Are There Any Negative Effects to Taking CBD?
February 11, 2019
Everyone's singing the praises of CBD and rightly so.
The research on the list of CBD benefits is pretty amazing.
Our radar always goes up though when it's rainbows and unicorns.
No, CBD will not make you levitate.
At least, we haven't come across it in the 100's of NIH research papers we read.
We'll abide by the general rule that there's no free ride in the Universe.
So...everyone will tell you about the positives of CBD.
Are there any negatives?
We'll get into the usual side effects but also touch base on new and old research we need to be aware of to make an informed decision.
Why do we do this?
Look...you're not going to find the negatives of CBD on any other brand's website.
Hopefully, this shines a light on the fact that our intent is to really arm people with information so they can feel better.
If there are negatives to CBD, we need to know them!
Let's get started.
Some of this research is cutting edge and we'll make a note of this.
We'll cover these general topics:
- CBD side effects
- CBD and dry mouth
- CBD and low blood pressure
- CBD and drowsiness
- CBD and medication
- CBD and eye pressure study
- CBD and chemotherapy
- CBD and sperm and/or male libido study
- False negatives of CBD
- Can CBD cause anxiety
- CBD full-spectrum and histamine issues
- Small amounts of THC in full-spectrum CBD
- Bad CBD
Let's get started so we can get on with the good stuff!
CBD side effects
CBD has been tested pretty extensively in ranges of 300 - 600 mg of CBD.
The most common side effects are:
- Dry mouth
- Lower blood pressure
- Drowsiness
- Lightheadedness
Other side effects were listed but primarily for synthetic CBD (or equivalent cannabinoids).
That's not a fair comparison.
Look as the difference between progesterone and progestin (synthetic) here:
https://www.larabriden.com/the-crucial-difference-between-progesterone-and-progestins/
Synthetic is not the same (as if we haven't learned our lesson from hydrogenated oil and fake sugar)!
Let's look at the noted side effects in NIH research first.
Make sure to read about the full spectrum side effects below. We're only talking about CBD Isolate here!
That's all the research covers (hint hint)!
CBD and Dry Mouth
A common but mild side effect of CBD is dry mouth.
This is due to CBD receptors on the salivary gland which interacts with how much saliva is created.
People have claimed that this side effect goes away after a period of time using CBD.
The fix is simple….water or food!
CBD and low blood pressure
Usually, lower blood pressure is the goal of taking CBD!
If you already have low blood pressure or take medications to lower it, CBD may bring it down even further.
This can feed in the lightheadedness below.
Research showed that blood pressure dropped immediately following just one dose of CBD!
Learn all about CBD and perimenopause blood pressure here (covers the basics).
CBD and drowsiness
One of the top three reasons for people to take CBD is for sleep.
That being said, it can also give energy if taken during the wake cycle (a fancy way to say a day).
The usual warnings accompany CBD use and driving or using heavy machines!
The initial reaction to CBD might be more pronounced for this effect and go away with time.
Test smaller amounts at first and see how your body feels.
Learn all about CBD and sleep here.
CBD and medication
This is a big one and we wrote an entire article on how to take CBD with medications.
Basically, CBD uses the same liver pathway for metabolism that over 60% of common medications used.
It can boost or block their levels in the blood depending on how they process.
For this reason, take CBD at least 4 hours away from medications!
Ideally, take CBD after food and with your fattiest meal.
Check out Should I Take CBD With Food?
CBD and eye pressure study
A recent study came out with results that CBD temporarily raises eye pressure.
It did not affect vision or other issues but until we get more information for people with glaucoma, this is a possible issue.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16988594
Interestingly, new research is pointing to glaucoma being the result of the immune response which CBD has been shown to benefit significantly.
https://www.glaucoma.org/news/what-causes-glaucoma-scientists-may-have-finally-figured-it-out.php
We'll need more research on the total effect of CBD on glaucoma.
Learn all about CBD and autoimmune here.
CBD and chemotherapy
CBD is a powerful antioxidant.
More so than either Vitamin E or A!
Check out CBD and oxidative stress or CBD and glutathione.
Usually, this is an issue with chemotherapy since chemotherapy creates a swell of inflammation that eventually overwhelms and kills the cell.
Most antioxidants are avoided during chemo for this reason.
CBD has shown powerful antitumor effects but makes sure to check your doctor for your particular treatment and the use of CBD.
Learn about CBD and Cancer here.
CBD and sperm and/or male libido study
A recent study came out that looked like CBD had a negative effect on both the quality and quantity of sperm in mice after chronic use.
It also appeared to affect libido.
First, this is in mice which are still pretty different from humans.
Secondly, the dose given was pretty significant relative to weight.
At 15 and 30 mg of CBD per day for a mouse that weighs average .4 pounds, that's the equivalent of a 150-pound person taking 5000 mg of CBD (at the 15 mg).
The standard research of CBD for humans is in the 300-600 mg range for pretty significant issues.
We want to see more studies on this front for humans with comparable doses.
We looked at Testosterone and CBD with more detail at our Will CBD help me last longer review.
Can CBD cause anxiety
We have not seen one study where markers for anxiety increased for CBD ITSELF!
That last word is very important.
THC has been shown to increase anxiety.
Check out CBD versus THC or weed for anxiety.
Cannabis generally has THC and CBD together so it's NOT unexpected to see anxiety as a result.
In fact, the research shows that CBD offsets the anxiety-prone effect of THC.
Read up at our Do you need THC to Activate CBD article.
Now, this brings up an important point.
Many people we come across say…
"I tried CBD and my anxiety got worse!".
We know exactly what's going on here from experience.
It's actually why we designed Indigo Naturals the way we did.
We had the SAME effect!
We have since come across many people with the same response.
It's not the minimal THC (most likely).
What is causing this and other allergy response?
CBD full-spectrum and histamine issues
It's a histamine response to all that plant material in Full Spectrum that's pushed everywhere.
A strong histamine response can literally feel like anxiety in the brain!
A quick test...if an antihistamine helps bring down the anxiety response, that's a good clue.
The strong CBD safety profile and the side effects above are based on CBD by itself.
CBD Isolate.
Once you throw in full-spectrum CBD and histamine response, all bets are off.
We've seen the following reported:
- Stomach cramping
- Diarrhea
- Fever
- Hives
- Skin reactions
- Itching
- Clicking in back of the throat
Again, classic physical symptoms of an allergy response.
Despite this, every big brand is pushing full-spectrum because…
We're not sure why.
There's no research...just this circulating "It's better because of the entourage effect".
See our Do you need THC to activate CBD to see how flawed this is.
Or check out this Full Spectrum versus CBD Isolate.
Get informed and avoid these negatives of full-spectrum CBD if you have histamine issues (40-60% of the population).
Speaking of allergies…
Small amounts of THC in full-spectrum CBD
We're not anti-pot.
That being said, there are some negatives to THC especially for a sub-group of people.
Check out our reviews on why you need CBD to offset THC and Lawyer Up, sellers of high THC product.
Industrial hemp is allowed to have up to .3% of THC legally.
That's small but not zero.
Remember the 40-60% of people above who have allergy issues?
It's estimated from research that approximately 75% of them have allergies to THC.
Why take in any amount of something you're body's going to hate!
This may explain some of the negatives people feel from full-spectrum CBD.
It's one of the reasons we only deal with CBD Isolate at IndigoNaturals.
If you have negatives from CBD, let us know what they are, what brand you take, and whether it's full-spectrum or CBD isolate.
We'll keep an eye out for any new considerations from research and add it here.
Let's help each other avoid the negatives and get to the positives of CBD.
Of which, there are plenty (See CBD list of Benefits).
Always work with a doctor or naturopath with any supplement!
The information provided here is not intended to treat an illness or substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment from a qualified healthcare provider.