Post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, affects about 8 million Americans. PTSD is a severe anxiety disorder that develops as a result of experiencing a traumatic event – or living with traumatic events for a longer period of time.
PTSD symptoms include flashbacks, nightmares, insomnia, and anxiety. PTSD can have a serious impact on every aspect of daily life. Common treatments include psychotherapy, lifestyle changes, and medications. But years of research have revealed that cannabis can be an effective tool for managing the many symptoms of PTSD.
Below we list our pick of the five best cannabis products for PTSD, available now available in legal cannabis dispensaries in New York.
What is PTSD?
PTSD is often associated with combat veterans who come home traumatized by war. But this disorder can affect anyone who has either experienced or witnessed a terrifying event or situation. Natural and human-caused disasters, accidents, assaults, and toxic relationships are among the many causes of PTSD, which can strike either right after the trauma, or even months or years later. PTSD symptoms fall into four distinct groups:
Avoidance: Staying away from places, people or activity that brings up memories of the traumatic event or situation, or trying to avoid thinking or talking about it
Intrusive memories: Flashbacks, in which people relive the traumatic event or recurring, intrusive memories of it. Intrusive memories can also appear in nightmares or extreme emotional responses to something or someone that triggers memories of the trauma.
Negative mood changes: Feelings of hopelessness, lack of interest in pleasant things, or emotional numbness. Changes can also include problems with thinking and memory, or problems with close relationships.
Changes in physical or emotional responses: Constant alertness, being easily startled, anger and irritability. Changes can also include insomnia, trouble concentrating, or engaging in self-destructive behaviors like using drugs or drinking too much. Some people feel guilty or ashamed.
PTSD symptoms can vary widely in severity. In a stress-free environment without anything that might trigger traumatic memories, PTSD symptoms might be relatively mild. But in a high-stress situation or one with reminders of the trauma, symptoms might be severe.
Common treatments for PTSD include one on one and group talk therapy, lifestyle changes, and a variety of medications aimed at reducing the severity of symptoms, such as anti-anxiety and antidepressant drugs, and sleep aids. These medications can have serious side effects of their own, and a person with multiple PTSD symptoms might need to take more than one.
But, cannabis can help to treat a complex cluster of PTSD symptoms without the side effects and risks of those medications, thanks to its interactions with the body’s system of cannabinoid receptors.
Cannabis Relieves PTSD Naturally
The human body contains a large network of cell receptors that respond both to the natural cannabinoid chemicals produced by the body itself and the cannabinoids in cannabis and a few other plant sources. The endocannabinoid system, or ECS, plays a major role in maintaining balance among many other subsystems, including managing pain signaling and regulating mood, cognition, and emotion.
Cannabis contains a long list of compounds capable of triggering ECS receptors in the brain, including psychoactive THC (delta 9 tetrahydrocannabinol) and calming CBD (cannabidiol). In that way, cannabis can help reduce the anxiety and hyperarousal accompanying PTSD and boost the production of calming neurotransmitters that ease depression and promote better sleep.
Cannabis Strains for PTSD
Some cannabis strains are especially helpful for easing the symptoms of PTSD, thanks to their unique cannabinoid profiles. Cannabis strains are the various varieties of the cannabis plant, specially developed for specific properties and characteristics. These include calming Indica and energizing Sativa and numerous hybrid strains with properties of both.
The most effective strains for relief from PTSD symptoms have features that promote relaxation, calm and better sleep – and qualified holders of medical marijuana cards in New York have a variety of products to choose from.
The Top 5 Medical Marijuana Products for PTSD in New York
Here we list our top 5 medical marijuana products for PTSD in New York.
1:1 Orange Chewable Gels
1:1 Orange Chewable Gels offer a perfect balance of calming CBD, and euphoric THC. At 100 mg each, Orange Chewable Gels from matter can provide relief from stress and anxiety along with tangy orange flavor. These gels come in a 20-pack for convenient dosing throughout the day.
20:1 Fruity OG
20:1 Fruity OG
For those who prefer smoking their cannabis,, 20:1 Fruity OG is an Indica strain developed from crossing several popular cannabis strains. With a THC content of 18%, Fruity OG offers a blend of euphoria and relaxation for the relief of anxiety and insomnia.
1:1 Green EF90 TXC Vape Cartridge
1:1 Green EF90 TXC Vape Cartridge
from matter delivers a perfect balance of THC and CBD, at 45 percent each. This distillate vape cartridge offers premium high viscosity extract in an easy-to-use cartridge to help relieve stress and anxiety.
1:4 Orange Chewable Gels
1:4 Orange Chewable Gels offer a high-CBD version of matter’s 1:1 orange chewables, with 20 mg of CBD to just 5 mg of THC per gel. These orange-flavored chewables provide relief from anxiety and insomnia with minimal effects of THC.
1:1 Green ES Capsules
1:1 Green ES Capsules from matter offer an alternative to traditional ways to consume cannabis. These capsules are formulated to break down quickly in the stomach, for fast delivery of anxiety and stress relief with equal amounts of THC and CBD, at 285 mg of each per 30 pack.
PTSD is a severe anxiety disorder that can strike anyone after a traumatic experience, but cannabis can provide safe and effective relief for many of its symptoms. Now, medical marijuana cardholders in New York can choose from the best new products for PTSD at legal dispensaries throughout the state.
Get Your Medical Document & Purchase Medical Cannabis
It’s easy to get your medical document with the online Telehealth service HelloMD. Register, pay, and receive an online medical consultation with a licensed practitioner and start purchasing medical cannabis today.
