Can you take CBD while on prescription medication?

Can you take CBD while on prescription medication?

Using CBD products with medications can be a complicated issue. As our other article mentions, many people have replaced pain medication with CBD. However, care must be taken when taking CBD alongside other medications. Before trying CBD, it’s important to talk to your doctor about all of the vitamins, supplements, prescription and over-the-counter medications you’re taking. Here’s a deeper look at why having the conversation matters. Before we address ” Can you take CBD while on prescription medication?”, we’ll show you a recap on CBD if you’re unsure what it is.

Can you take CBD while on prescription medication? CBD Recap

CBD stands for cannabidiol. It is one of many cannabinoids found in the Cannabis family of plants. Unlike THC, which is the compound responsible for the “high” in cannabis, CBD is non-psychoactive, meaning it won’t get you high. It’s normally extracted from hemp (Cannabis Sativa), which is in the same family of plants as THC-containing Cannabis Indica.

CBD can help with chronic pain, inflammation, depression, anxiety, and more. CBD and THC interact with our bodies in a variety of ways. One of the main ways is by mimicking and augmenting the effects of the compounds in our bodies called “endogenous cannabinoids” – so named because of their similarity to compounds found in the cannabis plant. These “endocannabinoids” are part of what scientists refer to as the “endocannabinoid system.”

The endocannabinoid system plays a crucial role in regulating a broad range of physiological processes that affect our everyday experience – our mood, our energy level, our intestinal fortitude, immune activity, blood pressure, bone density, glucose metabolism, how we experience pain, stress, hunger, and more. These are just a few of the conditions CBD could alleviate. Marijuana has been used to treat pain as far back as 2900 B.C. It’s thought that when utilizing the entourage effect, the benefits from CBD (and other cannabinoids such as CBG) are more profound.

Can you take CBD while on prescription medication? How medication works with the body

When you take a medication or other substance, your body has to metabolize it or break it down. Drug metabolism happens throughout the body, such as in the gut, but the liver also plays a big role.

If you want to be taking CBD with medications as an add-on therapy to ease symptoms of a certain condition. Talk to your doctor or a health professional about it first. They may be able to help determine a CBD product, dosage, and schedule that’s safe with your medications. For some situations, your doctor may want to monitor the blood plasma levels of certain medications you take. Don’t stop any of your medications to try CBD, unless your doctor says it’s safe to do so. Other CBD products like skin creams and balms may be an option. These don’t typically enter the bloodstream, unlike oils.

Conclusion

The answer to ” Can you take CBD while on prescription medication?” is a complicated one. Researchers are working to determine the specific interactions between CBD and various medications. Studies have been done in animals for certain medications. But in many cases, scientists are still determining how those results will matter regarding humans.

It may be possible for you to use topical CBD products instead of internally taken ones. CBD topicals include balms, salves, lotions, and oils that are infused with active cannabinoids and are applied to and absorbed directly through your skin. But how do they work? Instead of ingesting the CBD orally, which can take time for your body to experience the full effects, topicals are applied directly to the skin. CBD is never absorbed into the bloodstream when using topicals. Its antioxidant properties have made it a popular ingredient to aid with skin and body health because of the close relationship between CBD and the Endocannabinoid System (ECS).

It is always the best idea to seek advice from your doctor or a qualified medical professional if you are unsure. Can you take CBD while on prescription medication?