Cannabidiol and your meds
The article has been medically reviewed by Doctor Ramlah Tariq FCPS on/gyn, RMP, MBBS, BSc.
We are going to start this article by saying we are not Drs to advise you on CBD and drugs. We are Our Remedy lovers and experts, but Drs we are not (sadly, when it’s 2 am and we are up Googling about a suspicious-looking mole).
The following information is what we have gathered and experienced ourselves. However, if you are concerned about taking the cannabinoid alongside your specific drugs, then check with your health practitioner.
Is it okay to take CBD and medication?
Some prescribed drugs have been thought to interact with cannabidiol. This is all down to how your body metabolizes a substance.
Let’s break it down.
Our bodies have enzymes called cytochrome P450 (CYP450) which convert foreign substances to eliminate them from your body. Some meds affect CYP450 by slowing things down or speeding it up.
This family of enzymes metabolises cannabinoids. During this metabolisation, the cannabinoid may interfere with CYP3A4 (the enzyme in charge of metabolising 60% of prescription drugs). So if CBD is interfering with CYP3A4, then it won’t be able to properly work in your system.
It can happen the other way around too. Certain drugs can actually stop the cannabinoid from doing its thing.
I know, you thought this blog was about cannabidiol, not fruit, but stay with us. On Healthline, they suggest that if a prescription drug has a grapefruit warning on it, then you shouldn’t take your oil with it. As we said at the start, always check with your Doc if you’re unsure.
CBD and medication interaction – what’s okay, what’s not?
Ibuprofen
You can take this over the counter med and the cannabinoid. There is no known interaction. You can find out in more detail about this anti-inflammatory on our blog.
Paracetamol
There has been no reported interaction between this counter painkiller and the cannabinoid. You can find out more about the interactions and reasons to take both, or one over the other here.
Contraceptive pill
Taking your pill alongside the cannabinoid should not be an issue, however, there is some thought that it may decrease the effectiveness of an estrogen based pill. Check out further details on our post.
HRT
Taking CBD and this drug for meno has been said to not have interactions. In fact, it is thought that it may help manage some of the negative side effects of hormone replacement therapy. Get a more in-depth answer here.
