Role of CBD in Regulating Meal Time Anxiety in Anorexia Nervosa

August 28, 2025 updated by: Guido Frank, University of California, San Diego

The Role of Cannabidiol in Regulating Meal Time Anxiety in Anorexia Nervous: Safety, Tolerability and Pharmacokinetics

No studies of cannabidiol (CBD) have focused on Anorexia Nervosa (AN). Dose, side effects, tolerability, acceptability of pure CBD in AN must be established. The current study is an important first step in the investigation 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. The endocannabinoid system is involved in the regulation of functions relevant to eating disorders. Furthermore, data suggest that eating disorders are associated with alterations of the endocannabinoid system. Prior attempts to target the endocannabinoid system in AN have focused on CB1 receptor agonists that can increase anxiety. Moreover, CBD may be particularly beneficial in decreasing anxiety in AN via its action at serotonin receptors. Lastly, the impact of CBD on eating behavior and weight in AN must be determined. The current study seeks to explore these hypotheses using the aims in the following section.

Study Overview

Status

Active, not recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

40

Phase

  • Early Phase 1

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • California
      • San Diego, California, United States, 92121
        • University of California San Diego

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years to 40 years (Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  1. Must currently meet DSM-5 criteria for AN-R and AN Spectrum Disorders (i.e., Atypical AN) based on the Structured Clinical Interview for the DSM-5 (SCID-5-RV)
  2. Have a duration of illness ≥ 6 months
  3. Be medically stable as assessed by a comprehensive medical and behavioral evaluation conducted by a study physician

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Psychotic illness/other mental illness requiring inpatient hospitalization
  2. Current dependence on drugs or alcohol
  3. Physical conditions (e.g., diabetes mellitus, pregnancy) known to influence eating or weight or liver disease which may affect pharmacokinetics of the study drug
  4. Use of other psychoactive medications
  5. Significant changes in medication in past month
  6. Expression of acute suicidality
  7. Previous hypersensitivity reaction to Epidiolex or any of its constituents

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Double

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Cannabidiol (CBD)

Days 1 to 7: Patients will receive CBD 2.5 mg/kg in divided doses BID for 7 days. Days 8 to 14: Patients will receive an increase dose of 7.5 mg/kg of CBD in divided doses.

Days 15 to 21: Patients will receive an increased dose of 12.5 mg/kg CBD, in divided doses. If patients experience dose limiting side-effects, they ill be maintained on the lowest tolerated dose.
Drug: Cannabidiol
patients receive cannabidiol at various doses for 3 weeks
Other Names:
  • Epidiolex
Placebo Comparator: Placebo
Days 1 to 7: Patients will receive placebo in divided doses BID for 7 days. Days 8 to 14: Patients will continue to receive placebo in divided doses. Days 15 to 21: Patients will receive continue to receive placebo in divided doses.
Drug: Placebo
patients receive placebo for 3 weeks

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Committee of Clinical Investigations UKU-Side Effect Scale Week 1
Time Frame: After completion of Week 1 of treatment
The Committee of Clinical Investigations (UKU) scale is used to rate psychiatric (e.g., depression, failing memory, concentration difficulty), neurological (e.g., rigidity, tremor, epileptic seizure), and autonomic (e.g., nausea, diarrhea, tachycardia) side effects, plus others. Higher scores indicate more side effects.
After completion of Week 1 of treatment
Committee of Clinical Investigations UKU-Side Effect Scale Week 2
Time Frame: After completion of Week 2 of treatment
The Committee of Clinical Investigations (UKU) scale is used to rate psychiatric (e.g., depression, failing memory, concentration difficulty), neurological (e.g., rigidity, tremor, epileptic seizure), and autonomic (e.g., nausea, diarrhea, tachycardia) side effects, plus others. Higher scores indicate more side effects.
After completion of Week 2 of treatment
Committee of Clinical Investigations UKU-Side Effect Scale Week 3
Time Frame: After completion of Week 3 of treatment
The Committee of Clinical Investigations (UKU) scale is used to rate psychiatric (e.g., depression, failing memory, concentration difficulty), neurological (e.g., rigidity, tremor, epileptic seizure), and autonomic (e.g., nausea, diarrhea, tachycardia) side effects, plus others. Higher scores indicate more side effects.
After completion of Week 3 of treatment
Blood tests for cannabinol (CBD) metabolites Week 1
Time Frame: After Completion of Week 1 of treatment
Blood levels for CBD, 6-OH-CBD, 7COOH-CBD, THC. The results will be compared to standard laboratory values.
After Completion of Week 1 of treatment
Blood tests for cannabinol (CBD) metabolites Week 2
Time Frame: After completion of Week 2 of treatment
Blood levels for CBD, 6-OH-CBD, 7COOH-CBD, THC. The results will be compared to standard laboratory values.
After completion of Week 2 of treatment
Blood tests for cannabinol (CBD) metabolites Week 3
Time Frame: After completion of Week 3 of treatment
Blood levels for CBD, 6-OH-CBD, 7COOH-CBD, THC. The results will be compared to standard laboratory values.
After completion of Week 3 of treatment
Change from baseline scores of Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q) over the course of treatment
Time Frame: Weekly for the duration of the project (three weeks)
Assesses the change from baseline in BMI, Eating Restraint, Eating Concern, Shape Concern, Weight Concern over the course of treatment. Each of those subscales is rated between 0 and 5. Subscales are calculated based on the average scores for the respective subscale. Higher scores indicate poorer outcome.
Weekly for the duration of the project (three weeks)

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

University of California, San Diego

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Guido K Frank, MD, University of California, San Diego

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

January 20, 2022

Primary Completion (Estimated)

June 1, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

June 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

April 26, 2021

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 5, 2021

First Posted (Actual)

May 7, 2021

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimated)

September 2, 2025

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

August 28, 2025

Last Verified

August 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 191570

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

Yes

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

Yes

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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