Does CBD increase serotonin?
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Serotonin is among the four happy hormones, along with dopamine, oxytocin, and endorphin. It is also known as 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), a monoamine neurotransmitter.
Nerve cells produce the chemical Serotonin and carry messages through nerve cells throughout the body. It is present in many body parts, including the digestive system, blood platelets, and the central nervous system. It also plays a role in a person’s mood regulation.
Serotonin is composed of the amino acid tryptophan, which enters our bodies mainly through our diet and is typically found in food like dairy products, eggs, meat, and nuts.
What does Serotonin do for us?
Contrary to the popular opinion that Serotonin only affects our mood, it does more for us than we think. It affects our emotions, and it also affects our motor skills. It also helps with digesting, healing and sleeping. Serotonin helps our bodies regulate anxiety, experience happiness, heal wounds, and stimulate nausea.
Serotonin acts differently in varying parts of our body:
- In the brain, it is believed that Serotonin regulates feelings of happiness and anxiety.
- Our ability to sleep and stay awake is controlled by neurotransmitters, including Serotonin, which is involved in switching REM and non-REM sleep.
- Serotonin in your gut and intestines help instigate nausea and vomiting in response to food, illness and other conditions.
- 90% of Serotonin is produced in our intestines, and it helps regulate our digestive function and bowel movement.
- Platelets also store Serotonin, and when the body needs to repair the damage, Serotonin helps stop the bleeding and heal wounds.
- Serotonin also regulates the body’s sexual functions, which is why medications that alter the body’s serotonin levels show sexual side effects.
Serotonin and Mental Health
Numerous mental health conditions are addressed by changing the serotonin levels in our bodies.
There is a long-standing debate on whether depression and anxiety are directly affected by the serotonin levels in our bodies. If we have low serotonin levels, it may be a tell-tale sign that we are depressed.
There are many culprits for the body to have low serotonin levels. Firstly, the body might not be producing enough Serotonin. Secondly, the body isn’t effectively using Serotonin — this happens when our bodies don’t have enough serotonin receptors or the receptors are not working as intended. Lastly, there may have been changes in the brain, life experiences, or health conditions that may result in the acquisition of mood disorders.
When serotonin levels are not normal, people usually turn to Selective Serotonin Reactive Inhibitors (SSRI), drugs that serve as antidepressants and help people get over their depression. However, SSRIs have drawbacks, namely, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, headache, drowsiness, dry mouth, insomnia, nervousness, agitation, restlessness, dizziness, sexual problems such as having low sexual desires, appetite loss, weight gain, and, or weight loss.
CBD as a Natural Alternative.
This is where CBD comes into the picture. CBD is a natural compound that comes from the cannabis plant.
In the past few years, CBD has gained fame because of its potential health benefits, and some studies suggest that CBD oil and its other forms may help alleviate depression symptoms.
Experts believe that CBD has numerous potential benefits for mental health medication since it targets the brain’s serotonin receptors.
A study on animals in 2014 concluded that CBD affects receptors in the brain and produces anti-anxiety and antidepressant effects.
Another study in 2018 deduced that CBD has anti-stress properties that are directly correlated to reducing anxiety and depression related to stress.
CBD is just a recently studied compound, with more information coming out as time passes. Indeed in time, we will understand how to better utilize CBD to its full potential.
How does CBD compare to SSRI?
Most people prefer CBD in treating mental health conditions like depression because it is a natural cure to a natural ailment. The side effects that patients get from SSRIs might disappear after they get acclimated to the medication, but it also has a risk of staying for too long and being more severe to some people.
Suicidal thoughts are another severe side effect than can be found on antidepressants. Medicine should help people feel better instead of causing new problems. Conversely, CBD has calming properties that inhibit the patient from having suicidal ideations.
Some antidepressants do not react well with other over-the-counter supplements, which may lead to some other complications; CBD not only cures depression and anxiety but also offers more health benefits.
It has repeatedly been anecdotally reported that people experience fewer side effects when taking CBD compared to antidepressants. And the side effects of CBD are not as severe and do not stay as long as what people have with SSRIs.
Although CBD shows multiple potential health benefits, there is still a factor that it might react differently depending on the person since each one of us has a unique chemical makeup. Patients who are already taking other medications should contact their physicians to ensure their health and well-being.
CBD can cure depression, but if a patient has already started their routine of taking antidepressants, then they should stick to it because CBD cannot be considered as a replacement and doing so would just cause more hormonal imbalance in a person’s body. However, their attending physician may advise on how the two can be taken simultaneously.
CBD can be taken a number of ways, people can take it orally as capsules, oils, and tinctures . CBD tinctures are the most advisable one since it reacts the quickest because it goes straight to the bloodstream and the brain. An article proved that CBD may also be used by people who suffer PTSD.
Closing Statements
If you are looking for natural remedies for your mental health issues specifically depression you have to keep in mind that research around CBD is sparse and a huge bulk of the research that exists today is done on animals. Still, if you are really dead set on using CBD as medication you should consult your doctor about it.
SOURCES:
Everything You Need to Know About Serotonin