CBD has been compared to a miracle substance for many struggling with chronic health conditions. It has been a life changer for those struggling with severe forms of epilepsy, helping to reduce the occurrence of hundreds of seizures to just a few. Many with chronic pain, anxiety, PTSD, insomnia, and other ailments take CBD capsules or another form of the product and say it has made all the difference.
But there’s no such thing as a perfect drug. Even over-the-counter drugs like ibuprofen will turn on you if you take too much or eat it on an empty stomach. There are side effects to be considered with CBD. Knowing what they are and how to handle them makes them significantly easier to handle.
If you’re new to the realm of CBD or you’re simply trying to find out more, here are five key things to understand about the side effects of taking even the best CBD gummies.
- These Are the Top CBD Side Effects
You should never take a medication or supplement of any sort without first understanding the side effects that you could face when taking it. Here are some of the most commonly observed side effects for CBD users:
Dry Mouth: Your mouth contains salivary glands that keep your mouth wet constantly. This is essential for protecting your teeth, talking, eating, and simply staying comfortable. This side effect is typically temporary and will subside soon, but if it persists or is particularly uncomfortable, discontinue your CBD use or adjust the dose.
Low Blood Pressure: CBD is meant to help people relax, and lower blood pressure is a natural result of that. But if your blood pressure dips too low, it can lead to fainting, nausea, and dizziness. If CBD is causing low blood pressure, eat something sweet right away and rest until you feel well again. Then, adjust your dose the next time.
Drowsiness: One of the best benefits of CBD is its ability to help you sleep at night. This is great, unless you need CBD during the day! Lower the dose next time if it’s causing you daytime drowsiness or only take CBD at night.
Light Headedness: Due to your lower blood pressure, CBD can cause light headedness. Rest with your head between your legs until the spell passes. Then eat something and drink a full glass of water to help restore your body to normal.
Gastrointestinal Distress: CBD is typically associated with calming an upset stomach, but if it’s taken incorrectly, it could cause an upset stomach. Nausea is a common side effect for incorrect doses and vomiting or diarrhea may rarely occur.
Rare Liver Injury: It’s very rare, but there have been a couple of reports of liver injury for patients who used too much CBD for too long. Correctly using CBD is essential for minimizing the risk of side effects like this and others.
If you experience any of these side effects, it’s best to discuss them with a doctor who understands CBD. Mild side effects may not be concerning when compared with the benefits you receive while more severe side effects could indicate a problem with the medication. As a general rule, discontinue use until you can consult with a doctor if you experience these side effects.
- Dosing Is Everything
Everyone reacts differently to medication, but in most situations, the appearance of side effects like those listed above is a problem with dosing. There’s, unfortunately, little across-the-board regulation for CBD products, and many patients struggle to get just the right dose for their needs.
Taking too much CBD is the number one problem with dosing. It laces your body with extra cannabinoids, and your endocannabinoid system doesn’t know how to handle the influx. Hormones and immune responses begin firing, and while the side effects are rarely severe, it can make for an uncomfortable experience!
Usually, decreasing the dose is the best way to fix problems with side effects. You may need to stop using CBD for about 36-48 hours while it works its way out of your system; then, start fresh with a new dose. Consult a doctor if you’re unsure about the next steps.
- Balance Side Effects and Benefits
Anyone who takes a medication or supplement must balance the side effects with the benefits. For example, caffeine is a daily used substance for many people because they like the energy it gives them.
However, nobody likes the feeling of the jitters, anxiety, or even gastrointestinal distress that comes with using too much caffeine in a day. Most of the time, people choose to keep the caffeine in their lives despite the side effects because they feel the benefits outweigh the negatives.
It’s a very similar case with CBD. If you experience side effects when taking CBD, it’s up to you to decide if the CBD is working well enough to justify the side effects. Most people can decrease their CBD dosage and eliminate or reduce the side effects so that it’s worth continuing use.
However, some decide that CBD is simply not for them because the benefits aren’t stronger than the side effects, and that’s okay too.
- Watch for Medication Interactions
It’s rare, but there are a few medications that interact with CBD. There are some known medications, but the field has not been widely researched, so if you suspect that your medication is interacting with CBD, speak with a healthcare professional right away.
The list of known medications that react with CBD is small. It’s believed that CBD can inhibit drugs that use the CYP450 system in your body. This may include certain types of steroids, antibiotics, antihistamines, antidepressants, NSAIDs, anesthetics (sleeping pills), HIV antivirals, and more.
Not all types of medications on the list of potential interactions will interact negatively with CBD. In fact, very few will interact with CBD, but because there’s little understood about which medications interact with CBD, it’s always best to talk to a doctor if you’re using any medication before trying CBD.
- Listen to Your Body
The best advice anyone can give you when using CBD is to just listen to what your body is telling you. In many cases, you will feel immense relief and suddenly feel great after years of it being the opposite. But sometimes, the side effects will speak loudly to you, telling you that something is wrong.
Your body is equipped with many sensors and transmitters designed to tell the brain when something is not right with your body. The side effects of CBD can be a signal that you’re using it incorrectly, it’s interacting with a medication, or it just isn’t right for you. Listen to what your body is saying and address the trigger before it develops into something worse.