Drug interactions happen when a medication interacts with compounds in foods, beverages, supplements, or other medications. This is bad when it creates adverse reactions that can be harmful to our body. Apart from this, it can also either increase or decrease the effectiveness of the medicine. When a person consumes five or more medicines including supplements like cannabidiol (CBD), the practice is called polypharmacy, and sometimes this can cause drug interaction. In this article, we will focus on the scenario of CBD interacting with other medicines.
What Is Cannabidiol (CBD)?
Cannabidiol is one of the major cannabinoids found in the cannabis and hemp plants. It is used as the main ingredient in many health and wellness products. CBD is popular among users because of its lack of side effects and general safety profile. Legally available CBD products in the US are made using hemp plant extracts that have less than 0.3% of psychotropic THC so that they do not produce any high upon consumption. Cannabidiol produces its effects by interacting with cannabinoid receptors CB1 and CB2 of the endocannabinoid system (ECS).
How Cannabidiol (CBD) Affects Cytochrome P450?
Cytochrome P450 (CYP450) is a family of liver enzymes that metabolizes pharmaceutical drugs and breaks down toxins entering our body. When we consume CBD supplements, cannabidiol decreases the metabolic activity of CYP40 enzymes, and this affects the metabolism of other compounds. So, pharmaceutical drugs remain far longer in our bodies than they are intended, because of CBD. This usually results in unintended adverse side effects or makes them less effective. The best way to avoid this is to look for grapefruit warning, and the common drugs that have this are given below.
- Colchicine
- Dronedarone
- Felodipine
- Alprazolam
- Amiodarone
Shared below are the details about some common drugs with which CBD interacts.
Antidepressants
Fluoxetine is an antidepressant, and it produces its effect by selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI). As a result, it boosts the levels of serotonin and dopamine in the brain. There is no evidence of negative drug interaction when CBD and SSRIs are used together.
Blood Thinners
When CBD and blood-thinning drugs like warfarin are consumed in conjunction, the blood levels of this drug is elevated as it is slowly metabolized. This increases the drug’s blood-thinning effects, causing adverse side effects.
On a final note, the market for CBD products is unregulated, and this is causing a lot of confusion among its consumers. The best way to tackle this is by offering CBD education among people. It’s important to know what is the right dosage of CBD for you.
