The second most common question people have when it comes to CBD oil for pain management or its anti-inflammatory properties is whether or not it is safe to use for arthritis symptoms.
Patients are always concerned with additional potential and side effects (as they should be). According to some top health experts and agencies, the answer is yes. It is safe to use.
For instance, Medscape shares that while cannabinoid medicine is still in its early stages, “unlike marijuana and THC, the risks associated with CBD are extremely low, with not a single case report of CBD overdose in the literature. The National Institute on Drug Abuse agrees and states that “CBD appears to be a safe drug with no addictive effects.”
In the future, it is likely that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will also begin to regulate CBD products, providing an additional safety net, as this agency indicates that “increasing public interest” in this substance increases the importance of establishing regulatory procedures.
Potential Risks of CBD Oil
Many health experts have deemed CBD safe to use, but like with any substance, there does appear to be a few potential risks when it comes to using this extract.
Medication/Drug Interactions
MedlinePlus indicates that CBD can sometimes interact with certain prescription medications, primarily those that are “changed and broken down by the liver.”
These include, but are not limited to common medications such as:
-ondansetron (Zofran)
-clozapine (Clozaril, FazaClo)
-progesterone (Endometrin, Prometrium)
-testosterone
-disulfiram (Antabuse)
-ketamine (Ketalar)
-phenobarbital (Luminal)
-omeprazole (Prilosec)
-lansoprazole (Prevacid)
-diazepam (Valium)
-carisoprodol (Soma)
-ibuprofen (Motrin)
-celecoxib (Celebrex)
-amitriptyline (Elavil)
-warfarin (Coumadin)
-codeine
-paroxetine (Paxil)
-tramadol (Ultram)
-venlafaxine (Effexor)
-alprazolam (Xanax)
-fexofenadine (Allegra)
-benzodiazepines
-morphine
MedlinePlus further states that there are other “drugs” that can potentially interact with CBD as well, including caffeine and nicotine. However, research has not necessarily supported these claims.
For instance, a 2015 study published in the journal Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior found that, in the right dose, caffeine can actually potentially help prevent CBD effects on memory.
Another piece of research, this one published in the Addictive Behaviors journal, found that CBD “significantly reduced” (as much as 40 percent) the number of cigarettes smoked by individuals who wanted to quit.
CBD and Drowsiness
Another potential risk of CBD is that it can cause drowsiness. Therefore, if you’re taking supplements or medications to help you sleep, CBD could enhance these effects even more. It’s important to keep this in mind if you’re performing activities that require maximum alertness, such as driving or operating heavy machinery.
