CBD Side Effects: What to Expect

CBD Side Effects: What to Expect

CBD Side Effects: What to Expect

It’s always wise to be wary of potential risks before taking something new. Click here to learn all about the known CBD side effects and risks.

While many products derived from cannabis are still illegal in the USA, CBD use is protected by several state laws. Legal distinctions remain as confusing as ever.  Because of its difficult-to-understand legality, there’s still much research to be done to investigate CBD side effects. There are over 100 cannabinoids contained within cannabis, THC, and CBD being the most well-known. While THC has the active effects that recreational marijuana users enjoy, CBD has none of those psychoactive effects.

What CBD Can Treat

While some people may be wary of CBD because of its associations with cannabis, it’s in a completely different class altogether. For years, researchers have been studying the effects of the isolated cannabinoids and have come up with some amazing discoveries. 

1. Anxiety

The brain’s serotonin receptors help to manage anxiety and happiness. Researchers believe that CBD can change how receptors in your brain respond to serotonin. The tiny proteins in your brain that make up your receptors are responsible for receiving chemical messages. Those receptors react and respond to different stimuli, including CBD.

2. Seizures

For decades, researchers have been in search of new treatments for epilepsy. Researchers are still trying to understand the whole picture of how CBD can help people suffering from seizures. Researchers will understand more about these positive CBD side effects in the coming years. If you have issues with seizures or even a mild form of epilepsy, you should consult your doctor before you add CBD to your treatment regimen.

3. Neurological Disorders

  One of the brain’s most important receptors, CB1, has been shown to have a connection to degenerative neurological issues. Researchers are studying how CBD can interact with this receptor to protect that receptor. Over time, the deterioration of this receptor makes patients more susceptible to issues related to Alzheimer’s disease. It has also been proven to be a factor related to Parkinson’s disease. It requires more research to know if there are any negative CBD side effects. As of now, there is a lot of optimism that CBD could reduce the impact of these issues on people at risk for neurogenerative disorders. Over time, we’ll hopefully see an expansion of brain disorders that CBD can treat.

4. General Pain Relief

It’s not fully clear how CBD can help people suffering from chronic pain. The Nation Institute of Health is studying the role of cannabis in treating symptoms of issues like arthritis and MS-related pain with CBD. CBD could react with other medications, so researchers have had a tough time finding patients with severe pain who can go without their medication. One well-known MS drug class, Nabiximols, is made by combining THC and CBD. It’s still not known if CBD or any derivation is 100% effective for specific muscle pain or spinal cord injuries, although the research looks good. More clinical trials will reveal the positive impacts over time. As more people find relief with CBD, we should see more money become available to research these impacts.

5. Anti-acne

One of the broad impacts of anti-inflammatory drugs is the ability to manage the activity of sebaceous glands that can cause acne. The immune system will create oils in order to protect the body. Sebum can be secreted after an illness or after you eat certain foods. The glands that produce sebum help to hydrate the skin but an overproduction, caused by inflammation, will cause acne. More human trials are necessary before we can say that CBD works for certain. If you live in an area where CBD is legal and you’re struggling to solve an acne issue, bring CBD up with your dermatologist.

5. Cancer Treatment

One of the most widely known and exciting bits of research on medicinal cannabinoid treatments surrounds its ability to treat cancer symptoms. The research is still in the earliest stages, but the results have been remarkable. The National Cancer Institute has yet to officially endorse CBD as a dependable treatment for cancer, but patients in experimental trials have been pleased. There are promising studies on the horizon, but it could be a decade or more before we know the positive CBD side effects in treating cancer. With each study released to the public, there is a growth in excitement from advocates and people new to CBD. It’s uniting a non-partisan community of cancer patients and their families in building momentum for increased funding for research. We should be pleased that researchers are taking care to manage the hastiness with which we might want to see CBD approved widely. 

Negative CBD Side Effects

While there are only a few known side effects of CBD, it’s important to note that their impact could be unwelcome. Even with something as simple as drowsiness, if taken in tandem with a medication that also causes drowsiness, patients who must be alert for work could be put at risk. Here are a few of the minor CBD side effects that could be unwelcome for potential consumers of the medication.

1. Impacts on Drug Metabolism

The body produces a series of enzymes that help patients to consume and benefit from CBD. The use of CBD combined with other drugs can keep medications from being properly processed by the body. This should remind patients to consult a physician or a pharmacist before adding any medications to their routine. It should be noted that grapefruits can also have this impact on the liver’s metabolizing capabilities. Complications like these can easily be worked out by rescheduling your medication at different times of the day. You can live with a reduced P450 enzyme for a short time as your body can reset the balance a few hours later.

2. Dry mouth

Some patients have reported CBD side effects that include an unpleasant dry sensation throughout the day. As noted above, CBD has an effect on the secretions of glands and this will include saliva. Cannabinoid receptors are present in the glands that produce saliva, which can lead to dry mouth. It’s not too severe of an impact but can cause some amount of discomfort. Staying hydrated or drinking sports drinks with electrolytes can counteract some of this balance. It could have a positive impact on getting some patients to drink more water than they normally would on a given day.

3. Increased tremors

For people who suffer from Parkinson’s disease, CBD should not be taken in high doses. Many patients report positive impacts on the other effects of Parkinson’s. If you’re taking CBD related to Parkinson’s, your CBD side effects could be a dosage issue. Try lowering the dosage before discarding the treatment altogether. Always consult your doctor before beginning any treatment or changing your dosage.

4. Low blood pressure

Low blood pressure can be an issue if you’re recovering from surgery or any kind of accident. It also affects how quickly other medications will move through your system. If you experience any of the lightheadedness often associated with low blood pressure, talk to a physician. It could be an effect of your CBD treatment or a drug interaction you may not have predicted. If you’re taking a high dosage, talk to your doctor about how you can change your dosage without experiencing any negative CBD side effects.

An Update on Safety and Side Effects of Cannabidiol:

There has been a literature survey based on the effects of CBD (Iffland and Grotenherman, 2017). Furthermore, it extends the comprehensive survey performed by Bergamaschi et al. in 2011 on cannabidiol. Apart from this it also put its lens on the clinical studies about CBD potential interaction with other drugs. It says that during recent years, many strains of cannabis have become the focus of legislation of governments and different clinical studies. And the most prominent focus is out on CBD because of its newfound popularity. In contrast to THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol), CBD is essentially is not intoxicating and presents a different range of pharmacological benefits for the user.

But still, some side effects have been reported though most are in vitro or in animal studies. The effects may include alterations of cell viability, reduced fertilization capacity, and inhibition of hepatic drug metabolism and drug transporters. (Iffland and Grotenherman, 2017). Clinical research was also needed for CBD’s effect on hepatic enzymes, interactions with other drugs, and drug transporters. This was to be done to find out if the effects of CBD on these just mentioned variables had a positive or a negative effect. Though its effects on variables such as hormones have yet to be focused on. Furthermore, a large number of clinical trials on more participants are still lacking.

Positive CBD Side Effects Outweigh The Negative

When the number of positive impacts increases, we will hopefully see a more broad acceptance of CBD as an important treatment that should be legalized. If you’re ready to start considering CBD as a treatment for issues you’re suffering, contact us for more information today.   

Disclaimer: The Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act requires this disclaimer. We collected this information from various sources for the convenience of our customers. The statements made regarding these products were not evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. The efficacy of these products is not confirmed by FDA-approved research. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. The information presented here is not meant as a substitute for information from health care practitioners. It is also not meant as an alternative to information from health care practitioners. Before using any product, you should consult your doctor and ask about the risk of interactions or complications.