CBD May Ease Autism Symptoms

A recent study from the journal Pharmaceuticals found that CBD may ease the symptoms of Autism Spectrum Disorder and improve quality of life.

Autism is a neurodevelopmental condition that can cause differences in how someone communicates. It is also characterised by repetitive behaviours and routines. Autism comes with a wide spectrum of differences from exaggerated sensitivity to sensory issues, emotional regulation problems and seizures. Current estimates indicate that 1 in 36 people are Autistic. However, despite there being a high number of autistic cases there are few treatment options available to those with the condition.

This study follows previous research that implied that cannabis may benefit autistic people's social behaviours and quality of life. One study that suggests this, showed a possible pathway for the effect, in mice models by enhancing anandamide-mediated endocannabinoid signalling and enhancing social communication.

A later study on autistic humans discovered that treatment with cannabis extract led to advancements in social communication and quality of life. It also diminished characteristics such as meltdowns, anxiety in crowded noisy spaces, and poor appetite. That study also saw an improvement in quality of life in 95% of cases, and communication in 85% of cases.

How Does Cannabis Help Autism?

Some believe that cannabis is helpful for Autism because it activates the endocannabinoid system. This is a natural bodily system that performs a variety of essential functions. Autistic people have been discovered to have lower levels of endocannabinoids, which activate this system. When endocannabinoids are lacking, cannabinoids in cannabis may be able to increase them to help activate the endocannabinoid system and enhance dysfunctionality stemming from the endocannabinoid shortage.

While cannabis is well known for its mind-altering effects, this latest study used extracts high in CBD. CBD won’t get you high but may have medicinal benefits. To look at whether an extract high on CBD would benefit autistic people, investigators used 30 autistic volunteers, aged 5-18. 

All participants were administered a dose of CBD daily for 6 months and were subject to both clinical and caregiver assessments at the start and end of the 6 months. The outcomes showed substantial gains in communication talents, attention, learning, eye contact, and irritability. Overall this equates to an improvement in their quality of life.

Some participants did see some negative side effects, including irritability, nausea, vomiting, drowsiness, insomnia, the urge to binge eat and an increase in obsessive-compulsive disorder. However, most of these side effects were resolvedsimply by lowering the CBD dose.

The study authors deduced that their findings do suggest that CBD could be a safe and compelling option for the treatment of autism symptoms.

While these results are promising, they are limited. The size of the study was small, and because the bulk of participants were male, under 18, and living with an intellectual disability that co-occurred with their autism, the results cannot be translated over to all autistic people.

It does however suggest that further research is warranted to look into the possibility that autistic people may benefit from cannabinoids such as CBD.

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