Anxiety affects nearly 40 million people in the US. This points at the immense scale of problems that we have. Talking about the treatment, there are multiple options available. Opioid based drugs are particularly popular. But they have harmful side effects. Luckily, you can use

medical cannabis in Los Angeles

to combat anxiety issues.

Anti-anxiety medications

Presently, anti-anxiety medications consist of the following:

1) Antidepressants

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) are a class of antidepressants which are widely used in treating anxiety issues. The common SSRIs include citalopram, paroxetine, sertraline, fluvoxamine, and escitalopram.

Other antidepressants include SNRIs and TCAs. SSRIs and SNRIs basically act on brain chemicals serotonin and norepinephrine. One major disadvantage of taking these medications is that they need to be ingested daily whether you have anxiety on that day or not.

2) Benzodiazepines

These are the most popular anti-anxiety drugs available in the market. Their fast action makes them particularly very effective in battling anxiety. It includes Xanax, Ativan, Valium, and Librium.

They are effective but come with negative side-effects. They are known to cause memory issues, irritability, drowsiness, and attention problems. Another aspect which cannot be missed is addiction. Dependance on any medication can be pretty dangerous. Hence, we need a safer alternative.

So what’s that?

Cannabis it is!

You can use

medical cannabis in Los Angeles

to combat anxiety. The abuse of benzodiazepines is pretty prevalent. Cases of benzo-fiending are particularly on the rise. Benzo abuse is a real thing. The incidents of deaths are particularly increasing.

Cannabis as an alternative

Various studies point to the effectiveness of cannabis in reducing the dependency of benzos. Also, there have been cases where patients were able to completely cut-off from the benzodiazepines. These are definitely positive signs to consider the use of medical marijuana in fighting opioid addiction.

The key to using cannabis for fighting benzo dependence lies in using the right strain. Ideally, a medical marijuana doctor can evaluate your health and offer the right strain for you. It is advised that anxiety patients should avoid high THC strains as it can induce unnecessary panic.

CBD-rich strains are particularly well-suited to combat anxiety issues. Cannabidiol is non-psychoactive and does not produce a high. It injects the relaxing effects which work to lower the symptoms of anxiety.

A study presents some important details

Canabo Medical Clinic in Canada conducted a study which involved medical cannabis patients. The doctors identified people who were using benzo medications. The patients were handed 2-month cannabis prescriptions and had to self-report. The process involved 146 patients and produced promising results.

1) 47.9% of patients admitted to using benzos for pain while 31.9% reported using benzos for a psychiatric condition.

2) After the first follow up visit, 44 patients quit using benzos. By the final follow up visit, 66 patients had reportedly stopped using benzos.

3) The patients observed an increase in the quality of life after quitting benzos. This is definitely a positive change as opioid addiction can seriously impair life.

The study produces some promising results which can’t be ignored. It has offered a possibility of fighting the long-standing opioid addiction.

You can access

from a certified dispensary. With the right strain, you can successfully combat the harmful side-effects of anti-anxiety medications. Cannabis offers a safer and more effective alternative to curb anxiety disorders. With constant research in works, we expect to unearth more benefits of cannabis in the future.