The cannabidiol or CBD abundantly found in hemp and cannabis is a scientifically-proven effective alternative option for treating different ailments and conditions such as chronic pain, insomnia, anxiety, and seizure disorders. The demand for natural health solutions and promising scientific studies on CBD benefits set the stage for increased attention from consumers. More and more people are trusting of CBD for their health needs. There have been no guidelines released by the World Health Organization (WHO) for proper dosing of CBD. Consumers may be implicitly following recommendations of people who are on CBD for a long time but to guarantee the safety and to obtain the full benefits of CBD, here are several things you should consider when choosing the right CBD oil dosage. Remember, however, that all information presented on this page serves as an informational guide, and shouldn’t be considered medical advice.
Start with the ECS
It is vital to understand first how CBD interacts with the body. Every human has an Endocannabinoid System (ECS) composed of endocannabinoids and cannabinoid receptors. ECS is critical in regulating essential body processes and is virtually affecting every cell, muscles, organs, and tissues in our body. The ECS plays a crucial part in maintaining the overall bodily function and health.
So how exactly does CBD affect the ECS? CBD mimics the characteristics of cannabinoids that make up the ECS and are found throughout the body. The ECS has two primary cell receptors, the CB1 and CB2. CB1 is most abundant in the brain, while CB2 is found in immune cells, digestive tract, and the peripheral nervous system. CBD is active at both CB1 and CB2 cannabinoid receptors; meaning CBD is involved in the regulation of immune system functions, stress response, pain management, inflammation, sleep, appetite, mood, memory, and many more.
Factors affecting CBD oil dosage
CBD is a natural plant extract generally considered safe to consume by WHO. But one should not lose sight of the fact that everyone is different. Hence, the dosage varies individually, and the right CBD oil dosage depends on several factors. Here are the factors that play an important role when determining the correct CBD oil dosage for you.
Body Weight
Dosing CBD oil is not a one-size-fits-all solution. A person’s weight affects his bodily response to CBD oil. One ground rule is that people with larger bodies need a more massive dose. But calculating the right CBD oil dosage doesn’t depend merely on body weight; there are many other factors to consider, such as the person’s goal in taking CBD oil.
Metabolism
Metabolism comes into play when determining the right CBD oil dosage as it influences the immediate effects of CBD oil in the body. CBD oil, usually consumed in drops absorbed under the tongue, is fast-acting, but an individual’s metabolism still dictates how quickly the body responds to it. People with a fast metabolism will feel the effects of CBD sooner than those with a slower metabolism. How long effects last also varies with metabolism speed; people with speedy metabolism tend to experience CBD oil effects less long. If you are finding your right CBD oil dosage, take into account your metabolism speed to improve the therapeutic effectiveness of your CBD.
Genetics
Genes play a crucial role in how our bodies metabolize certain medications, including CBD oil. Everyone has a unique genetic profile, and these genes help determine the rate of metabolism, body weight, etc. of an individual. Depending on your genetic profile, you may process CBD oil too quickly or too slowly. Your genetic profile can help determine the right CBD oil dosage your body will better metabolize.
Bioavailability
Bioavailability is the rate at which the drug enters systemic circulation. Properties of the dosage form chiefly determine the bioavailability of CBD oil or put, the strength/concentration of the CBD oil. If you are taking a highly bioavailable dose of CBD oil, you may need to consume a smaller amount of it. For instance, your CBD oil-infused product contains 20% CBD oil; you may need to take a lesser amount than you would on a 5% CBD oil.
How To Calculate For The Right CBD Oil Dosage
The specific amount of how much CBD oil to take doesn’t exist. The dose of CBD oil is a sliding scale that varies from one person to another. It relies on your body itself and your goal in taking CBD oil.
Experiment to determine the right CBD oil dosage for you. The best way to do so is to start consuming a shallow dose. The typical low daily dose of CBD oil is around 20-40mg. If you feel no significant benefits or effects after 1-2 weeks with this dosage, you can start increasing it gradually, by 5mg per serving every after a week or two, until you find the dose that works best for you.
Consider your body weight; more body mass needs more CBD oil to get optimal results. One guiding principle to remember is: take 1 to 6mg of CBD for every 10 pounds. For example, a person weighing 200 lbs can safely start consuming CBD oil at 20-33 mg dose.
In finding the right CBD oil dosage, it is essential to consider the health issues you are aiming to treat with CBD oil. If the symptoms you want to treat are mild and non-medical, your CBD oil dose may only be small while more severe symptoms resulting from serious ailments may need a higher dosage. Symptoms like insomnia, anxiety, chronic pain, epilepsy, or cardiovascular issues may require a higher dosage.
It is advisable to keep a daily journal so you can compare your results. It is recommended to let your doctor or other medical practitioners check in your daily journal so they can give professional advice.
Can You Overdose on CBD Oil?
No, even overconsumption of CBD oil cannot cause a fatal overdose. There have been no reports of human deaths due to CBD oil use or overuse.
To put your mind at ease, CBD is a non-toxic, naturally-occurring cannabinoid found in the cannabis plant. CBD does not contain any psychoactive properties that will produce mind-altering effects; meaning you can enjoy the health benefits of CBD without the downfalls of being “high.” Also, there is no scientific evidence indicating that CBD has addictive characteristics. CBD is not addictive at all, which further proves the improbability of CBD oil overdose.
There is also no need to worry about the possibility of CBD oil overdose by building up a tolerance. Some drugs can be deadly because you can build an understanding of them. When the dose you were prescribed no longer works, you increase the dose, and a high enough dose can cause adverse side effects and can even kill you. But CBD oil is a far different story. According to numerous scientific studies, people don’t build tolerance to CBD oil or CBD products in general. You can take CBD oil for years without ever building tolerance. The opposite of tolerance may apply to CBD oil, known as “reverse tolerance.” Many CBD oil consumers have testified improved effects and benefits with lower and lower doses with time. This is because CBD indirectly stimulates our cannabinoid receptors without binding to them, and this improves our body’s natural ability to produce its endocannabinoids over time. And the more endocannabinoids our body has, the less CBD you’ll need to feel its effects.
All these findings add to the improbability of a CBD oil overdose. It is doubtful that you can die from taking too much CBD, even if you have accidentally taken more than the ideal dose, which is likely to happen when you are still fine-tuning to get the right CBD oil dosage. Anecdotes of CBD oil users who had taken excessive CBD oil reported that side effects were: sleepiness, upset stomach, and difficulty concentrating. Apart from that, no deadly overdose will likely happen.
CBD is a safe compound with profound therapeutic effects that is non-toxic and non-addictive, as highlighted by WHO.
Ask for Doctor’s Advice
If you want to use CBD oil to improve your mental and physical well being, there’s no better time to start harnessing its powers than now. While finding your right CBD oil dosage can be comfortably done by yourself alone, do not be hesitant to discuss CBD oil with your doctors. Especially when you are taking other medication drugs, or you are undergoing treatment programs for a particular health condition.
CBD is generally safe, and it does have potential interactions with some medications. The concern is how CBD affects how the body metabolizes certain substances. It is crucial to speak with your doctor about all medications you are taking with CBD oil.
In general, if you feel nervous about the trial and error in the process of finding the right CBD oil dosage for you, your doctor can provide you valuable advice and help you get the most precise dose so you can enjoy the benefits of CBD.
Do not hesitate to talk to your doctor about CBD oil because of the stigma and misinformation surrounding cannabis. They are health professionals, and they know very well about the potential for CBD oil to change one’s health positively. Every doctor’s priority is to provide patients with advice and direction so they will live their lives happier and healthier.