Not all trauma can be labeled, but it can be treated

Photo by Matt Dayak

By Heather Zuzo and Rebekkah Ranallo

“Put it behind you.” “It’s time to move on.” “Just stop dwelling on it.” If you suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), you’ve likely received this unhelpful advice. But you didn’t choose this battle. If it were that easy to move on, you would have done so long ago.

Nearly 8% of US Americans will experience PTSD at some point in their life. Combat, car accidents, and sexual assault are a few of the common traumatic experiences that result in PTSD, but trauma can occur in many different forms for different people. Categorizing or labeling these experiences doesn’t work for everyone. Many folks have trouble putting into words how one experience or a series of experiences have left them scarred. 

Sometimes all it takes is a smell, glimpse, or sound to take you back to the trauma you lived through or witnessed. You look fine on the outside, but you are fighting an invisible battle on the inside. Pain, inflammation, loss of appetite, feeling jittery or constantly on edge, poor quality of sleep, flashbacks, anxiety and depression are all symptoms we hear about from our patients who live with PTSD.

We say it all the time, and we don’t take these words lightly: we are here for you. We are here to provide guidance on a medical marijuana treatment plan to help ease your symptoms--scroll down for some tips from our pharmacy team. But we are also here to challenge the stigma that still plagues conversations about mental health. Our brains are a part of our bodies—there should be no shame in admitting when this part of our body is sick.

If you’re struggling with PTSD or another mental health condition, scroll down for two local counselors who support medical marijuana therapy and other forms of medication assisted treatment. If you have a story you want to share or want to chat with a pharmacist, let us know at contact@maitrimeds.com.

PTSD and the Endocannabinoid System

Disturbances in the endocannabinoid system may cause the brain to continually recreate the undesirable symptoms associated with PTSD. There are several theories on how this process actually takes place, but it seems that by adding cannabis, CB1 receptors are activated and stressors decrease.

Medical marijuana dosing for PTSD

Strains that are high in the terpenes myrcene and linalool are often effective for patients treating PTSD with medical marijuana. Myrcene is recommended for decreasing spasms, pain and insomnia. Linalool is known for enhancing your mood, decreasing pain, and treating insomnia. If you’re not sure how to explore terpene data on Maitri’s menu, check out the below screenshot.

Microdosing THC in doses of 1 to 5mg is best for anxiety, leaning closer to 5mg at nighttime for help sleeping.

Tip from our pharmacists: Too much THC can stimulate the fear center of the brain and cause paranoia. Also, avoid pinene, a terpene that is noted to cause memory retention and focus. This could cause traumatic memories to be recalled. 

While future research is necessary to demonstrate efficacy as an alternative treatment, preliminary information shows great promise in using medical marijuana for PTSD symptoms.

If you want to speak to a member of our pharmacy team about easing trauma related symptoms with medical marijuana, email us at contact@maitrimeds.com.

Find help locally

Lamar Hill, Progressive Counseling
724.912.4538
https://www.progressivecounselinguniontown.com/
Supports medication assisted treatment

Jackie Shellaby, Licensed Clinical Social Worker
412.335.8781
Supports medication assisted treatment

http://pa211sw.org/search-services/

Sources

Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, August 2103/Volume 7/Article 100/ The endocannabinoid system as a possible target to treat both the cognitive and emotional features of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD),  https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23950739/

https://www.analyticalcannabis.com/articles/the-future-of-cannabis-treatments-for-ptsd-311619 The Future of Cannabis Treatments for PTSD, April 23, 2019

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26678423/  Cannabis for Posttraumatic stress disorder- A neurobiological approach to treatment, The Nurse Practitioner, Volume 41, No. 1, 2016