Depression – Cannabis Research

Depression Research Dashboard

164

Primary Studies

354

Related Studies

518

Total Studies

Clinical Studies

12

Clinical Meta-analyses

10

Double-blind Clinical Trials

24

Clinical Trials

Pre-Clinical Studies

66

Meta-analyses/Reviews

50

Animal Studies

2

Laboratory Studies

What am I missing as a non-subscriber?

To see a full dashboard with study details and filtering, go to our DEMO page.

As a subscriber, you will be able to access dashboard insights including chemotype overviews and dosing summaries for medical conditions and organ system and receptor breakdowns for cannabinoid and terpene searches. Study lists present important guidance including dosing and chemotype information with the ability to drill down to the published material. And all outputs are fully filterable, to help find just the information you need. Stay up-to-date with the science of cannabis and the endocannabinoid system with CannaKeys.

CannaKeys has 518 studies associated with Depression.

Here is a small sampling of Depression studies by title:


Components of the Depression Research Dashboard

  • Dosing information available for Depression
  • Chemotype guidance for treating Depression with cannabis
  • Synopsis of cannabis research for Depression
  • Individual study details for Depression

Ready to become a subscriber? Go to our PRICING page.

Depression Research Dashboard

164

Primary Studies

354

Related Studies

518

Total Studies

Clinical Studies

12

Clinical Meta-analyses

10

Double-blind Clinical Trials

24

Clinical Trials

Pre-Clinical Studies

66

Meta-analyses/Reviews

50

Animal Studies

2

Laboratory Studies

What am I missing as a non-subscriber?

To see a full dashboard with study details and filtering, go to our DEMO page.

As a subscriber, you will be able to access dashboard insights including chemotype overviews and dosing summaries for medical conditions and organ system and receptor breakdowns for cannabinoid and terpene searches. Study lists present important guidance including dosing and chemotype information with the ability to drill down to the published material. And all outputs are fully filterable, to help find just the information you need. Stay up-to-date with the science of cannabis and the endocannabinoid system with CannaKeys.

CannaKeys has 518 studies associated with Depression.

Here is a small sampling of Depression studies by title:


Components of the Depression Research Dashboard

  • Dosing information available for Depression
  • Chemotype guidance for treating Depression with cannabis
  • Synopsis of cannabis research for Depression
  • Individual study details for Depression

Ready to become a subscriber? Go to our PRICING page.

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Overview - Depression

Description of Depression

Brief episodes of feeling sad or down are part of the human experience. However, prolonged or major depressive disorder (MDD) is more than that and is often comorbid (N. Bains et al., 2023) with other psychiatric and physical conditions. MDD can make it difficult or impossible to get out of bed in the morning and function usually.


An estimated 280 million-plus people suffer from depression worldwide, according to a WHO estimate (WHO fact sheet, 2023). Anyone can be at risk of MDD.


Western medicine does not claim to know the precise causes of depression but recognizes it is a complex interaction of biopsychosocial factors. It hypothesizes that genetic predisposition, certain underlying medical conditions (e.g., hypothyroidism), toxins, or nutritional deficiencies alter normal neurochemistry, stressful life events (significant and sudden changes), or a combination of these and other factors are causal agents.

Disease Classification

Condition: Depression
Disease Family: Mental Disorders
Organ System: Mental/Emotional System, Nervous System
ICD-10 Chapter: Mental and Behavioural Disorders
ICD-10 Code: F33

Depression Symptoms:

The DSM-V guides diagnosis. It requires five symptoms and at least one of the first two on this list. MDD manifests with many other psychiatric and physical symptoms, including but not limited to persistently low or depressed mood, decreased interest in pleasurable activities, feelings of guilt or worthlessness, lack of energy, difficulty with or poor concentration, changes in appetite, psychomotor retardation or agitation, sleep disturbances, suicidal thoughts. The DSM-5 also recognizes other types of depression in the general category of depressive disorders, such as Persistent depressive disorder, formerly known as dysthymia, disruptive mood dysregulation disorder, premenstrual dysphoric disorder, substance/medication-induced depressive disorder, depressive disorder due to another medical condition, unspecified depressive disorder.

Also known as:

Major depressive disorder, Recurrent depressive disorder, depressive episode, depressive disorder, postpartum depression, atypical depression, depressed mood, seasonal depressive disorder, severe recurrence seasonal measure depression, monopolar depression, unipolar depression, recurrent episodes of vital depression, depressed mood

Drug Interactions

THC Interaction with Pharmaceutical Drugs

  • Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) can enhance the effects of drugs that cause sedation and depress the central nervous system, such as benzodiazepines, barbiturates, and alcohol. 
  • THC is metabolized by an inhibitor of several enzymatic liver pathways referred to as cytochrome P450 (aka CYP450). There are more than 50 enzymes belonging to this enzyme family, several of which are responsible for the breakdown of common drugs such as antidepressants (e.g., amitriptyline, doxepin, fluvoxamine), antipsychotics (haloperidol, clozapine, Stelazine), beta-blockers (e.g., propranolol), bronchodilators (e.g., theophylline), or blood thinners (e.g., warfarin). Thus, patients taking these medication classes may find that THC increases the concentration and effects of these drugs and the impact duration.
  • Clinical observation (not yet confirmed by clinical trials) suggests no likely interactions with other pharmaceuticals at a total daily dose of up to 20mg THC.

If you are interested in the interaction potential of specific pharmaceuticals with THC, consider visiting these free drug interaction checkers: Drugs.com or DrugBank Online.

CBD Interaction with Pharmaceutical Drugs

  • Cannabidiol (CBD) may alter the action of metabolic enzymes (specific drug-transport mechanisms) and alter interactions with other drugs, some of which may produce therapeutic or adverse effects. For instance, CBD interacts with the enzyme cytochrome P450 3A4 and cytochrome P450 2C19, increasing the bioavailability of anti-epileptic drugs such as clobazam (a benzodiazepine). This makes it possible to achieve the same results at significantly lower dosages, reducing treatment costs and risks of adverse effects. 
  • Groups of drugs affected include anti-epileptics, psychiatric drugs, and drugs affecting metabolic enzymes.
  • Clinical observations (not yet confirmed by clinical trials) suggest no likely interactions with other pharmaceuticals at a total daily dose of up to 100mg CBD.

If you are interested in the interaction potential of specific pharmaceuticals with CBD, consider visiting these free drug interaction checkers: Drugs.com or DrugBank Online.

THC/CBD Interaction with Pharmaceutical Drugs

In general, when using cannabinoid-based therapeutics that contain both THC and CBD consider the ratio between them and weigh the relevant information displayed in the individual THC and CBD Drug Interaction windows accordingly.

If you are interested in the interaction potential of specific pharmaceuticals with both primary cannabinoids and THC/CBD, consider visiting these free drug interaction checkers: Drugs.com or DrugBank Online.

Concerns about Cannabis and Cancer-related Immunotherapies:
Some recent clinical observational studies have suggested that the co-administration of cannabinoid-based therapeutics and immunotherapy or immune checkpoint inhibitors in the treatment of certain types of cancer has been associated with worse overall survival rates (T. Taha et al., 2019; A. Biedny et al., 2020; G. Bar-Sela et al., 2020).

However, other studies have suggested that the co-commitment use of immune checkpoint inhibitors and cannabis-induced no such deleterious effects. More specifically, one trial was conducted on animals resulting in data suggesting that cannabis did not negatively affect the properties of immune checkpoint inhibitors (B. Waissengrin et al., 2023). The same authors compared the previous study results with findings from a cohort of 201 patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer who received treatment with monotherapy pembrolizumab as a first-line treatment and adjunct cannabis to treat mainly pain and loss of appetite. Their time to tumor progression was 6.1 versus 5.6 months, and overall survival differed between 54.9 versus 23.6 months in cannabis-naïve patients and cannabis-using patients, respectively. However, while numerically different, the authors write that these differences were not statistically significant, leading them to suggest that “These data provide reassurance regarding the absence of a deleterious effect of cannabis in this clinical setting.”

Dosing Considerations

THC Dosage Considerations

  • THC micro dose:  0.1 mg to 0.4 mg
  • THC low dose:  0.5 mg to 5 mg
  • THC medium dose:  6 mg to 20 mg
  • THC high dose:  21 mg to 50+ mg

CBD Dosage Considerations

  • CBD low dose:  0.4 mg to 19 mg
  • CBD medium dose: 20 mg to 99 mg
  • CBD high dose:  100 mg to 800+ mg (upper limits tested ~1,500mg)
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Disclaimer
Information on this site is provided for informational purposes only and is not meant to substitute for the advice provided by your own licensed physician or other medical professional. You should not use the information contained herein for diagnosing or treating a health problem or disease. If using a product, you should read carefully all product packaging. If you have or suspect that you have a medical problem, promptly contact your health care provider.

Information on this site is based on scientific studies (human, animal, or in vitro), clinical experience, or traditional usage as cited in each article. The results reported may not necessarily occur in all individuals. For many of the conditions discussed, treatment with prescription or over-the-counter medication is also available. Consult your physician, nutritionally oriented health care practitioner, and/or pharmacist for any health problem and before using any supplements or before making any changes in prescribed medications.