Evidences for the anti-panic actions of Cannabidiol.

Panic disorder (PD) is a disabling psychiatry condition that affects approximately 5% of the worldwide population. Currently, long-term selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are the first-line treatment for PD; however, the common side-effect profiles and drug interactions may provoke patients to abandon the treatment, leading to PD symptoms relapse. Cannabidiol (CBD) is the major non-psychotomimetic constituent of the Cannabis sativa plant with anti-anxiety properties that has been suggested as an alternative for treating anxiety disorders. In the present chapter, we included both experimental laboratory animal and human studies that have investigated the putative anti-panic properties of CBD. Taken together, the studies assessed in the present chapter clearly suggest an anxiolytic-like effect of CBD in both animal models and healthy volunteers. Novel clinical trials involving patients with the PD diagnosis, however, are clearly needed to clarify the specific mechanism of action of CBD and the safe and ideal therapeutic doses of this compound.