With more attention, there are undoubtedly more questions. To this day, many questions being asked about CBD are regarding CBD side effects. It’s understandable and perfectly fine to be skeptical. After all, we all want to make sure we’re being safe.
For this reason, we’re going to go through any CBD side effects as well as misconceptions surrounding CBD.
The Herxheimer Effect
You may experience the herxheimer effect, especially if you’re new to CBD. The herxheimer, or herxing, effect is the short-term detoxification of the body. It is simply the body’s attempt to remove any toxins.
The worst that can happen is you’ll need to go to the toilet more frequently for a few days. The most common of all CBD side effects is a dry mouth, which is also a part of the herxheimer effect.
Most people will not experience the herxing effect. However, if you do, there isn’t anything to worry about. As previously stated, the body is trying to get rid of toxins. It should last no longer than a few days.
It can be beneficial to drink plenty of water at this time to help flush out your system.
Low Blood Sugar
Some people have often found that CBD can lower blood sugar. This is more likely the case with somebody new to CBD. As a result of lower blood sugar, you may feel more light-headed and weak. Concentration levels may also be possibly lower.
As this is potentially one of the more dangerous CBD side effects, we recommend having CBD at around the time you’re eating lunch or dinner.
Low Blood Pressure
Some studies have shown that CBD may lower blood pressure. This can also cause light-headedness and weakness. Severely low blood pressure can lead to further health problems, however it is highly unlikely that CBD would be the reason behind extremely low blood pressure.
For some who experience high blood pressure, this can be a welcome side effect.
How Does CBD Affect Medication
Many people are unsure whether or not they can take CBD along with medication. Although we recommend consulting your doctor first, there is generally nothing wrong with taking both.
However, we suggest leaving at least an hour gap between taking your medication and taking CBD. For example, if you take your medication at 9AM, take CBD either before 8AM or after 10AM.
This is because if CBD and the medication are in the liver at the same time, CBD may perceive the medication as a foreign object and prevent it from being metabolised. Instead of allowing the medicine to enter the bloodstream, CBD aims to flush it out of the system.
If you leave an hour gap, your medication will be metabolized and once in the bloodstream, CBD cannot affect it.
Can CBD Make Me High
As CBD comes from a cannabis plant, people associate CBD with being a psychoactive substance. However, this is far from the case. The psychoactive substance within a cannabis plant is tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).
Many CBD products contain various cannabinoids from the cannabis plants. Full-spectrum CBD products (that are legal) also have THC. However, the amount is miniscule and will not make you high. The THC helps make the product stronger as all of the cannabinoids are working in synergy, just as they do in the hemp plant.
Simply put, legal CBD products will not make you high.
CBD for Children
There are no CBD side effects specifically for children. However, we would obviously want to be more careful when it comes to children. Although you can’t overdose with CBD, we suggest starting with just 1-5mg for children, and gradually increasing the dosage if needed. Check out our CBD for children FAQs to learn more about giving CBD to kids.
We hope you’re aware of CBD side effects and any misconceptions. If you still don’t feel like CBD is safe for you, check out our other articles and even our YouTube videos! We go into a lot of depth regarding CBD.
