{"id":535699,"date":"2026-04-17T09:15:25","date_gmt":"2026-04-17T09:15:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/535699\/"},"modified":"2026-04-17T09:15:25","modified_gmt":"2026-04-17T09:15:25","slug":"for-20-years-i-was-tortured-by-crippling-anxiety-i-tried-pills-and-therapy-but-nothing-worked-now-at-42-ive-found-the-controversial-cure-secretly-loved-by-midlife-women-like-me","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/535699\/","title":{"rendered":"For 20 years I was tortured by crippling anxiety. I tried pills and therapy but nothing worked. Now at 42 I’ve found the controversial cure secretly loved by midlife women like me"},"content":{"rendered":"

For the past two decades, anxiety has been my constant companion. A deep gnawing worry that can, at any moment, tip over into full-blown panic.<\/p>\n

I could be standing on the train or at the supermarket, and suddenly I\u2019m consumed by the fear that I\u2019ve left the back door wide open and a fox has wandered in, knocked over a candle (that I\u2019d already blown out) and caused a fire.<\/p>\n

One panic attack was so terrifying that I lost my vision for a few minutes.<\/p>\n

For a long time, I didn\u2019t know how to tackle my daily terror. After a diagnosis of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) in my late 30s, I tried therapy and medication \u2013 but still, the tightness in my chest never budged. Until now.<\/p>\n

At 42, I\u2019ve finally found a solution that works for me \u2013 albeit one some might view as controversial.<\/p>\n

These days, as I make myself a pre-work coffee come 7am, I also reach for my vape… and a few dried buds of cannabis flower.<\/p>\n

Trust me, I\u2019m as surprised as you are to find myself a regular user of the drug. But the way I take it is perfectly legal.<\/p>\n

Perhaps you\u2019re frowning as you\u2019re reading this, wondering what the difference is between what I do and smoking a joint.<\/p>\n

\"For <\/p>\n

For the past two decades, anxiety has been my constant companion. A deep gnawing worry that can, at any moment, tip over into full-blown panic, writes Alice Snape<\/p>\n

\"These <\/p>\n

These days, as I make myself a pre-work coffee come 7am, I also reach for my vape… and a few dried buds of cannabis flower<\/p>\n

But medical cannabis was legalised in 2018, and licensed products can be prescribed in limited cases on the NHS for severe epilepsy, nausea from chemotherapy, or muscle spasms caused by multiple sclerosis.<\/p>\n

Private clinics can also legally prescribe products for a wider range of conditions, including endometriosis, Crohn\u2019s, anxiety and depression. And a growing number of people like me are using these services.<\/p>\n

There are now around 25 private clinics supplying cannabis products to some 80,000 people across Britain, according to Releaf, a licensed London-based medical cannabis provider.<\/p>\n

This rise in use has sparked worry for some within the medical profession, who fear the \u2018normalisation\u2019 of cannabis might see a surge in illegal use \u2013 and a corresponding rise in cases of cannabis- induced psychosis.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m not a doctor, so I can only speak of my own experience. But this is why I have joined the ranks of those turning to cannabis to tackle medical problems.<\/p>\n

What started as stress at university gradually took hold of my life.<\/p>\n

Over the years anxiety has kept me confined to my home, meaning I\u2019ve missed out on birthdays, holidays, even friends\u2019 weddings. I\u2019ve been forced to call therapists from office toilets when my work stress has spilled over into panic attacks.<\/p>\n

And I\u2019ve fallen out with those who can\u2019t imagine why it\u2019s sometimes so impossible for me to step outside my front door.<\/p>\n

Over the years, I tried Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and group therapy, as well as antidepressants. In essence, all the recommended treatments for OCD and anxiety that the NHS offers.<\/p>\n

While they worked initially, I\u2019d always spiral back to burnouts and breakdowns.<\/p>\n

Then, in July 2022, I went on holiday to Canada with my husband to celebrate my 39th birthday.<\/p>\n

There, I discovered that cannabis \u2013 legal in Canada since 2018 \u2013 had been hailed as a balm for worried minds.<\/p>\n

Curious, given that nothing else had worked for me, I visited a specialised shop where I explained my symptoms.<\/p>\n

They recommended a strain of cannabis that could be vaped. It was equal parts THC (the psychoactive component that increases feel-good brain chemicals) and CBD (the non-psychoactive element that can decrease inflammation and ease pain).<\/p>\n

It was instantly transformative. I\u2019d use the vape at breakfast, then top up with little puffs throughout the day.<\/p>\n

There was no longer a hum of ruminating activity in my brain, no endless loop of disastrous scenarios.<\/p>\n

Of course, back at home I assumed I wouldn\u2019t be able to buy cannabis legally and forgot about it.<\/p>\n

But my anxiety and OCD returned with a vengeance, and it was having a crippling effect on my daily life and well-being.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s when I started on sertraline, an antidepressant. It worked, but I was hit by an unpleasant array of side-effects: my libido dropped, my mouth became dry and my emotions curiously flattened.<\/p>\n

Then, a year or so after that trip to Canada, I became aware of private cannabis clinics, which are often advertised on the Tube in London, where I live.<\/p>\n

\"Despite <\/p>\n

Despite what people may imagine, it doesn\u2019t make me feel high; it makes me feel human. Without it, there\u2019s a chance I wouldn\u2019t still be here. And I\u2019m ever so thankful for that<\/p>\n

\"While <\/p>\n

While I\u2019m aware it\u2019s not risk-free (medication rarely is), I\u2019ve done my research and found studies that have shown cannabis can reduce symptoms of OCD<\/p>\n

I checked my eligibility on Alternaleaf\u2019s website, which has operated in the UK since 2023. As someone who had already tried two or more treatments for my condition \u2013 medication and therapy \u2013 I qualified for a video consultation with a doctor.<\/p>\n

He said he could find me a vape similar to the Canadian one, a balance of THC and CBD, costing around \u00a370 per vape, which I\u2019ve found lasts about six months.<\/p>\n

I also take it in edible form; a bag of pastilles is \u00a334, and I chew them so discreetly no one would ever know.<\/p>\n

I take it in very small doses of 10mg daily, sometimes much less, compared to the 300-500mg in your average spliff.<\/p>\n

Despite what people may imagine, it doesn\u2019t make me feel high; it makes me feel human. And while I\u2019m aware it\u2019s not risk-free (medication rarely is), I\u2019ve done my research and found studies that have shown cannabis can reduce symptoms of OCD.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve now been able to move on to a lower dose of my antidepressants, and plan to taper off entirely.<\/p>\n

Many readers will remain unconvinced of the wisdom of using cannabis as a medical treatment.<\/p>\n

But in my case, without it, there\u2019s a chance I wouldn\u2019t still be here. And I\u2019m ever so thankful for that.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"For the past two decades, anxiety has been my constant companion. A deep gnawing worry that can, at…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":535700,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[626,97,59,102,655,93462,388,104,56,54,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-535699","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-health","8":"tag-canada","9":"tag-dailymail","10":"tag-gb","11":"tag-health","12":"tag-lifestyle","13":"tag-lifestylefitnesswellbeing","14":"tag-london","15":"tag-nhs","16":"tag-uk","17":"tag-united-kingdom","18":"tag-unitedkingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/535699","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=535699"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/535699\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/535700"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=535699"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=535699"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=535699"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}