CBD A Promising Way of Treating ADHD In Children

Is CBD effective in treating ADHD? What does the research say about CBD for ADHD? How safe is CBD for children? ADHD is a psychiatric condition that affects children but can persist into adulthood.

CBD has therapeutic benefits that improve health and wellness.Since the legalisation of industrial hemp, brands are coming up with more products with specific uses. The CBD market is largely unregulated,making it easier for brands to produce such products. There are limited studies on cannabis compounds, and the available ones are based on animal studies. It is hard to conclude that CBD has these claimed health benefits. More research is required on CBD. This article will examine whether CBD can improve the symptoms of ADHD.

Cannabidiol

CBD is a cannabis compound with therapeutic benefits. CBD is extracted from hemp plants because they are rich in CBD and have less THC. THC is a cannabis compound found in marijuana that causes a high effect. Solvent and pressure extraction processes extract CBD. The solvent procedure includes CO2 and alcohol extraction. The extracted CBD is refined into full-spectrum, broad-spectrum, and isolate CBD used to make CBD products like oils, edibles, vapes, and topicals. Full-spectrum CBD products contain flavonoids, hemp plant terpenes, and cannabinoids, including THC. The broad spectrum has flavonoids, terpenes, and cannabinoids, except THC. The isolate CBD is pure and has high concentrations.

Attention deficit/ hyperactivity Disorder

According to Faraone & Larson (2019), ADHD is a psychiatric condition that affects children but can also persist into adulthood. It affects behaviour, cognition, and mood. Impulsivity, irritability, lack of restraint, absent-mindedness, difficulty focusing, short attention span, depression, anger, anxiety, and boredom dome characterised by ADHD. The condition is incurable, but medication and therapy improve its symptoms. Patients, especially children,may develop poor self-esteem, while adults may become sensitive towards criticism. ADHD in boys has more externalising symptoms than in girls, which makes it easier and more commonly diagnosed in boys than girls. The cause of ADHD is unknown, but genetics may contribute to ADHD.

CBD and ADHD

There are limited studies on how CBD helps improve ADHD. However, CBD has shown the potential to improve ADHD symptoms such as impulsiveness and hyperactivity, notes Cooper et al. (2017).It is effective on ADHD when it has 1:1 with THC but does not affect cognitive functions.

According to Khan et al. (2020),CBD is a Grade B recommendation against ADHD.

According to Loflin et al. (2014),people who use cannabis daily reported symptoms of hyperactivity and impulsivity when not using cannabis. More research is needed to conclude that CBD can help improve ADHD. There are no approved CBD products in the market for ADHD. The only approved CBD product is used to treat rare genetic forms of epilepsy.

Methods of Taking CBD for ADHD

Ingestion Method

The ingestion method involves taking CBD edibles like cookies, gummies, and capsules. The CBD will undergo metabolism before it enters circulation. The CBD can be felt after an hour and lasts up to 8 hours. You can also ingest CBD oil for ADHD by infusing it in meals and drinks. The ingestion method is suitable for children because they will not taste CBD's bitter and earthy taste.

Sublingual Method

The sublingual method involves placing drops of CBD oil for ADHD under the tongue and holding it for at least two minutes to allow absorption. The effect of CBD is felt after 20 to 30 minutes and lasts for a few hours. The method is effective when you want a quick remedy.

Inhalation Method

The inhalation method is a quick way of taking CBD, but it is not recommended for children. According to CDC (2020), vaping may lead to lung damage.

Side Effects

The body can tolerate CBD even in high doses. Still, you will likely experience minor side effects like nausea, dry mouth, vomiting, dizziness, and drowsiness. To avoid such side effects, monitor your child when taking CBD for ADHD and administer the right dose.

According to Brown & Winterstein (2019), CBD has been found to interact with medications. If the child is on prescriptions, inform a physician before administering CBD.

Cannabis use in kids and adolescents increases cognitive risk, explains Tamm et al. (2013). It is hard to pinpoint what compound causes this, but it’s best to talk to a doctor before administering CBD to your kid.

How to Buy CBD for ADHD

You can buy CBD for ADHD from a physical location store or online stores like the brand’s website. The CBD market is unregulated, and the only way to ensure you get quality products is to consider the following.

The Brand’s Reputation

How other customers perceive the brand will inform you more about the brand’s products. Customers can write reviews on the brand’s website on the experience they had with their products. Brands that disclose the source of the hemp plants are highly reputed.

The Price

CBD products are pricey due to the expensive and dangerous CBD extraction methods and hemp cultivation. Brands may offer discounts but consider the quality of the product first.

Lab Results

The lab results confirm what is on the product label. The lab results are tests done on the CBD to ensure safety and purity. The labs also test for cannabinoid profile and potency. You can access the by scanning the QR code on the product label.

Conclusion

ADHD has no cure, but therapy and medications help to improve its symptoms. Taking CBD for ADHD may not be a good idea because there are no conclusive studies on CBD and ADHD. The available studies on CBD are based on animal studies and reports on adults, not children. Using cannabis in children and teenager has cognitive risks. If you plan to administer CBD for ADHD to your kid, do it yourself using CBD oils or CBD gummies. Inhalation is not safe for kids as it can lead to lung damage. Other side effects of CBD include medication interactions, nausea, dry mouth, vomiting, dizziness, and drowsiness. If you plan to shop for CBD for ADHD, consider the brand’s reputation, price, and lab results. The cannabis market is unregulated. Therefore, you must be very careful when shopping for CBD.

References

Brown, J. D., & Winterstein, A. G. (2019). Potential adverse drug events and drug–drug interactions with medical and consumer Cannabidiol (CBD) use. Journal of clinical medicine, 8(7), 989.

Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. (2020). The outbreak of lung injury is associated with the use of e-cigarette or vaping products.

Cooper, R. E., Williams, E., Seegobin, S., Tye, C., Kuntsi, J., & Asherson, P. (2017). Cannabinoids in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: A randomised controlled trial. European neuropsychopharmacology: the journal of the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology, 27(8), 795–808.

Faraone, S. V., & Larsson, H. (2019). Genetics of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Molecular psychiatry, 24(4), 562-575.

Khan, R., Naveed, S., Mian, N., Fida, A., Raafey, M. A., & Aedma, K. K. (2020). The therapeutic role of Cannabidiol in mental health: a systematic review. Journal of cannabis research, 2(1), 2.

Loflin, M., Earleywine, M., De Leo, J., & Hobkirk, A. (2014). Subtypes of attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and cannabis use. Substance use & misuse, 49(4), 427–434.

Tamm, L., Epstein, J. N., Lindahl, K. M., Molina, B., Tapert, S., Hinshaw, S. P., Arnold, L. E., Vilanova, K., Abikoff, H., Swanson, J. M., & MTA Neuroimaging Group (2013). Impact of ADHD and cannabis use on executive functioning in young adults. Drug and alcohol dependence, 133(2), 607–614.