When you first start taking CBD, it can be difficult to figure out how much you should be taking. There is no FDA recommended daily intake amount and because it’s safe and non-toxic, there is no overdose level. Suggested serving sizes on any bottle of CBD oil can vary by quite a bit, so how do you figure out how much you should take? There are a few factors to consider, but the most basic strategy is just to start with small doses and see how you feel.
Factors to Consider
There are a few things to consider before you start taking CBD. Everyone is different, even those attempting to treat the same condition. An amount that works for someone of a similar build as yours, treating the same symptoms as you, may be the wrong amount for you. After assessing yourself and your needs, you can find a starting point to work with.
The Condition Being Treated
CBD is a biphasic drug, meaning at different levels it can have very different effects. At low doses it can stimulate focus, energy, and alertness. At higher levels it can have the opposite effect, causing drowsiness and creating a sense of calm. At even higher doses, CBD is used to treat epilepsy and can provide very effective seizure control. When CBD is being used to manage pain, the amount of CBD needed will depend on how severe the pain is.
Age, Weight, and Body Chemistry
As with most substances, body mass will play a large role in how much CBD is required to achieve the desired results. Your body chemistry, hormone levels, and the state of your endocannabinoid system can affect how much CBD will work best for you as well. When treating epilepsy children, much less CBD is going to be required for a small child versus what would be needed for a full grown adult.
Concentration of the CBD
CBD is not sold in a standardized prescription bottle with every dose being the same from one bottle to the next. If you’re taking CBD oil, one 30 mL bottle may contain 600 mg of CBD and another bottle of the same size may contain 50 mg. Every bottle usually has a recommended dosage of how much CBD to take, but these can vary drastically between one brand an the next. It’s a good idea to calculate how many mgs of CBD is in each dose and take only the amount you feel comfortable with.
This also applies to any other method you’re using to take CBD. If you’re using a vape pen or an e-Liquid, consider how much CBD you are getting with every inhalation. Edible CBD products are a little easier to keep track of because the amount listed on the package is the amount you’ll be ingesting.
You’ll also need to consider the bioavailability of the CBD according to method you’re using. When swallowing CBD, some of it will be metabolized by your digestive system and you’ll be receiving less of the CBD into your bloodstream. CBD oil absorbed sublingually under the tongue will deliver more CBD straight to your circulatory system. Vaping CBD directly into your lungs will again have an even higher bioavailability.
Track Your Usage
It can seem a little confusing at first to know how much CBD you should start with and figure out how much of it is actually getting into your circulatory system. Keeping track of your CBD usage and the effects it has on you is the best way to create your perfect CBD dosage schedule. Start with very small amount and gradually increase depending on your needs.
You can try to make mental notes on how you feel but you might find it very helpful to keep a journal of your symptoms and and the effects of the CBD. Note the time of day you took it, the dose, and what the effects were. You may even want to keep track of what you ate before of after taking CBD. While swallowing CBD can subject it to the metabolizing enzymes of your liver, digesting it with fatty acids can prevent some of this metabolization.
CBD Dose Starting Point
It’s easy enough to say that you should start with small amounts and work your way up, but what does that mean in terms of how many mgs to take? Different brands will suggest different serving sizes but a safe starting point for anyone new to CBD is around 1-3 mg. This amount may be very low for some people but others may find it works perfectly for them when taken once or twice a day. Regular users may increase their dose up to 10-20 mg or more, taken at various intervals throughout the day.
For adults treating epilepsy you might start at 10-20 mg and find you’ll need to increase your dose up to 100-300 mg per day. Treating children with epilepsy would work on a much lower scale, starting around 2 mg and increasing it to as high as 20 mg per day. You shouldn’t need to increase your dosage higher than the amount that provides effective seizure control.
Increasing Your Dose
CBD is non-toxic and while it’s safe to experiment with the levels that work best for you it’s important to note that more CBD is not always better. Higher levels of CBD may not increase the effects you’re trying to obtain but may in fact give you the opposite results. Unnecessarily high levels of CBD may also cause unwanted side effects. When you’re reached a sweet spot with you dosage and you’re receiving the results you want want, stop increasing the dose. By keeping track of your progress and the effects you’ve noticed, you’ll know if you need to dial back the amount of CBD you’re taking with each dose.
Side Effects of CBD
Side effects of CBD can include anxiety, changes in appetite, changes in mood, diarrhea, dizziness, drowsiness, dry mouth, and nausea. CBD can also affect the CYP450 enzyme produced by the liver which metabolizes some other medications. This can affect how quickly or slowly these drugs are processed through the system. This should be considered if taking any other prescriptions and it may be helpful to discuss the use of CBD with your doctor.
Finding the right dose of CBD is a little more complicated than just following the suggested serving size on a bottle of CBD oil. While this amount may actually work for some people, many others will need to try different levels to find the one that suits them best. The time of day you choose to take CBD can also affect how you feel so just start with low amounts, pay attention to what your body is telling you, and take the amount that works best for you.
