What you should know about CBD and drug interaction
Recent research indicates that CBD can lead to drug interaction in the body by altering how the body metabolizes other drugs. Conversely, other drugs can also alter how the metabolism of CBD happens in the body. Even though this is what research says, it doesn’t mean that it happens all the time. It should also not prevent you from trying out CBD as an add-on therapy if you think it can help alleviate certain symptoms associated with certain medical conditions. However, you shouldn’t try CBD as an add-on therapy without talking to your doctor first because the consequences could be dire.
The reason why you should talk to your doctor is that they know more and can help you with determining the CBD product to use together with its dosage and schedule to stay away from any bad side effects. Your doctor will also monitor you regularly to see if CBD is having any bad effects on your body. Particularly, your doctor will monitor the level of certain medication in your blood plasma.
Some people may also be tempted to stop taking the other medications they are taking so that they can try CBD. That is not a good idea unless you have talked to your doctor and they have given you the okay to do so. Let us look at potential drug interactions for CBD.
Look for the grapefruit warning
Evidence into potential interactions between other drugs and CBD are still ongoing, but there is always a rule of thumb that you can always observe to stay on the safe side. The rule is that you should avoid CBD if you are currently taking any medications that have grapefruit warning. This warning is usually placed on medication labels to warn people from eating grapefruits or grapefruit juice while taking the medications. What eating grapefruits when taking these medications does is that it leads to a buildup of the medication in the bloodstream, which can lead to toxicity or other harmful side effects. In the same way that grapefruits interact with certain medications, CBD can do the same and as such, you should avoid taking them.
Types of medications that commonly have a grapefruit warning
There are several medications that usually have grapefruit warning and I will try to list some of the here for your convenience. This list may not be conclusive so you will need to do further research to find all medications that can cause possible interactions with CBD. These medications include blood thinners, antibiotics and antimicrobials, medications for blood pressure, anticancer medications, cholesterol medications, antihistamines, corticosteroids, antiepileptic drugs (AEDs), heart rhythm medications, erectile dysfunction medications, pain medications, prostate medications, mood medications, immunosuppressant, and GI medications.
Watch out for these symptoms…
In case you happen to be taking CBD with other medications, it would serve you better to keep an eye out for certain symptoms, which include drowsiness, sedation, nausea, changes in appetite, diarrhea, fatigue, and changes in weight among others. You should see your doctor immediately you see these symptoms. If you need high-quality CBD Canada is your one-stop shop for everything CBD.
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