CBD has become the latest craze in modern medicine. Many out there are claiming it’s the medicinal answer they’ve always been searching for. But what is CBD? How does it affect the body and brain? What kind of diseases can it treat?
This article seeks to give you all the information you need to know on CBD.
CBD Definitions
Cannabidiol (better known as CBD) is a cannabinoid compound found in cannabis sativa (hemp) linked to many notable medical benefits. Marijuana holds over 80 different cannabinoids. The most significant of these chemicals being delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).
Yet, the biggest difference between CBD and THC is CBD won’t get you high. Unlike THC, it doesn’t contain psychoactive ingredients. In fact, CBD can actually counteract psychoactivity in the brain.
Unfortunately, there isn’t a whole lot known on CBD. Due to cannabis prohibition, research has been very limited. Especially in areas concerning CBD’s medical benefits.
However, thanks to the 2018 Farm Bill, the cannabis plant hemp is now legalized nationwide. Hemp is the main source for all CBD available on the market due to the fact that it has a low THC count – no more than 0.3%.
With that, we can expect an increase in demand for CBD and more research to be conducted.
How is CBD Effective?
Since there’s a lot of enthusiasm for CBD, many assume it’s highly effective. But what is it effective for? And who benefits most from the cannabinoid compound?
Though there are a number of illnesses CBD is claimed to treat, there’s strong evidence supporting its effectiveness towards epilepsy. Within both adults and children, the cannabidiol product Epidiolex has reduced seizures and other comparable conditions. Epidiolex is only obtainable through a prescription. So, if you suffer from epilepsy and are thinking of using CBD to help, it’s important to talk to your doctor.
Other illnesses where CBD has reduced seizures are:
- Dravet syndrome
- Febrile infection-related epilepsy syndrome (FIRES)
- Lennox-Gastaut syndrome
- Sturge-Weber syndrome
- Tuberous sclerosis complex
It should be noted, CBD hasn’t been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Therefore, obtaining a prescription will be difficult.
CBD’s Other Potential Benefits
Yet, you don’t need a prescription to purchase CBD. In fact, throughout the United States, it’s been legal to purchase for some time now. Though, depending on your location, it may or may not be difficult to retrieve. In states like California and Massachusetts, where marijuana is legalized, CBD is everywhere. In many parts of the south, it’s difficult to find a place that sells cannabidiol.
Again, this lack of access to the potential wonder drug has to do with a lack of research. When you hear of people using CBD to treat anxiety and other conditions, it’s often based off of personal accounts rather than scientific evidence.
Still, sciences are opening up to research on the matter. And what they’ve found so far is CBD greatly combat the following illnesses:
1. Pain
Many out there who suffer from pain (especially, chronic pain) have found great alleviation in CBD. According to the Journal of Experimental Medicine, CBD made a significant depletion in the inflammation in rats. Other studies have found that CBD interacts with specific brain and immune system receptors which are responsible for both reducing inflammation and alleviating pain.
2. Anxiety
It’s common to find threads upon threads online of people claiming CBD cured their anxiety. Research out of the University of São Paulo discovered that CBD notably decreased subjective anxiety. This is when an anxiety is concentrated on a certain situation, such as socialization. Therefore, CBD can be of great help in decreasing unpleasant feelings caused by a social anxiety disorder.
3. Cancer
One of the biggest things cannabis activists claims is that marijuana might just be a way to alleviate many of the symptoms of cancer. This is due to CBD’s way of halting tumors from producing. It can even fight against tumor cells found in both colon cancer and leukemia.
Other research suggests that CBD will prevent cancer cells from spreading. Though this is all great news for people hoping for a cure, it needs to be noted that most of these studies are pre-clinical. In other words, there haven’t been tests on humans or even mammals. This is something we’ll hopefully see in the near future.
4. Diabetes
Though it’s not as discussed as CBD’s link to alleviating cancer and mental health, there’s much research going into CBDs affects against diabetes. Neuropharmacology did a study in which they tested how non-obese diabetes-prone female mice would react to CBD. Out of those mice, 32% were diagnosed with diabetes while an untreated group remained at 100%.
How Does CBD Work in the Brain and Body?
The truth of the matter is it isn’t clear exactly how CBD works in the brain and body. We do know it produces antipsychotic effects. In turn, this stops a breakdown in certain brain chemicals which are responsible for:
- Mental function.
- Mood.
- Pain.
It’s due to this breakdown that CBD produces anti-psychotic effects which could lead to certain conditions such as schizophrenia and anxiety. With that, CBD has even been shown to reduce the effects of THC.
Does CBD Bring Safety Risks?
From what research has shown, CBD is one of the safest medicines out there. One factor that contributes to this is how it’s taken. More often than not, people take it by mouth. However, there are other ways to ingest it such as eating it, smoking it, vaping it, and even spraying it up your nose. The safety for precautions for these aren’t as clear.
What is clear is you won’t harm your body from taking a large amount of CBD. Low doses tend to range between 10 to 20 mg daily while higher doses increase as much as 1,200 to 1,500 mg a day. Both are just as safe as long as they are taken by mouth.
There are a few side effects to cannabidiol to keep in mind. These are:
- Drowsiness
- Dry mouth
- Lightheadedness
- Liver injury (less common)
- Low blood pressure
There are also some safety precautions and warnings you’ll want to keep in mind before dosing yourself with CBD:
Children: It’s been determined that the product Epidiolex MIGHT BE SAFE when taken by mouth at a low dose. However, the higher a child doses, the more at risk they are of experiencing side effects.
- Parkinson’s disease: Early research has led some to believe that cannabidiol will worsen muscle movements and tremors in people with Parkinson’s disease.
- Pregnancy and breastfeeding: Due to a lack of research, it isn’t clear how CBD can affect a fetus during pregnancy or a baby during breastfeeding.
Does CBD Interact with Medication?
Yes! CBD has been known to interact with certain medications in specific ways. The following is a list of those interactions with each medication. To begin, we’ll look into the medications which have MAJOR interactions with CBD. NEVER TAKE THIS COMBINATION.
Clobazam
Due to the way clobazam breaks down by the liver, cannabidiol holds the potential to decrease how quickly the liver breaks down the medication. With that, it may increase the effects or side effects of clobazam.
Valproic Acid
This medication can have serious harm to the liver. By taking cannabidiol, you’re increasing the chance and amount of damage it can cause.
The following have found to have MODERATE interactions with CBD. Be cautious before using these in combination.
Eslicarbazepine
When you take cannabidiol, it might reduce how fast eslicarbazepine breaks down in the body. With that, CBD might also increase the effects of eslicarbazepine.
Medications Changed by the Liver (Cytochrome P450 1A1 [CYP1A1] Substrates)
These are a variety of medications which are changed or broken down by the liver. Taking CBD can reduce how fast the liver is able to break down these medications. In turn, CBD can also increase the effects and side effects of these medications. In order to know if CBD can be used alongside these medications, you’ll want to talk to a medical professional. Some of these medications include chlorzoxazone (Lorzone) and theophylline (Theo-Dur).
Medications Changed by the Liver (Cytochrome P450 1A2 [CYP1A2] Substrates)
These are a variety of medications which are changed or broken down by the liver. Taking CBD can reduce how fast the liver is able to break down these medications. In turn, CBD can also increase the effects and side effects of these medications. In order to know if CBD can be used alongside these medications, you’ll want to talk to a medical professional. Some of these medications include amitriptyline (Elavil), haloperidol (Haldol), ondansetron (Zofran), propranolol (Inderal), theophylline (Theo-Dur), verapamil (Calan, Isoptin), and others.
Medications Changed by the Liver (Cytochrome P450 1B1 [CYP1B1] Substrates)
These are a variety of medications which are changed or broken down by the liver. Taking CBD can reduce how fast the liver is able to break down these medications. In turn, CBD can also increase the effects and side effects of these medications. In order to know if CBD can be used alongside these medications, you’ll want to talk to a medical professional. Some of these medications include theophylline (Theo-Dur), omeprazole (Prilosec, Omesec), clozapine (Clozaril, FazaClo), progesterone (Prometrium), lansoprazole (Prevacid), flutamide (Eulexin), oxaliplatin (Eloxatin), erlotinib (Tarceva), and caffeine.
Medications Changed by the Liver (Cytochrome P450 2A6 [CYP2A6] Substrates)
These are a variety of medications which are changed or broken down by the liver. Taking CBD can reduce how fast the liver is able to break down these medications. In turn, CBD can also increase the effects and side effects of these medications. In order to know if CBD can be used alongside these medications, you’ll want to talk to a medical professional. Some of these medications include nicotine, chlormethiazole (Heminevrin), and coumarin, methoxyflurane (Penthrox), halothane (Fluothane), valproic acid (Depacon), and disulfiram (Antabuse).
Medications Changed by the Liver (Cytochrome P450 2B6 [CYP2B6] Substrates)
These are a variety of medications which are changed or broken down by the liver. Taking CBD can reduce how fast the liver is able to break down these medications. In turn, CBD can also increase the effects and side effects of these medications. In order to know if CBD can be used alongside these medications, you’ll want to talk to a medical professional. Some of these medications include ketamine (Ketalar), phenobarbital, orphenadrine (Norflex), secobarbital (Seconal), and dexamethasone (Decadron).
Medications Changed by the Liver (Cytochrome P450 2C19 [CUP2C19] Substrates)
These are a variety of medications which are changed or broken down by the liver. Taking CBD can reduce how fast the liver is able to break down these medications. In turn, CBD can also increase the effects and side effects of these medications. In order to know if CBD can be used alongside these medications, you’ll want to talk to a medical professional. Some of these medications include omeprazole (Prilosec), lansoprazole (Prevacid), and pantoprazole (Protonix); diazepam (Valium); carisoprodol (Soma); nelfinavir (Viracept).
Medications Changed by the Liver (Cytochrome P450 2D6 [CYP2D6] Substrates)
These are a variety of medications which are changed or broken down by the liver. Taking CBD can reduce how fast the liver is able to break down these medications. In turn, CBD can also increase the effects and side effects of these medications. In order to know if CBD can be used alongside these medications, you’ll want to talk to a medical professional. Some of these medications include amitriptyline (Elavil), codeine, desipramine (Norpramin), flecainide (Tambocor), haloperidol (Haldol), imipramine (Tofranil), metoprolol (Lopressor, Toprol XL), ondansetron (Zofran), paroxetine (Paxil), risperidone (Risperdal), tramadol (Ultram), and venlafaxine (Effexor).
Medications Changed by the Liver (Cytochrome P450 3A4 [CYP3A4] Substrates)
These are a variety of medications which are changed or broken down by the liver. Taking CBD can reduce how fast the liver is able to break down these medications. In turn, CBD can also increase the effects and side effects of these medications. In order to know if CBD can be used alongside these medications, you’ll want to talk to a medical professional. Some of these medications include alprazolam (Xanax), amlodipine (Norvasc), clarithromycin (Biaxin), cyclosporine (Sandimmune), erythromycin, lovastatin (Mevacor), ketoconazole (Nizoral), itraconazole (Sporanox), fexofenadine (Allegra), triazolam (Halcion), and verapamil (Calan, Isoptin).
Medications Changed by the Liver (Cytochrome P450 3A5 [CYP3A5] Substrates)
These are a variety of medications which are changed or broken down by the liver. Taking CBD can reduce how fast the liver is able to break down these medications. In turn, CBD can also increase the effects and side effects of these medications. In order to know if CBD can be used alongside these medications, you’ll want to talk to a medical professional. Some of these medications include testosterone, progesterone (Endometrin, Prometrium), nifedipine (Adalat CC, Procardia XL), and cyclosporine (Sandimmune).
Rufinamide
When you intake rufinamide, it’s changed and broken down within the body. Cannabidiol may reduce how fast the body breaks down this medication. In turn, CBD can also increase the effects and side effects of rufinamide.
Sedative Medications (CNS Depressants)
Some studies have shown that CBD can cause both sleepiness and drowsiness. Other medications which have the same effects are known as sedatives. When taking both CBD and sedatives, a person may have an overwhelming feeling of sleepiness. Sedative medications include benzodiazepines, pentobarbital (Nembutal), phenobarbital (Luminal), secobarbital (Seconal), thiopental (Pentothal), fentanyl (Duragesic, Sublimaze), morphine, and propofol (Diprivan).
Topiramate
When you intake topiramate, it’s changed and broken down in the body. Cannabidiol may reduce how fast the body breaks down this medication. In turn, CBD may also increase the effects and side effects of topiramate by a small amount.
Zonisamide
When you intake zonisamide, it’s changed and broken down in the body. Cannabidiol may reduce how fast the body breaks down this medication. In turn, CBD may also increase the effects and side effects of zonisamide by a small amount.
Does CBD Interact with Herbs and Supplements?
There’s only so much known about how CBD interacts with herbs and supplements. As mentioned, CBD is known to have sedative features – leaving users either sleepy or tired. If a herb or supplement has these same features, then there’s a good chance it will cause too much sleepiness.
Some herbs and supplements which have these sedative features are calamus, California poppy, catnip, hops, Jamaican dogwood, kava, L-tryptophan, melatonin, sage, SAMe, St. John’s wort, sassafras, and skullcap.
On a side note, there are no known interactions between cannabidiol and food.
What’s the Proper Dosage
As mentioned, scientist and medical professionals only acknowledge that CBD can treat epilepsy. Therefore, there’s no recommended dosage for those trying to treat other illnesses, such as anxiety or diabetes.
For adults, a prescription to the cannabidiol product Epidiolex will usually start with a dose of 2.5 mg/kg taken twice daily (a total of 5 mg/kg per day). After a week, the dose will increase to 5 mg/kg taken twice daily (a total of 10 mg/kg per day). Some people don’t develop a response to this dosage. With that, they’ll be told to take the highest recommended dosage, 10 mg/kg twice daily (a total of 20 mg/kg per day).
Though some research has used higher doses of up to 50 mg/kg daily, there’s no significant evidence that this is helpful for people suffering from epilepsy.
For children, the dosage will work the same as in adults with the potential for less of a dosage per day. This depends on a number of factors from the age, weight, height, etc. of the child.
Is CBD Legal?
Yes! CBD is legal in all 50 states under the Farm Bill of 2014. And hemp is legally allowed to be grown in all 50 states under the Farm Bill of 2018. Depending on your location, you’ll be able to find CBD products in a variety of places; from a smoke shop to the front of a gas station. However, it should be noted, there are some legal precautions to take.
For example, it’s illegal to grow hemp if the seed contains over 0.3% THC. The same is true for any CBD product containing that much THC.
Furthermore, there are still instances where people confuse CBD and hemp for marijuana products. This has much to do with a lack of public awareness over the difference. Due to prohibition, many are misinformed of CBD’s medical properties.
It’s important to spread awareness of this information for multiple reasons. Not only can many people find the relief they’ve been needing through CBD, but if science is allowed to continue research, we’ll be able to understand ALL its medical properties better.
Your Questions
This article sought to give as much information surrounding cannabidiol (CBD) as possible.
Still have more questions?
We invite you to ask them below. If you have more information or advice to give in terms of cannabidiol, we’d also love to hear from you. We try to reply to every comment in a personal and timely manner.