Mealtime Anxiety & CBD Research Study
Researchers at UCSD are partnering with women 18-40 who have restrictive eating patterns and low body weight to evaluate how treatment with CBD can help. Join our compensated study today!
Fast Facts
female
18-40 years old
restrictive eating for past 6 months
Compensation Provided
Conducted in San Diego, CA
Study Background
While there have been plenty of studies investigating various benefits of cannabidiol (CBD), none of them have yet focused on Anorexia Nervosa (AN). This study is an important first step in establishing the appropriate dose, side effects, tolerability, and acceptability of CBD for AN.
Cannabis products have been recently legalized in many states, and CBD in particular has been shown to reduce anxiety. Therefore, CBD may represent a promising new treatment for AN, particularly through its action at serotonin receptors. This study seeks to determine the effect of CBD on eating behavior and weight in people with AN.
Your participation in this study may help researchers develop better treatments for anorexia. Help advance research and join today!
Study Background
While there have been plenty of studies investigating various benefits of cannabidiol (CBD), none of them have yet focused on Anorexia Nervosa (AN). This study is an important first step in establishing the appropriate dose, side effects, tolerability, and acceptability of CBD for AN.
Cannabis products have been recently legalized in many states, and CBD in particular has been shown to reduce anxiety. Therefore, CBD may represent a promising new treatment for AN, particularly through its action at serotonin receptors. This study seeks to determine the effect of CBD on eating behavior and weight in people with AN.
Your participation in this study may help researchers develop better treatments for anorexia. Help advance research and join today!
Additional Information
You may qualify for this study if you meet the following criteria.
Key Criteria:
- Female
- 18-40 years old
- Meet criteria for anorexia nervosa at low or normal weight
- Illness has lasted at least 6 months
- Medically stable
- No psychotic illness or bipolar illness
- No current dependence on drugs or alcohol
- No physical conditions that would influence eating or weight, or liver disease
- No other psychoactive medications except SSRI or atypical anti-psychotic medication
- No acute suicidality
- No previous allergic reaction to Epidiolex or any of its ingredients
First, potential participants will complete 2 screening visits:
1) Complete a phone interview where we will review the consent forms and ask you questions about eating/weight history and psychiatric history to determine eligibility (about 45 minutes).
2) If eligible after this initial interview, you will be invited to complete an in-person screening visit where you will meet with Dr. Frank to review your consent, and complete a diagnostic interview, a physical exam, ECG, vital signs, and blood work to make sure you are medically stable to participate in the study.
If you are eligible for the study:
3) You will be assigned by chance to a study group: either the Active CBD Group or the Placebo Control Group. Your chance of being assigned to each group is 1 in 2. Neither you nor the researcher(s) can choose the group to which you will be assigned.
4. You will then complete a baseline visit, which will include some self-assessments, a brief interview to assess suicidality, and receiving the first week’s dose of CBD/placebo from Dr. Frank.
5. There will be a total of 3 weeks of CBD/placebo, and at the end of the 3 weeks, you will complete some exit surveys.
Each week, you will be asked to come into Dr. Frank’s office to complete some questionnaires, complete a blood draw to determine CBD levels, and obtain the next week’s dose of CBD/placebo.
