Can CBD help in managing panic attacks?

Answer from top 3 papers

Cannabidiol (CBD) has shown promise as a potential treatment for panic attacks and anxiety disorders. Preclinical evidence strongly supports CBD's anxiolytic effects for various anxiety-related conditions, including panic disorder, when administered acutely (). A review of studies on CBD's anti-panic properties in both animal models and human volunteers consistently suggests an anxiolytic-like effect ().
Interestingly, while preclinical research indicates that enhancing CB1 receptor agonism may improve fear extinction, a clinical trial examining CBD as an adjunctive therapy for anxiety disorders did not find significant improvements in treatment outcomes (). This contradiction highlights the need for further research to understand the optimal dosage, timing, and specific mechanisms of CBD in treating panic attacks and anxiety disorders.
In conclusion, while CBD shows potential as a treatment for panic attacks and anxiety disorders, more clinical trials involving patients with panic disorder diagnoses are needed to clarify its specific mechanism of action and determine safe and effective therapeutic doses (). The current evidence supports CBD's anxiolytic properties, but primarily in acute dosing scenarios, emphasizing the need for studies on chronic CBD administration in relevant clinical populations ().

Source Papers

41
10.1016/j.cbpra.2016.05.008

A New CBT Model of Panic Attack Treatment in Comorbid Heart Diseases (PATCHD): How to Calm an Anxious Heart and Mind

Jun 23, 2016
Cognitive and Behavioral Practice
Phillip J Tully + 2 more +2

A New CBT Model of Panic Attack Treatment in Comorbid Heart Diseases (PATCHD): How to Calm an Anxious Heart and Mind

48
10.1016/s0005-7967(03)00157-8

Predicting who benefits from psychoeducation and self help for panic attacks

Jul 23, 2003
Behaviour Research and Therapy
Andrew J Baillie + 1 more +1

Predicting who benefits from psychoeducation and self help for panic attacks

78
10.1080/16506070801969062

The Panic Attack–Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Model: Applicability to Orthostatic Panic Among Cambodian Refugees

Jun 01, 2008
Cognitive Behaviour Therapy
Devon E Hinton + 4 more +4

This article examines the ability of the panic attack–posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) model to predict how panic attacks are generated and how panic attacks worsen PTSD. The article does so by determining the validity of the panic attack–PTSD model in respect to one type of panic attack among traumatized Cambodian refugees: orthostatic panic (OP) attacks (i.e. panic attacks generated by moving from lying or sitting to standing). Among Cambodian refugees attending a psychiatric clinic, the authors conducted two studies to explore the validity of the panic attack–PTSD model as applied to OP patients (i.e. patients with at least one episode of OP in the previous month). In Study 1, the panic attack–PTSD model accurately indicated how OP is seemingly generated: among OP patients (N = 58), orthostasis‐associated flashbacks and catastrophic cognitions predicted OP severity beyond a measure of anxious–depressive distress (Symptom Checklist‐90‐R subscales), and OP severity significantly mediated the effect of anxious–depressive distress on Clinician‐Administered PTSD Scale severity. In Study 2, as predicted by the panic attack–PTSD model, OP had a mediational role in respect to the effect of treatment on PTSD severity: among Cambodian refugees with PTSD and comorbid OP who participated in a cognitive behavioural therapy study (N = 56), improvement in PTSD severity was partially mediated by improvement in OP severity.