Summary:
A prescription CBD drug for opioid addiction is in advanced clinical trials. ANANDA Scientific Inc. has filed with the FDA and is testing 600 to 1,200 mg of CBD a day. That is far above the 20-30 mg in store-bought supplements. Pilot studies have already shown CBD helps manage drug addiction.
Opioid addiction has raged for decades and kills more people than street drugs. Using drugs to treat addiction to prescription drugs is one way, but not the best. So many researchers are looking for safer treatments. CBD can help fight withdrawal, change drug-seeking behavior and help curb addiction. CBD is already proven safe, since it is one of the most used health supplements. So one drug company is testing CBD to manage opioid addiction. Unlike CBD supplements, it has a much higher CBD dose. That is why it needs full testing.
The opioid misuse epidemic has raged for over three decades and is now a public health emergency. But health agencies were too slow to react. They only saw how bad it was when deaths from prescription drugs passed deaths from street drugs. Opioid misuse already causes three times more deaths than heroin overdose. There are still twice as many opioid abusers as heroin users.
Doctors have treated drug addiction for decades. But addiction to prescription drugs is harder to manage. It means treating addiction to one prescription drug with another drug that is safer, but not fully safe. The medicines used for opioid addiction have a range of side effects. So new remedies are needed that are safer for long-term use.
Can CBD help with opioid addiction?
Like any drug addiction, opioid addiction is hard to manage. It means easing withdrawal and cutting drug-seeking behavior. To do this, doctors use other drugs that fight withdrawal symptoms and change the drug-seeking habit. But a drug used for this may also be addictive and is not always safe.
In recent years, CBD (cannabidiol) has grown very popular. It is one of the most used health supplements. It is safe for long-term use and has many health benefits. For example, it may ease pain, lower stress and anxiety, help you sleep better and more.
CBD is one of the compounds taken from cannabis plants. But it does not cause a high. The high comes from a substance called THC. CBD products have no THC or only traces of it. CBD is proven safe beyond doubt. Makers also take CBD from hemp, not from marijuana. Hemp is also a type of cannabis plant. But it is naturally low in THC, so it is safe for regular use.
This is not the first time researchers have tested CBD for health problems. CBD is already approved for some conditions. There are already US FDA-approved CBD-based drugs. For example, a drug called Epidiolex is FDA approved to treat a rare, hard-to-treat kind of epilepsy in children. CBD also seems to help with conditions like multiple sclerosis and more.
Lately, researchers have paid close attention to CBD as a remedy for drug addiction. A company called ANANDA Scientific Inc. has already filed with the FDA to start a clinical trial of its CBD-based drug for opioid addiction. The trial has already started and is in advanced stages. Its chances of approval are good, because pilot studies have already shown CBD helps manage drug addiction.
Why won’t store-bought CBD supplements work for addiction?
Some people may ask: why not just use the CBD supplements sold in stores? Store CBD supplements would not work, for many reasons. First, the FDA does not test them. So many of them may not contain much CBD. Many common supplements contain hemp oil, which is a different thing and not a CBD product.
But the dose may be the bigger reason store CBD supplements would not work. They contain tiny amounts of CBD. For example, store supplements give about 20-30 mg of CBD a day (usually a max of 70 mg). US FDA-approved drugs may contain several hundred milligrams of CBD.
ANANDA Scientific Inc.’s filing shows they are testing 600 to 1,200 mg of CBD a day. That is many times the dose in a regular supplement. That is why a clinical trial is needed. It is also why the FDA treats it as a CBD-based drug, not a supplement. It is also expected to absorb better and so work better.
In short, safe, effective CBD-based drugs for opioid addiction are quite likely on the way. It would be a high-dose CBD product, available only with a doctor’s prescription.
Frequently asked questions
Does CBD relieve withdrawal symptoms?
CBD can help fight opioid withdrawal, change drug-seeking behavior and help curb addiction. Pilot studies have already shown it helps manage drug addiction. The dose matters. The prescription CBD drug now in trials uses 600 to 1,200 mg a day. Most store-bought supplements give 20-30 mg a day.
What is the newest medicine for opioid withdrawal?
One of the newest in development is a prescription CBD drug from ANANDA Scientific Inc. The company filed with the FDA to begin clinical trials, and its trial is in advanced stages. Because it is a high-dose CBD product, the FDA treats it as a drug, not a supplement. It would be available only with a doctor’s prescription.
What reduces withdrawal symptoms?
Managing opioid addiction means easing withdrawal and cutting drug-seeking behavior. Doctors use other medicines that fight withdrawal symptoms and change the drug-seeking habit. But those medicines have side effects and can be addictive themselves. That is why researchers are testing CBD. It does not cause a high and is already one of the most used health supplements.
Related reading
Opioid Prescriptions and the Opioid Epidemic: New Studies · Isotonitazene: The Opioid Stronger Than Fentanyl · How Long Do Opiates Stay in Your System?