Cannabidiol (CBD) is a cannabinoid found in marijuana, like tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Unlike THC, CBD doesn’t have psychoactive effects, but it’s believed to have a wide range of physical and mental health benefits, which is why interest in it has grown significantly in recent years.
For those who don’t want the buzz, CBD may be a great option for everything from reducing anxiety and epileptic seizures to improving sleep, chronic pain, and symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease. In fact, the World Health Organization has suggested that it may be beneficial for treating:
- Arthritis
- Alzheimer’s disease
- Diabetes
- Heart disease
- Inflammation
- Infection
- Multiple Sclerosis
- Nausea
- Pain
CBD is available in many different forms. CBD gummies are some of the most popular, but it can also be found in oils, lotions, creams, capsules, drinks, baked goods, and other types of candies. They can all vary in terms of ingredients and dosages.
Recommended Dosage
Of course, no matter what condition you want to treat, it’s important to do your research on adequate dosage, or it may not work for you. Dosages that have been used in research studies vary with, most using anywhere from 20 milligrams to 1,500 milligrams per day. There still hasn’t been a consensus as to how much should be used for specific issues, and as CBD isn’t regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), there aren’t any official recommended dosages, with a few exceptions. For example, some FDA-approved cannabis-derived medications are used to treat epileptic seizures, like Epidiolex, which will include dosage information.
Otherwise, keep in mind that no matter what you have, anxiety, insomnia, or a digestive disorder, there is no universally agreed-upon dosage, and people often respond differently to various dosages.
How to Determine Your Dose
Without a recommended dosage, the best thing to do is ask your healthcare provider for a recommendation as the amount of CBD to take depends on multiple different factors like your body weight and individual chemistry, the condition you want to treat, and the concentration of CBD in each gummy, capsule, or drop. That’s a lot of variables, so if your doctor advises taking a particular amount, stick to that. Always talk to your physician before using CBD if you have symptoms of a serious physical or mental health condition or are taking pharmaceutical drugs as it may worsen symptoms or interact with other medications.
If your healthcare provider doesn’t provide a recommendation, start out by taking a smaller dose and gradually increase it. If you’ve never used it before, you might start out with 10 to 20 milligrams a day and then after a week, increase the amount by 5 milligrams, continuing in this pattern until your symptoms are treated effectively. If you’re dealing with severe pain, starting with 40 milligrams might be better, increasing to 45 after a week and then 50 after the second week until it becomes more bearable. Keeping a notebook, writing down the amount you take each day can be helpful for determining the optimal dosage.
