Efficacy of the use of cannabidiol in the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder: a systematic review

Abstract

Many patients with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) experience episodes that include high levels of anxiety and intrusive memories of the traumatic event, which can be distressing, recurrent, and involuntary. Cannabidiol (CBD), which is one of the main active components of the Cannabis plant, has presented numerous therapeutic possibilities, including antiepileptic, antipsychotic and anxiolytic applications. With this, the present study aimed to define the effectiveness of the use of cannabidiol in the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder through a systematic review. For this, the databases of the last 5 years present in PUBMED and BVS were used, through the descriptors “Cannabidiol” and “Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic”, interconnected by the Boolean operator “AND” for the formation of research strategies. The use of cannabidiol in the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorders can be effective, but the result in some specific situations may differ from what is expected, such as the reduction of anxiety resulting from sexual trauma or the impairment of memory reconsolidation in rats. Thus, it is essential to expand the discussions regarding the treatment of PTSD with the use of cannabidiol, as well as the performance of double-blind studies to confirm and expand the potential role of CBD in the treatment of patients with this disorder.