Can CBD Help with ADHD?

January 14, 2026

By Ruby Deevoy

In 2018 a study published in the Frontiers in Pharmacology found that people with ADHD who were treated with orally administered CBD oil over 66 days experienced a remarkable transformation. An enormous 68% noticed an improvement in self-injury, rage and a decrease in hyperactivity. 47% of the 53 participants felt a decrease in anxiety. But 24% actually noted increased anxiety.

As with most applications for CBD, understanding how using CBD for ADHD works, and whether or not it might be a fit for you, is nuanced.

To start with, it’s important to know what ADHD actually is.

What is ADHD?

In recent years ADHD diagnosis (and self-diagnosis) has sky-rocketed. In some cases, this comes down to a lack of awareness about how ADHD presents and what is happening in the body to produce some of the more common symptoms. Many people all over the world will have seen videos and memes circulating on social media that they identify with, but ADHD is much more than the sporadic scattiness, social anxiety and hyperactivity many of us experience from time to time. It’s partly related to brain structure and dopamine – specifically how the body processes this particular neurotransmitter. It’s also hereditary and environmental factors can play a role.

There are different types of ADHD. It’s currently categorised by the CDC as the following:

Predominantly Inattentive Presentation:

It is hard for the individual to organise or finish a task, to pay attention to details, or to follow instructions or conversations. The person is easily distracted or forgets details of daily routines.

Predominantly Hyperactive-Impulsive Presentation:

The person fidgets and talks a lot. It is hard to sit still for long (e.g., for a meal or while doing homework). Smaller children may run, jump or climb constantly. The individual feels restless and has trouble with impulsivity. Someone who is impulsive may interrupt others a lot, grab things from people, or speak at inappropriate times. It is hard for the person to wait their turn or listen to directions. A person with impulsiveness may have more accidents and injuries than others.

Combined Presentation:

Symptoms of the above two types are equally present in the person.

However, symptoms and therefore the presentation of ADHD can change over time; and recent research has also identified that ADHD often looks quite different in men and women. Overall, people with ADHD can experience a broad range of symptoms including emotional sensitivity, memory deficit, inattentiveness, hyperactivity, impulsiveness, anxiety and sleep problems. They’re also more like than the general population to commit a crime, take drugs, develop an addiction and become suicidal.

It’s believed that 2% to 6% of the global adult population have ADHD, and 5% to 10% of school-aged children. It’s estimated that around 1 million women in the UK have ADHD, but between 50-75% of those remain undiagnosed – until recently ADHD was diagnosed almost exclusively in males.

CBD for ADHD: Can it help?

People with ADHD generally produce lower levels of dopamine, and they also often have decreased blood flow in the hippocampus, in the brain. These are two areas of great interest when exploring whether or not using CBD for ADHD might be helpful.

Some studies have shed light on why CBD might be useful supplement to take:

In 2020 a breakthrough study performed by UCL researchers discovered that a single 600mg dose of CBD significantly increased blood flow to the hippocampus.
One in 2019, published in Frontiers in Pharmacology, found that CBD may dampen hyperactive circuitries in the hippocampus.
Another in 2017 found a 300mg dose of CBD ‘helped normalise social deficits and cognitive impairments, protect against hippocampal cell death, and improve cognition’ all relating to the hippocampus region of the brain.

Alongside this, there’s also the fact that CBD partially activates dopamine receptors, which naturally boosts dopamine levels. If CBD fully activated these receptors, there could be potential for addiction, but as it’s action on producing dopamine is on the weaker side this actually means it could offer some quite astonishing potential for dopamine deficient conditions such as ADHD, PTSD and Parkinsons, without the negative side effects.

Pharmaceutical stimulants, like Ritalin and Adderall, are prescribed to elevate dopamine too but, unlike CBD, can pose a serious risk

Should I take CBD for ADHD?

Whether or not you should take CBD for ADHD is a totally personal decision; however, if you are on any medication, you should always consult your doctor before taking any new supplements.

If you do decide to give CBD oil a go, start with a low dose, build up slowly, and consider keeping a journal of your progress. This way you can start to notice even subtle symptom reduction, and flag any minor negative side effects that you may experience (like those who experienced increased anxiety), to find your ideal dose.

When choosing a CBD oil, full spectrum is almost always best so that you can reap the benefit from not just CBD, but all the other cannabinoids, terpenes and flavonoids present in the product too. Unspun provides just this – the very best quality CBD oil, developed to bring you the best of nature.