Since CBD products hit the market, their popularity has been rising, mainly because of their diverse therapeutic advantages. But then some people knowingly or unknowingly consume too much CBD.
CBD, short for cannabidiol, is one of the numerous phytocannabinoids of the cannabis plant. Its distinctive feature is that it doesn’t have any intoxicating properties [1].
And so, consuming CBD, unlike marijuana, doesn’t cause you to experience a mental high. But instead, you experience a body and mind buzz with refreshing benefits.
It’s recommended that you ingest the recommended CBD dosage because that is the context in which the therapeutic effects are activated.
But what would happen to a CBD consumer that takes an excessive amount of CBD? Different effects may be observed, but generally, ingesting excessive CBD wouldn’t hurt you.
What CBD Dosage is Considered Too Much?
Millions of people take CBD products for diverse reasons. But there’s no standard CBD dosage that everyone is supposed to take.
The ideal dosage is influenced by a variety of factors. It’s essential to consider these factors before taking CBD or else you might undermine its potential.
Weight: your weight can determine the speed of CBD metabolism and absorption. If you’re overweight, it can take considerably longer to metabolize and absorb CBD.
Health status: many people take CBD to manage various physical and mental conditions. If you have a pretty serious condition, you need a relatively bigger CBD dosage.
Product potency: CBD products come in varying forms and varying potencies. Highly potent CBD products are typically ingested in small quantities.
Medical advice: our medical professionals play a critical role in our well-being. If you’re unsure about CBD or have a pre-existing health issue, you can visit your physician to seek guidance on CBD use.
Side Effects of Ingesting Too Much CBD
Most CBD products typically have dosage guidelines, and it’s recommended that you follow those guidelines, and if the guidelines are absent, you should work out the ideal dosage.
If you fail to stick to dosage recommendations, and you start to ingest excessive CBD, you not only quicken tolerance, but you may also experience various side effects:
Anxiety: excessive CBD can cause some people to feel like they’re in a state of anxiety. And this mental problem usually limits your capacity to relax or be productive.
Quickened heartbeat: with excessive CBD ingestion, you can potentially overwhelm certain biological systems, and this might lead to a quickened heartbeat.
Sudden blood pressure: one of the long-term effects of ingesting more than the recommended amount of CBD is that it can potentially lead to a sudden blood pressure rise in some people.
Can Ingesting Too Much CBD Potentially Kill You?
Checking out of this world after a CBD overdose would be extremely needless. But is that even possible? So far, there haven’t been any reports of CBD-related deaths.
Research shows that humans can tolerate dosages of up to 1500 milligrams per day [2]. But if you’re new to CBD, it’s recommended to start with a small dosage and work your way up into a larger dosage.
CBD toxicity threshold is quite high. You would need to ingest 20000 milligrams of CBD in one sitting for you to experience toxicity problems like blacking out or loss of life.
The fact that there are no reports of any deaths connected to CBD use strengthens the general assumption that CBD is 100% safe. But then it’s your responsibility to buy high-quality CBD products that are not tainted by dangerous chemicals and contaminants.
What Are the Differences Between THC and CBD?
When someone ingests THC, they are looking for a mental high. Upon THC ingestion, a wave of euphoria envelops their mind and body, causing the individual to experience a mental high.
But when a person ingests CBD, they don’t feel any psychotropic effects. In other words, they don’t experience a mental high. The CBD just interacts with the ECS and causes a positive contribution.
There’s a type of CBD that contains a trace amount of THC. This form of CBD is known as full-spectrum CBD. It’s typically made up of the entire range of cannabinoids native to cannabis, including THC, and these cannabinoids work synergistically to boost the therapeutic effects of CBD [3].
Whether you ingest THC or CBD, the strength of the effects, as well as the duration of the effects, is determined by different factors like the type of the cannabis product as well as the ingestion frequency.
Can Ingesting Too Much CBD Cause Paranoia?
One of the potential effects of smoking certain marijuana strains is paranoia. This is a mental illness where you’re stuck in a cycle of irrational and obsessive suspicion of others.
Paranoia might cause you to be afraid of certain people, animals, or situations. It might also cause you to develop weird thinking patterns.
CBD, unlike THC, doesn’t cause paranoia. On the contrary, constant CBD ingestion can help with emotional and mental stability, which creates an enabling environment to beat paranoia.
Traits of Safe CBD
To experience all the positive effects of CBD, you need to ingest only safe and high-quality products. The following are some of the traits of safe CBD products:
3rd-party lab tests: always check to see whether their lab reports are available. Independent lab tests help with screening the CBD products to determine whether the ingredients and their amounts are correct and whether the product is 100% free of harmful agents like heavy metals, pesticides, and residual waste.
Type of CBD: there are different types of CBD: full spectrum, broad spectrum, and isolate CBD. Full spectrum CBD contains all the cannabinoids; broad spectrum CBD contains all the cannabinoids save for THC, and isolate CBD is typically pure CBD. And so, if you don’t wish to ingest even a trace amount of THC, you need to avoid full-spectrum CBD products.
Reputation: in the age of the internet, you can avoid low-quality brands or straight-up scams by doing your homework before buying. Check online reviews for your target products to see whether previous customers are satisfied or unsatisfied.
Overdosing on CBD
The Takeaway: Effects of Taking Too Much CBD
As the CBD craze spreads in Europe and North America, some people are falling into the peculiar habit of ingesting more than the recommended quantity of CBD. Consuming excessive CBD may not have fatal consequences but it can potentially lead to side effects like anxiety and a racing heartbeat. For the best results, it’s recommended that you stick to dosage guidelines when taking CBD products.
Sources:
- Golombek, P., Müller, M., Barthlott, I., Sproll, C., & Lachenmeier, D. W. (2020). Conversion of cannabidiol (CBD) into psychotropic cannabinoids including tetrahydrocannabinol (THC): a controversy in the scientific literature. Toxics, 8(2), 41.
- Iffland, K., & Grotenhermen, F. (2017). An update on safety and side effects of cannabidiol: a review of clinical data and relevant animal studies. Cannabis and cannabinoid research, 2(1), 139-154.
- Ferber, S. G., Namdar, D., Hen-Shoval, D., Eger, G., Koltai, H., Shoval, G., … & Weller, A. (2020). The “entourage effect”: terpenes coupled with cannabinoids for the treatment of mood disorders and anxiety disorders. Current neuropharmacology, 18(2), 87-96.
