CA Clinics is pleased to announce that it is working with Applied Cannabis Research and BOD Australia to study into the benefits of cannabinoids and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Patients referred to cannabis access clinic for PTSD may elect to participate in the study.
PTSD is thought to effect up to 1 million Australians each year and is a potentially serious condition that can develop in response to single or repeated exposure to traumatic events.
A number of events have the potential to cause PTSD, including:
Threat of death
Serious injury
Viewing or handling human remains
Seeing someone badly injured or killed
Interpersonal violence such as being mugged or sexually assaulted
Being unable to respond to a threatening situation
Witnessing human suffering on a large scale
Preliminary studies in humans suggest that treatment with cannabinoids (CBD oil) may decrease PTSD symptoms including sleep quality, frequency of nightmares, and hyperarousal. However, there are no large-scale, randomised, controlled studies investigating this specifically.
Dr Sharron Davis, a prescribing doctor at CA Clinics notes “we have seen patients cases where medical cannabis has had a profoundly positive effect on their wellbeing. Capturing these outcomes in a structured way, we hope, will help improve our understanding of how to use medicinal cannabis as a therapy for PTSD patients”.
Dr John Barlow, principal researcher at Applied Cannabis Research commented, “Through the TGA, Australia has a stringent medical compliance framework for medicinal cannabis that requires precise dosing and monitoring of patients, making it an ideal location for this type of research. We hope to add to the increasing body of knowledge about medicinal cannabis and the potential for benefit to patients suffering from the effects of traumatic experiences”.
Patients interested in participating in the study can schedule a screening appointment at the clinic or request their treating doctor to refer them.
