Medical Marijuana and Postpartum Depression: What Does the Research Really Say?

The Lindsay Clancy criminal case focused attention on postpartum depression and psychosis. People want to know if medical marijuana, in any way, shape or form, could have helped Lindsay Clancy. If Clancy had Postpartum Depression (PPD) or Psychosis, could cannabis have stopped her from killing her children?

Postpartum Effects

Postpartum effects a mother’s mood, sleep, appetite, concentration, energy, and ability to cope after childbirth. Symptoms range from persistent sadness and anxiety to more serious symptoms, like self harm and harm to others. Researchers estimate that PPD, also called peripartum depression, affects a significant number of women after childbirth.

Does Marijuana Help

As medical and recreational cannabis use has become more common, researchers have started asking whether marijuana or cannabinoids such as THC and CBD might help with some of the symptoms associated with postpartum depression.

The answer at the moment is complicated. We suggest you see your doctor to be safe.

Endocannabinoid System

Cannabis interacts with the body’s endocannabinoid system, which is involved in functions including mood, sleep, appetite, pain, and stress. THC and CBD affect this system differently. This has led researchers to look at whether cannabinoids could influence symptoms that are also common in depression.

Studies show

Studies cited in a review of the scientific literature suggest that cannabis users report improvements in anxiety, sleep, appetite, nausea, and mood. For example, observational studies have found that some medical cannabis users report less anxiety or depression. Others say cannabis helps them sleep. THC is also well known for stimulating appetite, which helps patients struggling with wasting disease from cancer and other ailments.

The problem with these studies they were not conducted specifically in women with postpartum depression. The available research involved general populations, self-reported cannabis use, observational studies, or small groups. The researchers who reviewed the evidence could not find a randomized clinical trial in humans that specifically tested cannabis as a treatment for postpartum depression. 

No Marijuana for PPD

Maybe no marijuana for PPD.  Some postpartum women should stay away from marijuana. Several studies cited in the review found an association between cannabis use and an increased risk of postpartum depression, particularly among women who already had a history of depression. One study reported that cannabis users with previous depression had approximately 2.6 times the risk of postpartum depression. Other research has linked cannabis use before or during pregnancy with increased depression or anxiety symptoms.

Conclusion

The bottom line is that cannabis may help certain symptoms that overlap with postpartum depression, but that is different from proving that cannabis actually treats postpartum depression itself.

For now, the research remains limited. The authors concluded that properly designed clinical trials using standardized cannabis products are needed before cannabis can be considered an evidence based treatment for postpartum depression. 

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