Can CBD Affect Medicine Absorption?

If you’re avoiding grapefruit juice for medical reasons, you may want to stay away from CBD as well.

Grapefruit juice can have a surprising effect on some prescription medications. It is important to check with your doctor or pharmacist before consuming grapefruit juice while taking any prescription medication.

CBD can potentially affect the absorption of certain prescription medications, even though it is a seemingly harmless substance. CBD is found in many products, such as dried cannabis flower and sparkling water.

According to the University of California Los Angeles, more than 100 different cannabinoids have been identified. These are naturally-occurring chemical compounds that are unique to cannabis.

One such compound is CBD, which is not only found in the hemp plant (and oils and tinctures made from it), but is also an additive in a growing number of food and health products. Research is ongoing, but CBD has been shown to reduce the frequency of seizures and is used by some people to treat anxiety, insomnia, and chronic pain.

Although CBD has many benefits, it can interact with other medications and cause problems for people who take them. Dr. Robert Flannery explains that this is because of the way CBD and other cannabis compounds interact with other medications.

What Is Cannabis?

Cannabis is a plant species in the family Cannabaceae. It includes three primary subspecies: Cannabis sativa, Cannabis indica, and Cannabis ruderalis. Cannabis has been used for a variety of purposes, including for its medicinal and recreational effects. It is also known for its psychoactive compounds, such as tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD).

What Is THC?

Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is a psychoactive compound found in the cannabis plant. It is responsible for the “high” commonly associated with cannabis use. THC acts on the cannabinoid receptors in the brain, which are involved in the regulation of mood, appetite, and other cognitive functions. The amount of THC in cannabis varies depending on the strain, with some strains having higher levels of THC than others.

What Is CBD?

CBD stands for cannabidiol, which is a naturally occurring compound found in the cannabis plant. CBD is one of many compounds, known as cannabinoids, that are found in the cannabis plant. Unlike the more well-known compound tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), CBD is non-psychoactive, meaning it does not produce the “high” commonly associated with cannabis use.

CBD has become increasingly popular in recent years as a natural remedy for a variety of health conditions, including anxiety, pain, and insomnia. It is also used to manage symptoms of conditions such as multiple sclerosis and help with epilepsy. CBD is available in a variety of forms, including oils, capsules, and topical creams.

CBD and CYPs in absorption

CBD and CYPs are both important for maintaining good health. CBD helps to reduce inflammation and CYPs help to detoxify the body. Together, they provide a powerful way to support optimal health.

“CBD is a competitive inhibitor of a group of enzymes called cytochromes P450 (CYP),” says Flannery, who founded Dr. Robb Farms and holds a PhD in plant biology, specializing in cannabis production. “This group of enzymes work in the liver to oxidize and break down many of the other drugs we consume.”

CYPs are the major enzymes responsible for drug metabolism, and are thus crucial to consider when trying to prevent drug interactions or contraindications. In addition to CBD, there are other substances and compounds that can affect CYPs, such as St. John’s Wort, watercress, and goldenseal.

CBD does not appear to directly affect the absorption rate of medications metabolized by CYPs. However, when CBD binds to CYPs, that prevents other medications from binding to CYPs, which slows down the rate CYPs metabolize those medications. This matters because dosing for prescribed medications is calculated based on the average metabolic breakdown rates for those medications.

According to Flannery, if we slow the process down, we will need to change the dosage.

CBD can interfere with the metabolism of certain medications, causing them to remain active in the body for longer than intended, according to Flannery.

More research needed on absorption

Further research is needed in order to fully understand the implications of this issue.

The research on the effects of CBD on Cytochrome P450 enzymes (CYPs) dates back to the 1980s, when Dr. Lester Bornheim at the University of California San Francisco first began studying it. More recent research has looked at how tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabinol (CBN) also affect CYPs, though the effects are not as significant as CBD’s.

There are other examples of an innocuous compound or substance affecting medicine absorption. For instance, grapefruit juice can have an impact on the efficacy of some medications.

If you’ve ever been told by a pharmacist to avoid consuming a prescribed medication with grapefruit or grapefruit juice, then you understand how grapefruits can affect the absorption of certain enzymes. That’s because grapefruits contain compounds that can interfere with the way these enzymes work.

It is important to inform your doctor or pharmacist about your cannabis consumption if you are taking any medications that are known to interact with grapefruit juice. This is to ensure that you are able to safely and effectively take any medications you may be prescribed in the future.

Grapefruit juice can interact with a number of medications, including blood thinners, cholesterol medications, blood pressure medications, and some mood medications. The Indiana University Department of Medicine notes that medications that are metabolized by the CYP450 pathway, such as antidepressants, antipsychotics, beta-blockers, HIV antivirals, and steroids, may be particularly affected.

It is important to speak with a medical professional about your particular situation to ensure that you are not taking any drugs that could potentially cause problems.

Although more research is needed to fully understand the effects of cannabis on the metabolism of drugs, it is clear that CBD can have a significant impact on the way these drugs are broken down by the body.