Cannabidiol Dosage Guide: How much CBD Should You Take

CBD oil, gummies, edibles, topicals – with so many cannabidiol products hitting the market, it can be overwhelming to make a sound choice. Even if you find the right product, which is relatively easy, the next question is how much CBD you should consume. The answer to this depends on a few factors – are you taking CBD for sleep, pain, or anxiety? 

To experience the health benefits of cannabidiol, it is essential to take the correct dose. However, with no official guidelines on CBD dosage, answering this question can be tricky. Weed Review breaks down the ideal CBD dosage based on its form and use case. Existing research, personal experiences, and word-of-mouth instances have been taken into account to arrive at this data.

CBD tolerance in humans

Right off the bat, here is some good news. High doses and chronic use of cannabidiol – up to 1,500 mg/day – are reportedly well tolerated in humans. A 2017 review backs the same claim, stating that CBD has a better safety and side effect profile when compared to other drugs.

However, there is no universal standard dosage for CBD. Instead, we know how people with different conditions react to different doses. In short, everyone’s body chemistry is unique. As such, the right amount of CBD will depend on

• Your body weight; the more you weigh, the more CBD you will require
• The condition that you need to treat
• Your body chemistry (metabolism, tolerance, sensitivity)
• The method of consumption (gummies, edibles, tinctures, topicals)

CBD dosage for different conditions

Based on the existing research, the following table highlights how much CBD you should take to treat the desired conditions:

	Dose
Condition	Oral	Topical
Anxiety/Stress	300 mg – 600 mg per day	NA
Cancer-related Pain	50 mg – 600 mg per day	NA
Chronic Pain	20 mg – 50 mg per day	200 mg per day
Sleep	25 mg – 75 mg per day	NA

For anxiety disorders, a daily CBD dosage of up to 600 mg can work well, while for sleep, up to 75 milligrams per day is recommended. Do bear in mind that these doses are for oral consumption and it may be different for you.

When looking at CBD use topically, more amount is needed. Given that cannabidiol is absorbed through the skin, some losses will occur before cannabis reaches your system. From a chronic pain perspective, CBD massage oils of high concentrations – like Midnight 2,000 mg or SEYA 2,000 mg – can be highly beneficial. Full-body massage with a potent CBD tincture can get the job done and even help you sleep by completely relaxing and easing your pain and stress.

Calculating CBD dosage

If you are looking for a frame of reference, consider the one provided by US Food & Drugs Administration (FDA) for Epidiolex. Epidiolex is a cannabis-derived prescription medication where CBD is the hero; it treats seizures among those with epileptic disorders called Lennox-Gastaut syndrome and Dravet syndromes.

Epidiolex can be considered the official CBD oil, and here is the recommended dosage as per the USFDA:

• For the first week, consume 2.5 mg per kilogram of the body weight twice a day
• From the second week, increase the dose to 5 mg per kilogram twice daily

The dose mentioned above is recommended for severe epilepsy. For those with ‘lighter’ problems, the dosage will vary significantly.

If you are new to CBD oil, here is a rule of thumb: Start slow, start small. Consistent doses combined with regular use are the key to finding long-term relief from your conditions.

Start with a dose of 20 mg to 40 mg per day and gradually increase it week after week till you feel that the tincture is effectively treating your symptoms. By starting small, you ensure that your body tolerates CBD well without any unwanted effects or allergic reactions.

Different CBD products: what to choose

CBD comes in several forms: oils, gummies, edibles, sprays, flowers, and topicals.

Doses are mentioned on most labels, but it is still good to calculate them for each ‘consumption.’

For instance, a 30 ml, 2,000 mg bottle of SEYA Rest CBD oil will have roughly 66 mg of CBD per ml. On average, one full dropper is one millilitre. Therefore, if you need to take 30 mg of CBD in one go, you may want to take half a dropper of this product.

Similarly, a 30 ml, 900 mg bottle of Mellow Organic Orange will have roughly 30 mg of CBD per ml. Therefore, an entire dropper, in this case, is needed to meet the 30 mg dose.

For edibles and gummies, the dose will be printed on the packaging. For example, Chanabis CBD gummies have a total of 500 mg CBD in 20 pieces, giving each piece a dose of 25 mg.

CBD flowers have no dosage except for the rough percentage of cannabidiol in the bud. Inhaling it via vaping or smoking is the preferred way here as it reaches the system quickly, but from a medicinal standpoint, other forms of CBD are better. 

Consult a doctor for the correct dosage

It is also a good idea to consult your doctor before adding CBD to your daily healthcare regimen, especially if you want to take it for a particular health condition. An expert can certainly guide you in the right direction regarding identifying accurate CBD dosage for your condition.

A doctor’s consultation becomes more critical – especially if you are using some medication already. This is because cannabis can have serious drug interactions, leading to more or less of the medicine in your system. This is known as altered concentration, which can potentially double up the side effects or reduce the effects of other drugs. Researchers have identified more than 130 medicines that can interact with cannabinoids like CBD and THC.

Side effects of CBD

Although CBD is tolerated well in all doses, there are certain side effects to consider:

• Nausea
• Diarrhoea
• Changes in weight/appetite
• Drowsiness
• Change in mood
• Dizziness
• Stomach upset

Some depend on your sensitivity towards CBD, while others may pop up due to drug interactions.

While CBD oil is legal in Thailand, the industry is not yet regulated. There are no defined measures or standards yet, except for the rule that CBD tinctures must not contain more than 0.2% THC. If it does, then it falls under the scope of medicinal marijuana and will require a doctor’s prescription.

For best results, you should strive to buy CBD oils and similar products from a reputed brand, like the ones in Weed Review. Each of these products has been reviewed meticulously to ensure what you get is a quality CBD extract.