Are you taking CBD and wondering if it’s safe with other medications? If you are considering adding CBD to your routine and you’re hoping to see some health benefits, you must ensure that there will be no unwanted side effects.

It’s important to know that drug interactions can vary between people and between dosage, and the FDA has not approved CBD for use medicinally, so we cannot officially endorse taking CBD to treat ailments or illnesses, or to take as a complementary treatment. Furthermore, please note that research into CBD’s cross effects with different medications remains an open and ongoing process.

CBD and Drug Interactions

Drug interactions are something that all medical professionals will be aware of. There can be side effects and negative interactions between all kinds of drugs, and even some kinds of foods.

For example, some blood pressure tablets interact negatively with the humble grapefruit due to the SYP34A enzyme system, and so patients are warned not to consume grapefruit while taking blood pressure tablets. When taking this into consideration, we can list out a number of drugs that it is assumed CBD might not interact well with.

You are advised that, if you are taking any medications, you should discuss with your physician first before you decide to add CBD to your daily routine. Your doctor or family medicine physician will be able to give you further details. This article should not be taken as medical advice.

The Role That Enzymes Play

It generally is not advised to take CBD if you are taking any benzodiazepine based drugs (usually found in anti-anxiety medications) or any psychiatrist drugs that work on the SSRI system (Seratonin Reuptake Inhibitors).

This is because the chemicals inside CBD work to inhibit two enzyme systems: the CYP34A (the same enzyme system that grapefruit juice inhibits) and the cytochrome P-450 enzyme system, an enzyme system found in the liver and used to break down certain medications to make it easier for your body to process them.

Hypothetically, because CBD inhibits those two enzyme systems if you are taking SSRI drugs or drugs including benzodiazepines, CBD may inhibit the drug response, leading them to stay in your system for longer than the prescribed dose should in a patient who is not taking CBD.

These interactions are not recommended, but the FDA has not approved these statements. More research is needed before a definitive answer can be given; right now all we can do is suggest you talk with your doctor regarding CBD if you are taking medications including the above ingredients.

Drugs To Avoid While Using CBD

If you are taking any of the following medications, it is advised that you do not take CBD at the same time. These medications listed below have been known to be contraindicated and do not interact well with CBD:

Benzodiazepines (Xanax, Ativan, etc.) - May increase the side effects of benzodiazepine based drugs, which could lead you to feel more sleepy and drowsy. When the body is in a sedative state, it can affect the respiratory system, causing serious problems.

Blood Thinners (Warfarin, Coumadin, etc.) - CBD may inhibit the effectiveness of blood thinners, which may increase the concentration of the drug in your system, leading to complications.

Beta-Blockers - CBD is known to interact with the cytochrome P-450 enzyme system, which is what blood pressure medications (beta-blockers) work on. If you are taking beta-blockers and CBD, the concentration of the beta-blockers may increase, leading to dangerous toxicity.

Perhaps Alcohol - Both CBD and Alchohol can lead patients to experience lower inhibitions, drowsiness, and a general feeling of lightheadedness. While there are no particularly noted dangerous interactions between CBD and alcohol, alcohol will enhance the effect of CBD and vice versa. So you may feel drowsier and have lowered inhibitions a lot faster than normal if you mix alcohol and CBD. On the other hand, CBS has been noticed in some animal studies to inhibit the cell damage caused by alcohol, but further study is required on this one.

Steroids - Steroids work with the CYP34A enzyme and thus can be affected by CBD. CBD may inhibit the effectiveness of steroids and cause them to take longer to work or cause an increased level in the system.

Anesthetics - While not strictly a prescription medication, anesthetics drugs and sedative drugs (such as Midazolam and Fentanyl) may be affected by CBD in the system. You will need to let your anesthesiologist know exactly what CBD you have taken, the quantity, the strength, and how long before your anesthetic or sedation it was. Some anaesthesiologists may be unwilling to treat you until the CBD is fully out of your system, so always check beforehand.

How To Spot Side Effects

CBD is not currently regulated by the FDA, and neither have enough studies been done to be able to make fully substantiated claims about what drugs CBD is good to take with and what isn’t.

While many people find the benefits of taking CBD hard to ignore, and there are some very outspoken fans of CBD that claim it can cure many illnesses, these claims have yet to be verified by the FDA.

If you are concerned about possible drug contraindications or negative interactions, it’s worth doing some research into what your medicine contains and how that may interact with CBD. The best person to ask is the doctor who prescribed the medication.

If you have taken medication and CBD, keep an eye out for these side effects. Not everyone will have side effects, and not everyone will notice them. Some side effects can be quite mild, while others may mean a medical emergency, so it pays to be prepared.

Side effect symptoms may include:

-Drowsiness

-Nausea

-Slurring words

-Seizures

-Fatigue

-Weight gain or loss

-Appetite gain or loss

-Diarrhea

Conclusion

On the whole, CBD is most likely a safe addition to your daily routine, and many have noticed various significant benefits to using it. If you are at all worried though, you should consult your family doctor before beginning a dose of CBD or of new medications if you are already taking CBD regularly.

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