Loose Women star Andrea Mclean, 49, revealed taking CBD hemp oil, prescribed by her GP, has helped her with her menopause symptoms and anxiety. The TV presenter told The Mirror the oil has ”massively taken the edge off things” with regards to her hot flushes. She added: “It has made me less anxious because anxiety is still a key thing for me. Unless you have experienced it like I have, where it feels like there is a tiger in the room, then no one really understands what it is like.
“It is awful. Before I started taking CBD oil my doctor recommended taking propranolol and it did change my life within a week.
“I am on the lowest dose and it has literally made me feel like a different person.”
According to the NHS website: “Medical cannabis and oils is also a broad term for any sort of cannabis-based medicine used to relieve symptoms.”
Propranolol is also “used to treat heart problems, help with anxiety and prevent migraines.”
Andrea is no stranger to speaking out about her anxiety battle, having previously revealed she uses mediation to help her stay calm.
The mother-of-two took to Twitter to share a book she had read about anxiety and revealed she had been using an app.
In view of her 244,000 followers, she wrote: “I have used it for years, and it works for me.
“It calms me down, stops me feeling like my head is filled with thoughts, buzzing round like bees, all bumping into the sides and stressing me out. #breathe#watchyourhead #calm.”
Andrea’s health update comes just weeks after she opened up about her thoughts on surgery ahead of her milestone 50th birthday in October.
The presenter went on to say she has had botox several times and going under the knife is “on the menu”.
When asked if surgery is something she’d like to undergo, she told OK! Magazine: “I’m not there yet, but why not? I’ve had Botox five times.
“I have it, then panic and think, ’Oh god I’ve had too much,’” she added. “Leave it for a year or so and then think, on no I’m looking too frowny and angry.”
She concluded: “Then the cycle repeats itself. I’m not averse to surgery at all. It’s on the menu but I’m not choosing it right now.”
Elsewhere, three-times married Andrea credited her husband Nick Feeney, who she married in 2017, for giving her a positive outlook on life.
She told Hello! Magazine: “We make each other so happy, it’s changed our lives. So many people have commented on how much more positive I’ve become since I met him.
“Thanks to Nick, I’m no longer looking backwards, I’m looking forwards.”
Loose Women airs weekdays from 12.30am on ITV.