Many people begin their CBD journey by purchasing a small bottle of CBD oil. Adding a few drops of this substance to food or under the tongue is a straightforward way to get your daily dose of CBD. However, determining exactly how many drops you should take is a more challenging affair.
To find the right dosage, you need to consider your body mass index, the concentration of CBD in your product, and numerous other factors. Even with a CBD oil dosage calculator as your guide, figuring out how many milligrams of CBD will work for you can be tricky. For instance, your frequency of use significantly affects how much CBD you need to consume to achieve the desired effect.
Nevertheless, learning more about the variables that influence the amount of CBD you should take is a worthwhile affair. This way, you can better estimate your ideal dosage and ensure that your every CBD experience will be beneficial.
What Factors Determine How Much CBD Oil Should You Take?
As mentioned above, multiple elements play a role in how CBD interacts with your system. Although — as outlined in this 2017 review — CBD safety profile is well established, there is no one universal CBD dosage. For this reason, it is wise to start with a small dose and gradually increase it until you are happy with the results.
The same goes for CBD strength — it is advised to begin with a lower strength and work your way up from there. Otherwise, you might experience dizziness, nausea, dry mouth, or other unpleasant side effects.
Here are some of the crucial variables that any CBD user should keep in mind when establishing their daily dose of CBD.
Body Weight
Body mass is a factor included in almost every CBD calculator, and for a good reason. Generally, the higher it is, the more CBD oil you will need to consume to reap its therapeutic effects.
With this said, you should consider your weight if you want to find the ideal dose in your particular circumstances. If you fail to do so, figuring out what dose of CBD works best for you might become a more time-consuming process than necessary.
Simply put, whether you use CBD gummies, oils, tinctures, or other CBD products, your weight remains one of the key components of the equation.
Body Chemistry
Another crucial element to consider is your individual body chemistry. If you are a long-time CBD user, you might have high levels of this compound in your system. This situation, in turn, affects how your body reacts each time you take CBD oil.
If your CBD levels are high, you may need to increase your dosage to notice advantageous results. Conversely, the effects you feel after you consume CBD might be enhanced if you have never tried it before.
It is always wise to consult your doctor before taking CBD oil. A healthcare professional can provide medical advice specifically tailored to your unique circumstances. It is especially vital if you take prescription medications that may interact with CBD or contain this substance.
Currently, the only CBD-based drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is Epidiolex. Nonetheless, with growing knowledge about this compound, CBD oil drops might soon become more widely accepted as medication for severe pain or anxiety disorders.
Consumption Method
The way you take CBD oil can also alter your optimal dose — an oral spray will have a different effect than a capsule or lotion.
Two of the most common methods include sublingual administration and swallowing CBD directly — either with food or drinks or in standalone form. Let’s take a closer look at how each of these methods can affect determining your ideal CBD dose.
Sublingual Administration
Taking CBD oil through the sublingual route is all about placing a number of drops under the tongue and waiting for a few seconds before swallowing. During these precious moments, the mucous membranes absorb the substance, usually producing the desired effects within minutes.
The primary reason why this way of taking CBD is so prevalent is that it avoids the first-pass effect and allows for quick drug absorption. In other words, by using this method, you can make the total dose you take more potent and get the results faster.
Still, some people dislike the taste of CBD oils and choose other administration methods. A good alternative is opting for CBD edibles or adding CBD oil to various dishes.
Oral Administration
This route of administration is probably the most commonly used of all. In fact, it is so widespread that taking a substance using another way than through the mouth is considered by many as sub-optimal. CBD capsules, oils mixed with drinks and foods, and gummies fall under this category.
Taking CBD oil in this way makes it pass through your digestive system before reaching your bloodstream. It decreases the product’s bioavailability — the amount of substance that enters the systemic circulation. As such, it can make your CBD product feel less potent than it actually is.
Desired Effects
Your ideal dosage of CBD depends — in large measure — on the condition you want to address. While some buy CBD oil to improve their overall wellness, others hope it can help them eliminate or minimize specific symptoms, such as cancer pain and epileptic seizures. Either way, the result you want to achieve in your specific case is of utmost importance.
For instance, a starting point of 20 mg CBD a day might not be sufficient for someone in a lot of pain but be ideal for others. Another example would be the case of someone who takes more than 50 mg CBD per day even though they can get the same effects with a smaller dose.
The CBD dosage is slightly off in both examples — nothing short of a less-than-ideal solution. To avoid this from happening to you, ensure you know the desired effect you strive for and adjust your CBD dosing schedule accordingly.
Potency
Finally, it is worth mentioning that not all CBD products are created equal. Some CBD oils are unequivocally more potent than others. Furthermore, it is not unusual to find a 200 mg CBD oil on display right next to a 1500 mg CBD oil.
Because of this fact, it is wise to always double-check the concentration of the product before purchasing it. Not only your CBD oil dosage depends on it, but also your health and safety. The bottom line is that you need to know exactly what you are taking.
So, How Many Drops of CBD Oil Should I Take?
If you wonder, “How much CBD should I take?” the answer probably lies somewhere in the middle. The most common dose of CBD is between 20 and 40 mg per dose.
To ensure your CBD dose is not too high, you might want to begin by taking 0.25 mg of CBD per pound of body weight. It is a good starting point that should prevent you from getting any side effects.
Only after determining if this dose works for you can you build the dose slowly over time until reaching the desired effects. The whole process might take you even a few weeks, so stay patient and steadily work your way towards reaching your goal.
Here is a broad estimate of the amount of CBD you should take, depending on your condition.
CBD Dosage for Sleep
Although there is only anecdotal evidence regarding CBD’s effectiveness for sleep, numerous individuals report that taking this substance has helped them get a few hours of extra sleep per night. Moreover, preliminary research suggests CBD may help with conditions like REM sleep behavior disorder, excessive daytime sleepiness, and insomnia.
If you want to treat your sleeplessness with CBD, you should aim for a heavy dose of CBD oil. Higher amounts of this substance produce a more sedative effect than smaller doses.
CBD Dosage for Pain
Depending on the severity of your pain, you might need less or more CBD to cope with the situation. For milder pain, a modest dose of CBD should do the trick. Conversely, in the instances of nerve pain or treatment-resistant multiple sclerosis, you might have to up your dosage.
Still, you should opt for a maximum of 30 milligrams a day and keep in touch with your doctor throughout the treatment.
CBD Dosage for Anxiety
People with anxiety usually report the best result when taking a moderate or higher dose of CBD. The proper dosage, in this case, falls between 300 and 600 milligrams a day.
For instance, in this 2019 study, researchers used CBD at 150 mg, 300 mg, and 600 mg doses. However, remember that your desired dose might be slightly lower or higher, depending on your unique circumstances.
How To Calculate the Right CBD Dosage?
Many CBD products state how much CBD they offer in a single serving. However, you will unlikely find this information on a dropper bottle. While sometimes the manufacturer might specify how much CBD is in a single drop, it is not a common practice.
More often than not, the packaging will tell you the total amount of CBD in the entire bottle. As a rule of thumb, you can divide this number by 300 to estimate how many milligrams of CBD you can get with every drop.
One drop is about 0.05 milliliters. If you know how many milliliters you get in the whole bottle, you can precisely estimate how much CBD you get in a single drop.
Is It Possible To Take Too Much CBD?
As CBD oil is made only out of carrier oil like coconut oil or hemp oil and CBD extract, it poses no significant health risks for humans. Nevertheless, CBD’s potential for liver damage raises if you take other medications.
You should consult your healthcare provider before taking any CBD-based product. This way, you can safely enjoy all the benefits this non-psychoactive substance has to offer without exposing yourself to unpleasant side effects.
Sources:
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5569602/
- https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-approves-new-indication-drug-containing-active-ingredient-derived-cannabis-treat-seizures-rare
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28182367/
- https://www.scielo.br/j/rbp/a/ksNG6tq9JC8pT8rdmCk7TTb/?lang=en#
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28349316/
