Cannabis remedy helps PTSD sufferers who have nightmares

A cannabis-based remedy can help people who suffer recurring nightmares after a traumatic experience.

PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorders) sufferers have reported that they have stopped having nightmares after taking a drug that included THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), one of the active compounds found in cannabis.

Researchers at Charite University Hospital in Berlin tested THC drops or a placebo on more than 170 PTSD sufferers who were having nightmares; half were given Dronabinol, a prescription medication containing THC, and the rest were instead given a placebo drop.

At the end of the 10-week trial, nightmare severity had fallen significantly more in the Dronabinol group than in the placebo group. On a scale ranging from zero to eight, the average nightmare severity dropped by 3.7 points among participants taking Dronabinol, while the placebo group experienced an average decrease of 2.2 points.

A third of people taking Dronabinol said they had stopped having nightmares altogether.

Although the THC remedy ended nightmares and improved sleep, it didn’t seem to help with other PTSD symptoms, such as anxiety, phobia and delusions.

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