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CBD Oil And Medication: A Safe Combination?

CBD Oil just keeps getting more popular. In addition to the various soothing qualities of cannabidiol, CBD Oil can also help relieve pain symptoms. Many people appreciate the overall lack of side-effects associated with CBD Oil and its advantage of not getting people high. Research indicates that CBD Oil is generally safe to use, but we also know that cannabidiol is a powerful compound that can work together with several important systems in the body. It turns out that in some cases, CBD Oil can affect metabolism and possibly interact with certain types of medication. If you are taking specific drugs to treat specific medical conditions, that could pose risks. This makes it important to be careful about combining CBD Oil and a select group of prescription drugs.

What Is Metabolism?

Many associate the word metabolism with metabolic rates: people can have ‘fast’ or ‘slow’ metabolic rates that determines how fast they can gain or lose weight. This process is known as basic metabolism, which indicates how many calories your body needs to perform the basic vital functions in a resting state.

This basic metabolic rate is different from metabolism in the scientific sense. This type of metabolism denotes the way in which your body breaks down the various compounds you ingest to reuse them for other purposes. Breakdown of these chemicals largely occurs in the intestines and the liver. Enzymes play a crucial part in the breakdown process. These enzymes divide compounds into metabolites that the body then uses as an energy source or as building materials, for example.

How Does The Body Break Down CBD?

Drugs and other substances, including CBD Oil, are broken down by the body. We call this drug metabolism: the rate at which the body breaks down medication and other substances, and  the period during which these metabolites remain in the body.

When using CBD Oil orally, the CBD enters the bloodstream through the mucous membranes of the mouth as well as through the digestive tract. The bloodstream then takes the CBD to the liver, where enzymes known as CYP450 degrade it into metabolites that circulate to all parts of the body.

The CYP450 System And The Breakdown Of CBD Oil

The enzymes that are crucial for breaking down medication and a host of other substances are so-called CYP450 enzymes. Research has demonstrated that this group of enzymes is responsible for the breakdown of multiple cannabinoids. CBD is broken down by the individual enzyme CYP3A4, which is responsible for breaking down 60% of all prescription drugs.

CBD has a direct effect on the CYP450 system in the liver. Studies have shown that CBD inhibits the activity of the CYP3A4 enzyme. Using large quantities of CBD Oil causes the CBD to occupy much of the CYP3A4 enzyme capacity. Since the enzyme is unable to break down other substances while it is occupied, that means these other substances, including certain types of medication, remain in the body longer than they otherwise would.

As a consequence, taking certain drugs alongside CBD could prevent your body from breaking these drugs down fast enough, or too fast in some cases. Even if you take the correct dose of CBD Oil, you run the risk of having too much of some specific drug in your body at some point by the influence of CBD Oil. In addition, CBD can prevent CYP3A4 enzymes from breaking down other drugs, preventing them from working as they should.

These are all undesirable effects. Too much of certain medicines in your body can easily produce unpleasant side-effects and even overdoses in some cases. On the other hand, if certain drugs degrade too fast, you don’t get sufficient blood levels for their intended effect.

The extent to which CBD Oil inhibits or accelerates the breakdown of medication depends on how much CBD you take, on the unique properties of your body, and on the type of CBD product you use (isolates or full spectrum CBD products).

What Types Of Medication Are Affected By CBD Oil?

Research shows that CBD affects CYP2D6 enzymes as well as their CYP3A4 counterparts. CYP3A4 is responsible for the breakdown of drugs such as antihistamines and statins. CYP2D6 breaks down medication including antidepressants, beta blockers, and certain analgesics. Some antibiotics, steroids, and sedatives also become less effective when combined with CBD.

Consult Your Doctor

The list of medication types that CBD can influence is quite long. We have mentioned some of the most important drugs that may become less effective when combined with CBD Oil, but it is important to consult your doctor on specific medication you are on and whether to combine these with CBD Oil or not. Sometimes, dosages of prescription drugs have to be adjusted. In other cases, taking CBD supplements is simply not advisable. If you want to be sure about any specific drugs that you are taking, be sure to consult your doctor before starting to use CBD products.