What Are The Side Effects of CBD?
CBD is touted as a plant-based miracle, and honestly — that’s not entirely untrue.
With so many new people coming to cannabis medicine, it’s natural to have questions about potential side effects. As with anything you ingest — from gluten to nightshades to ibuprofen to Vicodin — there are bound to be potential reactions. And because everyone’s body is different, there’s an array of things that can happen.
The good news? The World Health Organization says that CBD is generally considered to be safe. In their report, they state: “CBD does not produce the effects that are typically seen with cannabinoids such as THC. It also failed to produce significant effects in a human study of abuse potential.” In addition, “Across a number of controlled and open label trials CBD of the potential therapeutic effects of CBD it is generally well-tolerated, with a good safety profile.”
In other words, you won’t get high from CBD alone, and it’s not addictive. What’s more is that there don’t seem to be significant side effects whatsoever.
They referenced a study within this report and noted that “CBD was tolerated in all patients, with no signs of toxicity or serious side effects.”
But not so fast — that’s not to say that there are no side effects. While most people won’t experience anything negative or different, some may.
List of CBD Side Effects
Interaction With Other Medication
The primary CBD “side effect” to look out for is if you’re taking another medication every day. Another study within WHO’s documents reported that when CBD was taken with another anti-epileptic medication, some side effects occurred, but when they reduced the amount of anti-epileptic medication, the side effects went away.
“It has been suggested that some of the adverse effects of cannabidiol observed in the clinical studies may relate to interactions with other antiepileptic drugs,” the report states. “Side effects were reported in 10 (77%) of the 13 subjects, but were alleviated with clobazam dose reduction. All subjects tolerated CBD well.”
CBD is broken down by a liver enzyme cytochrome P450, which also metabolizes many prescription medications, including chemotherapy. If you’re taking regular medication, it’s absolutely imperative that you discuss taking CBD with your doctor.
Dry Mouth
A mild CBD side effect that may occur for some people is dry mouth. Consider adjusting your dose, or using a sugar-free lozenge to help stimulate saliva production.
Drowsiness
Some people have reported feeling sleepy or drowsy while taking CBD. Again, consider adjusting your dose if you find this happening. You can also try taking CBD at night before bed so your drowsiness occurs when you actually want it to or if you are seeking CBD Oil for Sleep.
Low Blood Pressure
There’s a potential that your blood pressure may drop while taking CBD. While lowered blood pressure may be a benefit for some, it can be dangerous for others. Again, this is why it’s so important to discuss CBD with your doctor.
Digestive Problems
A bit of tummy troubles may be a CBD side effect. Keep an eye on digestion (you might not have to look that hard, honestly) and again, adjust as needed and talk to your doctor if this occurs.
CBD Oil Side Effects Overview
Overall, CBD has been a powerful, natural medicine for so many people with little side effects and no chance of addiction. Everyone’s body is different, and you could have a wildcard reaction to CBD just like this CBD reporter has a wildcard reaction to raw red onions (true story, they give me migraines). Start low, go slow, adjust as needed, and talk to your doctor — you should be good to go!