CBD Oil - Our game changer

 

I drafted a post about CBD oil last year, but held off it because I was worried that it would sound too wishy washy. But earlier this week Rob and I attended a workshop and happened to ask if anybody else had seen positive results with it. As soon as we asked, other people started saying how they were taking it for their anxiety and how it was helping them. So I decided it was time to revisit this and talk about our experience.

Last year we started researching about PDA (pathological demand avoidance) and how much it rang true to us for Z. He'd been struggling a lot with anxiety, meltdowns, routines and his temper, made much harder when his baby brother arrived. It felt like everything was a trigger and he was struggling all of the time. It was heart-breaking to see him struggle and made life very restrictive for us all. We all became really stressed and anxious. It was awful to see our little fun loving, caring and usually happy boy turn into the 'no monster', battling with anxiety that we just couldn't understand. 

A family member mentioned CBD oil to us to reduce anxiety. I'd heard of it before but I was a bit nervous about trying it...more for the fact I was worried that other people would judge us thinking we're trying to drug our son or something. Now that I know more about it, I really don't care what people might think! It's been amazing for Z. After about two weeks of taking it we noticed a difference, he was calmer, meltdowns were becoming less violent towards us, he wasn't as worried about going into school. It's not a cure, but we notice the difference. I was sceptical at first of course, until the bottle ran out and he didn't have it for a few days, he started becoming more easily triggered and stressed again. 

The brand we use comes in either an oil which you can just have a spoonful of or drizzle over food but I thought it tasted awful and there was no way Z would have that. Or it comes as a tincture which is what we decided on using. I gave Z his first dose just dropping it under his tongue but he hated it! So instead we drop it into his drink of milk in the morning and he doesn't even notice its there.

It's been over a year now that he's been taking it and he's just so much more settled and calm now. Don't get me wrong, he still gets triggered and stressed but it's just far less often and not over every little thing. For us, it's really been a game changer and as long as we can afford it, I'll try to always make sure we have it for him. If you're thinking of trying it, do! But do your research first and find a good brand.

Sarah x