The start date of the study has not been announced. However, its approval by the FDA shows a growing interest in finding better ways to treat some aspects of opioid addiction.
Another study is underway and expected to end by September of next year. As further interest increases, the research is responding to the need for a non-opioid alternative treatment. Considering the healing potential of cannabidiol in treating opioid use disorder gives the study significant importance. While ongoing studies continue to investigate the health benefits of CBD, others offer promise for the relief of withdrawal symptoms.
Relieving Symptoms of Opioid Withdrawal
Anyone who has experienced the discomfort of withdrawal knows how painful and unpleasant it can be. Some people find it so intolerable that they return to the opioid that caused the problem in the first place. The miseries that come from withdrawing from opioid dependence create unbearable effects. These are the most common symptoms of opioid withdrawal:
• abdominal pain
• chills
• cramps
• cravings for the drug
• depression
• diarrhea
• extreme anxiety
• flu-like symptoms
• headaches
• hot flashes
• inability to sleep
• muscle, joint and bone pain
• nausea
• profuse sweating
• restlessness
• sadness
• tremors
• vomiting
Almost no one can expect to tolerate the agonies that come from opioid withdrawal without help. CBD products offer an accessible path to relief for many.
Understanding CBD Benefits
Many of the benefits of CBD that help people with OUD are the same as those that anyone else can get from taking it, too. Forbes cites science-backed benefits that help with opiate withdrawal as well as other common health conditions that could benefit from natural CBD relief:
• Opioid addiction
• Anxiety and depression
• Epilepsy syndrome
• PTSD symptoms
• ALS symptoms
• Extreme pain relief
• Diabetes complications
• Neurological disease protection
• Arthritis symptoms
The characteristics of CBD may help it reduce cravings, alleviate nausea, block pain, lessen the intensity of anxiety and improve sleep quality. They may not work for everyone, but the possibility of making withdrawal somewhat less difficult should offer encouragement.
Finding How Much CBD to Take
CBD products are legal, hemp-based, and purchasable online as well as in stores. This CBD Dosage Chart makes it easy to find the right dose for your weight and preferences. The chart gives you recommendations for different body weights in increments of 25lbs up to 200lbs, then increases by 50lbs increments after that. For each weight category, you can see how much CBD to use for a mild, average, or maximum strength dose. Allow your body weight, tolerance level and preferred way to take it to make the decision for you. It is as simple as that!
Learning How Long CBD Stays in Your System
You can help control how long CBD stays in your system. For example, CBD may last for as long as eight hours under certain circumstances. That’s why it matters if you prefer using soft gels or gummies, baked goods, oil tinctures, concentrates, vapes, or topical skincare products. The various forms of CBD work differently and last longer or shorter durations depending on which you choose.
The size of your regular CBD dose makes a big difference, too. So does how often you take it. The size of your dose affects how strongly you feel short-term CBD benefits while the frequency of dosing will improve long-term CBD effectiveness. In other words, the more often you take it, the more likely it is that you maintain maximum blood serum concentrations. The longer you do this, the more effective your CBD usage may become.
Finally, whether you select full spectrum, broad spectrum or isolate CBD products contributes to the overall results of your wellness plan, so make sure you learn the differences to find the right CBD for you.
