CBD has been gaining in popularity over the past few years and since many people take prescription medications,
they want to know if they can take CBD products together with their prescription medications and if there are any interactions they should be concerned about. The answer is yes.
First, let’s talk about Grapefruit…it’s been known for several years that grapefruit interacts with many prescription drugs and CBD is similar to grapefruit in how it works inside our bodies. CBD is a chemical compound found in plants and our endocannabinoid system (ECS). Chemical compounds can interact with other compounds found in your prescribed medications and can significantly affect the way the body metabolizes the drug.
Like grapefruit, CBD has many health benefits and there are many case studies that have shown CBD helps with several health conditions, however, it can be an issue if taken with certain medications. CBD can reduce or increase the effects of
specific prescribed drugs by interacting with receptors throughout the body’s Endocannabinoid System (ECS) and by inhibiting the action of Cytochrome P450. A group of liver enzymes that are responsible for breaking down toxins that enter the body.
If you inhibit this enzymatic action, CBD could temporarily deactivate this function and could change how other chemicals are metabolized.
So, since CBD and grapefruit act similarly in your body, you can use this guide from Drugs.com to see which medications react to grapefruit and accordingly, you should not use CBD if you are taking any of the drugs
listed.
Some common drug categories that can be affected by CBD are blood thinners, sedatives, anti-seizure medicine and
chemotherapy drugs. This is not an exhaustive list and may not include all medications that can interact with grapefruit or CBD, so we highly recommended that you consult with your physician before taking CBD or any other cannabinoid.
