Cannabis treats anxiety and causes paranoia... what?
- Medical cannabis is a complex herb and its effect varies from individual to individual
- Different cannabinoid ratios along with other factors can influence the resulting effect of cannabis
Here's the thing. Anxiety and paranoia are classic side effects of certain types of medical cannabis. As many of our readers already suspect, this is especially true for strains with very high THC cannabinoid content.
But how is it possible that medical cannabis can both treat anxiety and cause paranoid feelings? Generally, it can be said that this plant can do both, but ultimately everything depends on a number of factors such as the strain, person's tolerance, mental and physical state, set & setting, dosage, and so on.
Does Cannabis Worsen Anxiety Symptoms?
The vast majority of today's strains that reach the end-user (whether recreational or patient) largely contain the classic, psychoactive cannabinoid THC. In the article Introduction to the Endocannabinoid System, it is explained how this cannabinoid affects the most numerous base of THC receptors in the brain and how this system ultimately takes care of the proper functioning of bodily functions such as sleep, metabolism, reproductive system, memory, immune system, and mood.
THC in the brain acts primarily in the amygdala, which is responsible for memory, emotions, and ultimately survival instincts. By affecting these systems, feelings of anxiety, fear, confusion, or even paranoia can quite understandably occur.
Whether an individual experiences feelings of anxiety and paranoia is highly individual and depends on so many factors that they can hardly be anticipated.
Marijuana, Dosage, Environment, and Paranoia
Feelings of dizzying anxiety after a bit of THC do not arise in all consumers. Even for those who are "caught" by paranoia, it is not a regular phenomenon. Generally, it depends on a few main external and internal factors.
Here are 4 factors to keep in mind:
1. Environment
If you feel a bit uncomfortable in a certain type of environment, the THC dose will very likely thoroughly support your feelings. As we mentioned, THC mainly affects the area of the brain responsible for survival instincts. So if you are in a new, unknown, or unusual environment, your body will be in a hyperactive mode recognizing and evaluating every detail of the surroundings.
Walking past a police officer feeling uncertain or feeling like you look too "stoned"? Exactly these feelings cannabis can double, which especially applies to new users who have not developed tolerance to the substance and are not as used to cannabis effects. (More in the article "Cannabis for Beginners")
2. Genetics
A surprise from last year was a study confirming the role of a person's genetics and its connection to the chance of paranoia under the influence of medical cannabis. A 2016 study found that those with a genetic variant of ATK1 are more likely to experience feelings of fear, visual distortions, or even hallucinations.
3. Strain
Different cannabis strains work in different ways. Generally, it is said that sativa strains cause paranoia more often than indica strains. Sativa strains usually induce a more mentally focused state and in some cases directly provide energy. Indica strains, on the other hand, are used for calming and physical well-being.
However, you should be more specifically interested in cannabinoid content and if you want to avoid anxiety, choose strains with higher CBD to THC ratio.
"If you are looking for the right strain for you, you can easily navigate our offer using the filter."
4. Dosage
More experienced users are well aware that dosage means everything. If you overdo it, for example with cannabis edibles, it's quite possible that you'll deeply exceed your usual dose. Excessive amounts will subsequently flood the brain center responsible for processing fear and voila – paranoia is born. Fortunately, even in such a case, waiting is enough – unpleasant feelings will always subside to a certain extent.
So how is cannabis used to treat anxiety?
Previous studies have found that medical cannabis is capable of treating anxiety feelings in a similar way to how it causes them. At first, this sounds strange, but cannabis is capable of acting with a so-called two-phase effect – a smaller dose can cause exactly the opposite effect of a high dose. (More in the article "Cannabis Dosage – Less is More")
For beginners, paranoia can occur even after quite small doses. In such cases, it is good to continue with the given dose for a few days until the unpleasant feelings disappear along with increasing tolerance.
When it comes to treating anxiety with cannabis, CBD cannabinoid is currently clearly winning. Many studies have confirmed its function as an effective anxiolytic capable of reducing feelings of social anxiety, stage fright, and general discomfort. (More in the article "CBD Against Stress and Anxiety")
Your Own Doctor
The absolute best way to use cannabis without causing any unnecessary paranoid feelings is to gather enough information about cannabis, find out what cannabinoid ratio might work for you, choose a strain (for example using the filter in our online shop) and start experimenting.
Everyone's chemistry is different, some will prefer CBD strains, others THC-rich sativa strains. You can also find varieties containing a balanced ratio of these two cannabinoids and thus utilize benefits from both cannabinoid spectrums.