Post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD is a mental health disorder that can develop in people who have experienced or witnessed a dangerous or traumatic event. Recollections of the event or associated stimuli can cause an onset of anxiety and fear. Suffering a grievous injury, losing a loved one, witnessing an accident, and surviving a natural disaster are all examples of traumatic events that could lead to the development of PTSD.
PTSD’s effects can vary in intensity over time. Looking into treatment options for PTSD early on can help prevent its symptoms from getting worse.
PTSD symptoms fall into four broad categories:
If you suspect you have PTSD, it’s important to seek out help and treatment options. The symptoms listed here don’t always manifest themselves uniformly across all patients. The specific experience matters, as do individual mental, physical, and social conditions. However, identifying and treating it early can help mitigate your suffering and prevent an escalation of your symptoms.
If you’re experiencing trouble dealing with a distressing life event, you should consult a qualified medical professional to receive a diagnosis before you explore remedies.
Common treatment options for PTSD include psychotherapy and medication. The former includes cognitive behavior therapies (CBT), such as prolonged exposure therapy, stress inoculation therapy, and cognitive processing therapy. Usually prescribed medications include drugs such as antidepressants and anxiolytics (anti-anxiety) for symptom relief.
However, recent research has suggested that medical cannabis has significant potential benefits for PTSD patients. Cannabinoids, or cannabis compounds, such as cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) are believed to have antidepressant-like properties and help reduce nightmares respectively. Studies have analyzed the effects of cannabis on PTSD sufferers and have shown that it may well be an effective treatment option for PTSD. Findings show that cannabis may potentially help reduce flashbacks by over 50%, anxiety by 57%, irritability by 67%, and intrusive thoughts by 62%.
At Texas 420 Doctors, we’re proud to enable medical cannabis access for eligible Texans. If you suffer from PTSD or any other qualifying condition, you can book an appointment with one of our board-certified, CURT-registered physicians to get evaluated. You can receive your medical cannabis approval letter and dispensary recommendations and order medical cannabis from a dispensary in as little as 24 hours after your initial evaluation. Reach out to us to understand more about medical cannabis as a treatment option for PTSD.
