CBD surely is the most suitable cannabinoid to cure important pathologies which affect children, like epilepsy and behaviour disorders. Its efficacy has been proved by many different studies, but there are still doubts about the possible side effects for our little ones. In this article we’re going to understand why is CBD a safe product for people of all ages, and how can it help you find again your balance and well-being. First let’s try to understand why CBD can’t make you have “trips” even though it is derived from cannabis, why is to so well tolerated by our body and what are the pathologies it can help treating or managing.

Differences and similarities between CBD and THC

At this point we’ve already clarified the fact that CBD doesn’t have any psychoactive effects and for this reason it cannot make you “high” unlike cannabis, which is known precisely for that effect. We like to repeat this because we think that this is a very important and reassuring concept for many people who wish to start a CBD-based treatment. How is it possible? Cannabis contains different substances called cannabinoids: these are molecules which have very different characteristics. THC has always been the most studied cannabinoid which people knew best, and its psychoactive effects have already been proved. CBD, instead, acts on different receptors, and it doesn’t have the same effects as THC. One thing these two cannabinoids do have in common is the fact that they are both easily accepted by our organism, acting in an effective but not invasive way, re-equilibrating a lot of internal bodily functions. They are indeed very similar to other substances—endocannabinoids— naturally produced by the human body and, therefore, already present in our organism. Clearly, the fact that one of these two cannabinoids has a psychoactive effect makes it non suitable for children, except for very specific cases, while CBD extracted from the cannabis plant doesn’t have any severe contraindications.

Which childhood pathologies can be treated with CBD?

Numerous tests and studies proved that CBD has virtually no side effects if used in small doses, and it is a much safer alternative for many other drugs commonly prescribed to children. CBD can be used to fight autoimmune pathologies with early onsets like epilepsy, ADD/ADHD disorders, anxious disorders and depression. In particular, many studies on CBD and childhood pathologies focus on Dravet’s syndrome and on autism spectrum disorders on which CBD seems to have important effects. International medical research started being interested in the use of CBD to treat Dravet’s syndrome thanks to the case of Charlotte Figi: a girl who suffered from this particular incurable child disease which can lead to convulsions and long, severe epileptic crises. Charlotte was treated with CBD and in a short period of time her condition improved and her crises became weaker, catching the attention of the rest of the scientific world. After Charlotte, many other children reaped the benefits of this kind of therapies which led to great results. In this way cannabinoids-based treatments for epilepsy became more and more popular: this meant making a first step towards the destigmatisation of therapeutic products derived from cannabis. Autism, on the other hand, is a neuropsychich development pathology which causes many problems on cognitive, behavioural and sensory levels. CBD has been proved to be fairly effective in diminishing many of the symptoms and manifestations of the disease, especially by limiting the anxious state and the aggressiveness of the patients, by letting them sleep better and enhancing their social interactions and communication without resulting in any particular contraindications or side effects.

Does CBD have any collateral effect in children?

It is essential to pay extra attention and to ask a doctor before giving any type of drug or supplement to children because collateral reactions are often more intense and because their bodies need different dosages than adults. However, a reason why CBD is becoming more and more relevant in treating many child diseases is the almost complete absence of dangerous side effects. Some of the side effects CBD could cause are nausea and tiredness, most of the times associated to an excessively high dosage. So it is safe to say that, for the moment being, CBD has many more positive outcomes than side effects. It is important to bear in mind that there still aren’t any products specifically formulated to treat children, so it is quite hard to decide the right dosage for every product according to the characteristics of the child and to the formulation. For this reason we strongly advise you against DIY, on the contrary we suggest you see a doctor specialised in this kind of treatments who will be able to give the child the best therapeutic plan depending on the case.