Is it safe to use cannabidiol prescription? Opinions expressed by leading cannabidiol resource authors are generally their own. Many people who do research on cannabidiol and CBD oil for epilepsy support the use of CBD oil, but caution that cannabidiol may be a side-effect of these drugs. They also point out that cannabidiol is a relatively new drug, and that there is still much more work to be done in this area. But, benefits and uses of CBD oil are reported by many leading cannabidiol resource authors.
Cannabidiol is an herbal ingredient that has been used for hundreds of years to treat some ailments, including epilepsy. The active cannabidiol prescription medication in pharmaceuticals has been sown in Europe since 2020. A variety of clinical trials have been conducted and results have been promising. A cannabidiol prescription medication has not yet been approved by the FDA. The reason for this is that it is an experimental drug.
The cannabidiol prescription has so far focused on treating childhood epilepsy, however, it was not expected that the benefits would extend to other more serious neurophysiological conditions like adult epilepsy or Alzheimer’s disease. Because cannabidiol, also known as CBD, is an inhaled drug, there is some concern about getting the higher doses needed to alleviate symptoms. Inflated doses can cause serious side effects, especially in people with a pre-existing heart or lung condition. In clinical trials, dosages up to 40 mg/kg have been administered, without any adverse effects. If the cannabidiol prescription is approved for larger dosages, it is likely that it will work to relieve most, if not all, of the symptoms of epilepsy in people with mild to moderate disease.
Recent years have seen medical marijuana use pick up momentum across the United States, particularly in areas where medical marijuana use is legal. However, despite the fact that it is not considered a medical marijuana drug, cannabidiol may share similar traits with cannabis and could therefore be considered a potential drug dependency risk. The two drugs share a number of similar characteristics, including a similarity in the psychoactive properties (or “high”) that is felt when using both drugs, a similarity in the physical act of smoking (and ingestion), and a similarity in the lack of serious adverse side effects in most patients who use either drug.
It is not clear why cannabidiol presents some of the same, but lower, health risks as does cannabis. One theory is that cannabidiol does not contain the same level of THC that cannabis does; thus, it does not present the serious adverse effects associated with long-term cannabis use, although there is a correlation between cannabidiol use and the onset of psychotic disorders in some patients. Another theory is that cannabidiol may not be quite as potent as the other major ingredient in medicinal cannabis – THC. Whatever the cause of this disparity, cannabidiol has become the darling of pharmaceuticals, due to its relatively low cost, remarkable similarity to other substances in the cannabis family, and relative availability. The ease at which cannabidiol can be purchased for therapeutic use makes it one of the more lucrative pharmaceuticals available for medical use today.
Despite being scheduled as a Schedule II drug, cannabidiol is actually one of very few plants or compounds that are explicitly approved by the FDA for medicinal use. The lack of FDA approvals, coupled with the fact that it has yet to gain significant attention from clinical practice professionals, means that the plant remains largely a black market commodity, available either from unscrupulous dealers on the streets or from the likes of online websites that purchase products “off the street”. Because few if any clinical trials have been conducted, there is no guarantee of the safety of cannabidiol; in fact, many current users of medicinal cannabis are concerned that the new drug’s lack of standardization may complicate treatment and increase the likelihood of unpredictable, even harmful side effects.
To address this concern, a group of international pharmacists and naturopathic doctors have conducted a systematic review of all current and ongoing clinical trials using cannabidiol and compared them with information from the internet. The analysis, published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Neuroscience, indicates that there is currently no evidence to support the view that cannabidiol has adverse effects on human health. This represents a major break from previous research, which had shown that cannabidiol may have the potential for adverse effects, particularly when used over long periods. The researchers advise that further studies should be conducted to determine whether these fears are justified. Cannabidiol is, they note, a newer drug, and some of the data collection required to determine whether it has any adverse effects will not likely be possible until later in the future.
In what may be seen as an unfortunate parallel, the researchers advise that cannabidiol and other non-cannabis analgesics can be prescribed “off label”, which means that they are potentially unregulated. It is, they note, “uneven” evidence that the use of such treatments may not be beneficial for patients suffering from chronic pain syndromes. Although there are very limited data on the effects of these “off labels”, cannabidiol and other cannabis analgesics “are now scheduled as Schedule II drugs.” Scheduling like this will remain in place until the results of ongoing clinical trials can be assessed in 2020.
