CBD boosts the effects of naloxone to reverse opioid overdoses

Naloxone is a medication used to reverse or reduce the effects of opioids by counteracting the life-threatening depression of breathing caused by an opioid overdose.

Today, researchers are studying whether cannabidiol (CBD) can make naloxone even more effective.

Naloxone and CBD Combination

Naloxone works by competing with opioids, such as heroin and morphine, for opioid receptors in the brain. The central nervous system depressant effects of opioids, which can lead users to stop breathing, are effectively blocked when naloxone occupies the opioid receptor sites.

However, fentanyl, a synthetic opioid, is particularly effective at binding to these receptors, which sometimes requires multiple doses of naloxone to reverse the overdose. In the United States, fentanyl is now implicated in more than 80% of opioid overdoses.

Previous studies suggest that CBD may hinder opioid binding by altering the shape of receptor sites, making naloxone treatment more effective.

Promising results for CBD against fentanyl

In a study presented at the spring meeting of the’American Chemical Society, researchers have attempted to determine if various dosages of CBD, alone or in combination with naloxone, could be an effective supplement or substitute for naloxone overdose treatment.

«We primarily tried to determine which parts of the CBD compound were relevant to these effects and to use that as inspiration to find more effective compounds,» said Dr. Alex Straiker, co-lead researcher of the study and research scientist in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at Indiana University Bloomington.

The study revealed that CBD prevented fentanyl from binding to opioid receptors, even at very low concentrations. A complementary animal study is underway to test the most promising CBD derivatives on mice.

The practical implications are not yet clear.

Previous studies have shown that the CBD effectively reduced cravings for addiction and withdrawal symptoms.

«CBD is a promising molecule, and cannabinoids have a huge role to play in treating opioid withdrawal,» said Dr. Peter Grinspoon, a medical cannabis specialist at Massachusetts General Hospital. «CBD can work synergistically with naloxone.»

However, he also warned that the CBD could potentiate certain medications. «Wouldn't it be ironic if CBD made naloxone more effective but also raised serum fentanyl levels and worsened the situation?" Grinspoon said, calling for more research.

«It's not a big deal to have to administer a second dose of naloxone,» Grinspoon added. «The real obstacle is the lack of access to Narcan [Editor's note: a naloxone nasal spray].»