1. Self-reported Cannabidiol (CBD) Use for Conditions With Proven Therapies
- Author
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Leas, Eric C, Hendrickson, Erik M, Nobles, Alicia L, Todd, Rory, Smith, Davey M, Dredze, Mark, and Ayers, John W
- Subjects
Biomedical and Clinical Sciences ,Mental Health ,Brain Disorders ,Good Health and Well Being ,Adaptation ,Psychological ,Adult ,Cannabidiol ,Cannabinoids ,Chronic Disease ,Female ,Humans ,Male ,Mental Disorders ,Middle Aged ,Narration ,Patient Satisfaction ,Self Report ,Treatment Outcome ,Biomedical and clinical sciences ,Health sciences - Abstract
ImportanceUse of cannabidiol (CBD) has markedly increased in the past 5 years, concurrent with marketing claims that over-the-counter CBD can be used to treat almost any health condition. However, the reasons why individuals use CBD remain unclear.ObjectiveTo assess whether individuals are using CBD for diagnosable conditions that have evidence-based therapies.Design, setting, and participantsThis case series assessed claimed treatment applications reported by CBD users in public testimonials shared on the Reddit forum r/CBD. The r/CBD forum was selected because it includes a large, naturally occurring sample of 104 917 registered individuals who publicly discuss their experiences using CBD. All r/CBD posts were obtained from January 1, 2014, through August 31, 2019. A random sample of posts was drawn (n = 3000) and filtered to include posts in which self-identified CBD users testified why they take CBD (n = 376).ExposuresSelf-reported use of CBD for medicinal purposes.Main outcomes and measuresCannabidiol testimonials were divided into 11 subcategories corresponding with the condition's medical subspecialty and 2 subcategories corresponding with wellness benefits. Posts were allowed to receive more than 1 label.ResultsOf the 376 posts labeled as testimonials, 90.0% (95% CI, 86.8%-92.8%) of testimonials claimed that CBD treated the individual's diagnosable conditions. Psychiatric conditions (eg, autism or depression) were the most frequently cited subcategory, mentioned in 63.9% (95% CI, 59.0%-69.1%) of testimonials, followed by orthopedic (26.4%; 95% CI, 21.8%-31.1%), sleep (14.6%; 95% CI, 11.3%-18.5%), and neurological (6.9%; 95% CI, 4.4%-9.6%) conditions. Testimonials also claimed that CBD treated gastroenterological conditions (3.9%; 95% CI, 1.9%-6.1%), as well as addiction, cardiological, dermatological, ophthalmological, oral health, and sexual health conditions (
- Published
- 2020