Challenges and considerations for treating PTSD with medicinal cannabis: the Australian clinician's perspective.

Summary

Preclinical and experimental research suggests medicinal cannabis may help treat posttraumatic stress disorder, but integrating it into routine clinical therapies poses clinical, practical, and safety challenges, especially when combined with trauma-focused psychotherapy. Key issues include dose timing and titration, addiction potential, product formulation, windows of intervention, and route of administration. Exposure therapy for PTSD involves recalling intense emotions, and the interaction between cannabis use and reliving trauma memories requires exploration for patient safety and therapeutic outcomes.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Preclinical and experimental research have provided promising evidence that medicinal cannabis may be efficacious in the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, implementation of medicinal cannabis into routine clinical therapies may not be straightforward. In this review, we describe some of the clinical, practical, and safety challenges that must be addressed for cannabis-based treatment of PTSD to be feasible in a real-world setting. These issues are especially prevalent if medicinal cannabis is to be combined with trauma-focused psychotherapy. Future consideration of the clinical and practical considerations of cannabis use in PTSD therapy will be essential to both the efficacy and safety of the treatment protocols that are being developed. These issues include dose timing and titration, potential for addiction, product formulation, windows of intervention, and route of administration. In particular, exposure therapy for PTSD involves recall of intense emotions, and the interaction between cannabis use and reliving of trauma memories must be explored in terms of patient safety and impact on therapeutic outcomes.