Over the last few years, CBD has become a tremendously popular litchfield il dispensary. The compound is gaining recognition as a powerful anti-inflammatory, an effective treatment for anxiety and depression, and a way to alleviate chronic pain. CBD is also legal in all 50 states without a prescription.
Despite the rapid increase in public awareness of CBD, many people still have no idea how to use it properly. This post will give readers simple tips for using this powerful medication or supplement safely and effectively.
1. CBD is a supplement, and you should talk to your doctor before taking it.
CBD is one of over 100 compounds in the Cannabis sativa plant that belong to the same family as THC (tetrahydrocannabinol). The two compounds are called cannabinoids, but they have very different effects on your body.
“Cannabinoids are not psychoactive like THC, so they’re not going to get you baked or high,” says Dr. Dustin Sulak, a Maryland-based physician who specializes in neurology and neurological disorders. “There are plenty of consumers looking for CBD products who don’t want THC. If that is you, then there are ways to find a CBD product that doesn’t contain any THC.”
2. CBD capsules and pills won’t get you high.
CBD comes in many forms, including edibles such as gummies, tinctures, sublingual sprays and even topicals. There are also CBD capsules and pills that use hemp seed oil or coconut oil as the carrier. These forms can be very convenient for traveling or taking with you to work or school. However, because of the way these products are manufactured, they cannot be processed by your digestive system.
3. Check out our post on the 3 benefits of CBD that nothing else has .
4. You don’t need to take CBD with food.
“When consuming CBD in any form, it would be best to ingest it on an empty stomach,” says Dr. Sulak. “There is some evidence that taking CBD with food can compromise the effectiveness of the absorption process. That is why I actually don’t recommend taking CBD with food.”
5. Take CBD only when you’re going to use it and not for long periods of time
“You want to ensure that you’re getting the maximum benefit possible from whatever method you’re using for delivery,” says Dr. Sulak. “If you’re only taking CBD for a few days, for example, then it might not be worth it to take additional doses to ensure the benefit is more sustained over time.”
6. CBD products can make you sleepy.
CBD can help you relax, but the compound can also induce tiredness in some people. However, it’s important to note that this effect is temporary and generally only occurs when a person stops using CBD. The good news: You can counteract this effect by taking CBD every couple of hours or so throughout the day (ideally on an empty stomach) until you feel alert and awake again.
7. Testing your blood might be helpful (if you are under 18 and haven’t seen a doctor yet).
It’s important to note that everyone’s endocannabinoid system is different. This means that the way a product affects one person will not necessarily be the same for another person. The only way to know how CBD will affect you is to try it yourself.
8. Try low doses first, especially if you take other medications.
There is no standard dose of CBD because every body is different and people react differently to CBD. As with any medication, check in with your doctor first before increasing your dosage or taking additional products containing CBD. Keep in mind that many medications are metabolized by certain cytochrome P450 enzymes in your liver (CYP2D6 and CYP3A4).
9. CBD products can interact with medications.
The way CBD is metabolized in your liver is very similar to how other medications are broken down by your body. Many medications, particularly those for mental health conditions such as depression or anxiety, are broken down by these enzymes in your liver. Because the way CBD interacts with the enzymes responsible for metabolizing other medications is so similar, it could possibly interfere with the effectiveness of such drugs, leading to reduced or ineffective treatment for an individual.
10. Don’t take CBD if you have a pre-existing condition without talking to your doctor first
CBD contains many health benefits, but it shouldn’t be used as a replacement for conventional medicine without consulting an experienced physician first. While CBD has no known toxicity level, it may affect different people in different ways and may interfere with certain medications.
“If you have a condition like epilepsy, and you start taking CBD, it might actually increase your seizures,” says Dr. Sulak. “That’s why it’s so important to work with an experienced physician in these situations.”
11. Use caution when trying high CBD doses.
CBD is not psychoactive, which means that you cannot get high from using the compound. Despite this fact, some people still take too much for their body to handle and end up feeling very tired and nauseated as a result of the dose they’ve taken.
