Cannabis has proved through ample research that it holds many positive effects for the health of users. It has also showed that it can improve one’s sleep and combat anxiety among other things. A previous but recent study, which has been published in the Kaiser Permanente journal, showed that CBD use decreased anxiety by 79.2% and improved sleep by 66.7%.
Now a new study reveals how people leave using benzodiazepine once they are prescribed cannabis. However why they do this has not been found in this study.
What Does This New Study Reveal?
New study which has been published in the Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research journal has found that people who start receiving medical cannabis discontinue the use of benzodiazepine. Benzodiazepine are medications prescribed to those battling anxiety and insomnia. Their use has become increasingly common as it is in the case of CBD products as well.
However, patients are not aware of the many adverse side effects that accompany the use of benzodiazepine pills. They make people require more sedation as well as have addictive qualities. People who use these prescribed medications are also at a higher risk of falls. There needs to be more public awareness about these negative side effects of use.
In this study, researchers noted that 146 medical patients who regularly took benzodiazepine discontinued its use. About 45% of the patients stopping consuming the prescribed drug within 6 months of taking cannabis. Several of these people said that their daily distress due to their medical condition had decreased by the use of cannabis.
However, while the research found that cannabis prescription makes people discontinue benzodiazepine use, researchers were not able to find a physiological reason for why both the drugs shared this link. Moreover, the findings of this study do not mean that people who have been prescribed benzodiazepine should ditch it for cannabis use instead.
The author of the study, Chad Purcell told PsyPost, “We observed a significant number of patients who stopped taking their benzodiazepine medications once started on medical cannabis. We hope that future research will explain this observation and provide recommendations for patients who use benzodiazepines and/or cannabis.”
Key Takeaway
Cannabis use is increasing at a great speed. More and more people are restoring to the consumption of CBD products for calming down stress and for sleeping better and feeling less anxious. In this regard, people who are prescribed benzodiazepine for improving sleep and reducing anxiety have been found to discontinue its use after cannabis prescription.
These people have reported that the consumption of cannabis has improved their life by reducing the distress associated to their medical condition. This is what a new research called, “Reduction of Benzodiazepine Use in Patients Prescribed Medical Cannabis” reveals. However, this doesn’t indicate that people should ditch what they have been prescribed by professionals.
