Discussing marijuana use for managing anxiety
DEAR DR. ROACH: I am hoping you can weigh in on the use of cannibidiol (hempderived) for managing anxiety. My son has diagnoses of major depression and ADD. He has done a lot of online research and is interested in using CBD to manage periods where his anxiety is elevated, as he does not like the side effects of the typical pharma meds. We were hoping you could add medical depth to CBD usage. — D.W.
ANSWER: There is a great deal more research now on the use of marijuana and its major derivatives, tetrahydrocannabinol and cannibidiol. However, the research is far from complete, owing to difficulty in working directly with marijuana, which is categorized as a Schedule I drug in the U.S.
Some states allow medical use of marijuana, but it remains prohibited federally, leading to confusion. In addition, high-quality research on any drug for psychiatric conditions is difficult to do, and marijuana is controversial, with some parties absolutely convinced that it is effective for many disorders, and others equally convinced that it is useless or even harmful.
In trying to keep an open mind and avoid biases, I find from multiple studies that the individual variation in how these compounds affect the brain is striking. Where standardized doses can cause one person to feel relaxed and more sociable, another person with exactly the same dose can become panicked, paranoid and even psychotic. Also, even in people for whom marijuana works, one dose may be effective at reducing anxiety (which probably is why many people with anxiety disorders use cannabis), while higher doses increase risk of panic disorders.
Since exact dosing is difficult or impossible with natural forms of the compounds (any given strain will have different proportions of THC and CBD, and the amount per gram of plant material changes from plant to plant), marijuana itself is not an ideal choice for treatment. If it were possible to get CBD without THC, that might be beneficial.
DEAR DR. ROACH: My blood type is O-negative. I am well aware that O is the universal donor blood type. I have tried to donate every eight weeks since I was 16. I am now turning 49 in a few weeks, and wonder how many people I've helped over the years and if there are any health benefits or problems with me donating so much. I do have scars on my arms from the needles, and was worried that people (doctors or police officers) might mistake these scars as illegal needle use. The ladies at the blood bank have told me the scars I have do not look the same as the scars from illegal drug use. Can you put my mind at ease about the needle scars and whether I am helping or hurting my own body by donating so often? -- C.S.
ANSWER: Blood donation occasionally is safe. Giving blood as often as every eight weeks is safe for most people, but some people can become iron-deficient by donating so frequently. This is why blood banks check your hemoglobin level, to ensure that it is safe for you to donate. Some people need to take iron supplements to allow them to donate so frequently.
It usually is very easy to tell the difference between frequent professional blood draws or IV lines and injection of illicit drugs, so I would not be concerned about that.
I commend you for donating so much of your blood. All blood is precious, but some subtypes (such as your O-negative blood, or in people who have never been exposed to the virus CMV) are especially valuable.
Dr. Keith Roach is a medical doctor and syndicated columnist based in Florida. This column appears weekdays in The Penticton Herald.