CBD oil is an incredibly safe and effective supplement. It can do a world of good for your health if used properly. Even though CBD oil is completely natural, there are some cases in which you should be cautious about using it. There are very few CBD oil interactions, but there are a couple of specific things that you need to watch out for.
CBD is really versatile and can be taken every day at any point throughout the day to experience the health benefits. It can also be taken with pretty much any vitamins, minerals, and herbal remedies. In fact, it can be great for complementing a lot of other supplements that are used to combat stress. It can also help boost the effectiveness of these formulations. This would include things like Magnesium, Reishi, Ashwagandha, Rhodiola, L-theanine, GABA, etc.
The Grapefruit Juice Rule and CBD
The majority of common prescription medications will not result in any kind of CBD oil interactions. However, there is one major contraindication that you certainly need to know about. This would be if you are taking any medications that warn against taking them with grapefruit juice on the label. We refer to this as the “grapefruit juice rule” and it is really simple when we break it down.
Basically, to explain the grapefruit juice rule, CBD interacts with the same pharmaceutical medications that grapefruit juice does. So any drugs that you are not supposed to take with grapefruit juice should also not be taken with CBD oil. The reason for this is the following. When we take any substances our liver has to break them down to safely get them out of our system using specific enzymes. Grapefruit juice has been shown to inhibit or slow down a particular enzyme (called cytochrome P450) that is responsible for this exact process.
Oftentimes, you will see this grapefruit juice contraindication on the labels of some prescription drugs like those commonly used to fight infections. What can happen in a nutshell is that taking grapefruit juice can raise the levels of other medications in your blood, thus increasing the effects and some of the potential side effects of them as well. CBD has been shown to do precisely the same thing as grapefruit juice and so will have a similar effect on prescription medications by making them stronger and last for longer in your system.
If you are on any prescription medications that you are concerned about, be sure to consult with your doctor. One thing to note is that a lot of doctors are still not very familiar with CBD oil as it is still a new health supplement on the market and they are not trained on it in medical school. Therefore, they might not be able to necessarily tell you more about an interaction with CBD oil, however, your doctor will definitely know if a drug you are taking will interact with grapefruit juice. So you can safely apply the grapefruit juice rule in this case. The good news is that you can also easily find out if a medication will interact with CBD oil on your own by a simple examination of your labels for a grapefruit juice warning. You can even conduct a quick internet search on which drugs interact with grapefruit juice, and as a result, will interact with CBD oil too.
What Drugs Can Interact with CBD?
There is also a specific category of prescription medications that are known to interact with CBD. These would include blood thinners. If you are on any kind of blood pressure-lowering medication, then you are likely taking a blood thinner. These drugs contain a compound in them called coumadin (ex. Warfarin). CBD can also increase the levels of coumadin in your blood, thus contributing to additional blood-thinning effects. This can possibly be dangerous so we would advise against using CBD oil in this situation for your own safety.
Another word of caution would be against using CBD oil with any sedatives. While there are no proven interactions, CBD can increase feelings of relaxation. This can be further amplified when you are taking a sedative (ex. Valium or Xanax). It could also occur with alcohol (a depressant) consumption. You will feel a bit more relaxed than you normally would. While this effect is not dangerous by any means, you should be aware of it. That way you know what to expect and can properly plan your dose. On the plus side, CBD has been shown to boost the effects of certain pain medications like opioids in a positive way.
The Bottom Line
Again, we want to reiterate that CBD oil is an extremely safe supplement with minimal to no side effects. We do not want this to scare you from using CBD oil. We just want to do our due diligence and be sure that you are informed of any possible risk factors. CBD oil is still a relatively new supplement on the market. New studies are constantly being done to explore the relationships between it and other substances. Our goal is to educate and empower you to make the right decision for yourself given all of the facts. In this case, knowledge is power when it comes to CBD oil interactions.
Disclaimer: Use this information at your own discretion. As nutritionists, we cannot diagnose or treat illness or disease. We are not giving any medical advice. We suggest speaking with your medical professional if you have any concerns about adding CBD oil into your health regimen.
