CBD Dosage: What You Should Know

More and more people are turning to CBD to help solve their health issues. There’s growing buzz from CBD companies and from the media about all the different potential benefits that CBD may bring. But what a lot of this hype doesn’t discuss, is how to go about finding the proper dose for your body and your health issues. The media tells you what CBD can do for your health, but not how much you have to take to produce your desired result.

Lack of Discussion about CBD Dosage

Simply put, the reason for the lack of discussion about CBD dosage is that it is a tricky subject to get right. Muddying the waters further is the fact that, unlike with other supplements, there have not been decades of governmental research done to create a Recommended Daily Intake (RDI) for CBD, which means it does not have an official serving size.

This leads consumers to make their own “best guess” estimates as to what CBD dosage is best for them. Now, to be clear, estimating your own CBD dosage is not a problem. If you read our articles regularly, you’ve probably noticed that we often say that you can experiment with our products to see what dosages best alleviate the health problem or condition you are trying to solve. This process works because to date, CBD isn’t known to have detrimental side effects when taking large doses or tweaking your daily dose regularly.

Urban Roots Hemp Co believes it is still very helpful to know what factors make a CBD dose effective or not, and how you can go about finding the appropriate dosage for your body. Urban Roots focuses on providing consumers the most effective dose at an affordable price.

Factors that Affect CBD Dosage

Different CBD products affect people differently and there is no one size fits all when it comes to dosage. Among other potential factors, the way CBD affects your body depends on the following:

The concentration of CBD – This is the total amount of CBD in a given product. Concentration is typically measured in milligrams (mg).
The weight of the individual - Generally speaking, heavier people need higher doses to experience the calming effects of CBD; lighter people, on the other hand, may feel the same effects with a lower dose.
The individual’s body chemistry – Each of our bodies are different. Your particular chemical makeup means that drugs, supplements, food—anything you ingest—will affect you differently than they will someone else. This includes any tolerance that you have built up to particular substances (like CBD).
The severity of the condition being treated – This factor is largely subjective. If you are experiencing severe pain or anxiety, then you may need a higher dosage than if you have slight pain or feel mildly anxious.
Prescription Therapy – The amount of previous prescription therapy used to treat a condition may impact the dosage required as well. For example, if someone has taken a large amount of opioids to treat chronic pain, they may require a higher CBD dose until their body adjusts.

The most important thing to remember is that, like most supplements, CBD dosage is highly personalized. This means that what works for someone else may not work for you. You should always keep in mind when trying CBD for the first time or when trying out a new product or consumption method that it is best to “start low and go slow”. Remember that the goal is to achieve the most effective dose at the most affordable price.

Best Practices for CBD Dosage

Given the factors above, there may be some best practices to follow when determining your own personal dose of CBD.

As mentioned, the most important rule of thumb is to start taking CBD low and slow. For example, at Urban Roots, we recommend beginning with one of our 1000mg Tinctures as this product allows you to alter your dosage in very small increments as well as allow a quick onset of effects.

If you prefer capsules, the 25mg dose option is available and suggested to be maintained for 3-5 days to allow you to gauge the effects on your body. If all goes well for a few days, and you feel as though that dosage sufficiently helped you to feel better, then you may be good to stay at that dosage. If you think you could do with some more, try two capsules next time.

CBDaily Tinctures

Easily and effectively control dosage.

Tinctures allow for a faster-onset of effects than other consumption measures which is ideal to see what dose is right for you.

Beneficial Effects:

-Anti-inflammatory
-Anti-depressant
-Headache
-Indigestion
-Stress Reliever

CBD Dosage Based on Body Weight

Another common best practice is to estimate your dosage based on body weight. To be sure, this is not an exact science, so be cautious of any source that presents a dosage chart as the end all be all for CBD dosing. However, many people and companies recommend that you take about 1-6mg per every 10 pounds based on the severity of your present condition (e.g. based on much pain or anxiety you are presently experiencing). Just bear in mind that this is a controversial dosing method that is not currently backed by substantial research and may lead the consumer to take more CBD than their body needs for effectiveness.

Finally, you may always consult your healthcare professional and get their input about whether you should take CBD and ask if they have any input on dosing. If your healthcare professional is unsure about CBD, suggest they reach out for further information.

The Big Question: Can You Overdose on CBD?

Regardless of whether you get your CBD dosage just right or not, or how long it takes you, studies and anecdotal evidence show you probably don’t have to worry about “overdosing” (at least in a painful, dangerous, or life-threatening sense).

To date, there is not an abundance of research studies that show CBD to be toxic or show major side effects with high doses. For example, consumer testimonies have been presented of ingesting 1000mg+ of CBD during a 24-hour period without any side effects. We never suggest consumer’s race to their highest dose, but rather consume as little as needed for the desired effects.