Dosing CBD

CBD is rapidly becoming one of the world’s most popular forms of personal care. You can find it in everything from raw flower to lotions and creams, and even in delicious candy bars and coffee. Yet how to dose CBD is rarely in the forefront of people’s minds. But remember that even though you really can’t do serious damage to yourself with CBD, you should also know that overuse can be expensive, there can be side effects, and symptoms sometimes rebound if you take too much. 

Here is a guide on dosing CBD so you don’t get rebound discomfort and your wallet doesn’t come down with its own headache. Also remember that nothing is perfectly safe, so you need to be fully informed before using and dosing CBD.

CBD Details

By now everyone has heard of the cannabinoid CBD, and knows that it’s a compound in both hemp plants and marijuana plants. However, CBD is sourced from hemp because it contains negligible amounts of THC and some plants contain undetectable amounts THC. HempExCo, for instance, is a company that uses zero THC hemp extract for its products. Other companies may have a trace amount, and the legal limit is <.03% THC. 

There are other cannabinoids that we can now isolate and use in products for more specific needs. For instance, CBN is a popular cannabinoid that people use to support healthy sleep cycles and inflammation response. We will cover these cannabinoid isolates in other articles.

What to Consider in Dosing CBD

There are four things to think about when figuring out your own CBD dose—body weight, age, metabolism, and delivery. While you’re the only person who knows your age, weight, and metabolism, we can cover delivery and how it might apply to your needs. We promise to keep it simple or at least give good links if we can’t. 

First of All, Why Do You Need It?

You should ask yourself if it’s something you will want to use every day or just occasionally based on the reason you want to use it. For instance, people who use CBD to help with exercise recovery often only use it occasionally, while people who use it to help with ongoing inflammation may want to use a regular dose. This can affect how you choose your delivery method.

Wait, what? So I just told you one kind of help needs ongoing application for the best support and another doesn’t? Yes. This is because there are different kinds of CBD, fast-acting and long-acting.

Fast-acting CBD comes in the form of isolate and many people use this to support occasional needs, or breakthrough needs when you use a regular dose. More on that later.

Long-acting CBD, also called broad-spectrum, can take some time to build up and support you, but it also serves long-term, ongoing needs much better because it lasts longer.

For instance, it may take you a few days to find the right dose of long-acting CBD and build up for inflammation support. Later your pain might get a little worse for a short time—you would have some isolate products on hand for this.

Yes, this is a little complicated, so if you need some explanation please send our pharmacist an email at Dakota.Bryan@theCBDreport.net. She will clear it up for you!

Finding the Best CBD Brand

Dosing is often dependent on your brand. Some brands have loose standards, or confusing ones, when it comes to the actual amount of CBD in the container. No one wants to figure out how many drops are in a bottle then divide by the number of milligrams in that bottle to figure out how much CBD is in a drop. Your brand should be specific about that. 

You should also be familiar with the quality and legal standards of your country or region. This could determine whether your local CBD manufacturers have consistent amounts of CBD—and no harmful chemicals—in their products. Also, be wary of percentages. Make sure the number of milligrams is listed, and if possible the number of milligrams in a drop, spray, gummy, or other unit of your delivery method.

Once you have a good brand you can figure out your dose.

Finding Your Optimal Dose

To figure out how much long-acting CBD is your optimal dose, you may want to do the microdosing method. This will save you time and money, and maybe even aggravation.

It’s always a good idea to start with as little as 5 mg. If that does not work, you can add 5 to 10 mg in a few days. If that doesn’t work, rinse and repeat. Do this until you get the desired support and stay on that daily dose (and you can split this into two doses per day for a constant supply of CBD), using fast-acting CBD for break-through needs.

If you want to use fast-acting CBD for more immediate needs, you can microdose with a shorter time period. 

Delivery Method

How do you take your CBD? Tinctures? Drops, Vape? This will also determine how fast it acts and how much you get. Gummies and other edibles can take some time to digest, and drink mixes often contain other nutraceuticals for convenience, like caffeine or melatonin.

All things considered, you will get the best absorption by tincture or vape. However, most of us don’t want to put hot, smoky crap into our sensitive tissue-paper-thin lungs, so tincture is often the best delivery method. 

Terpene Additions

No matter how you take it, not all the CBD in your dose will enter your body. That’s why some like to have additional terpenes that will help guide CBD through tissues. At The CBD Report, we feature terpene blogs on Terpene Tuesdays, so come back often or sign up for our newsletter so you can get up-to-date information on all things CBD. Check out our terpene blogs on Limonene and Myrcene.

Why Your CBD May Not Be Working

For one thing, it’s difficult to know what to feel when you take CBD. While we really can’t make any claims about CBD, we can suggest that if you take it you may end up not feeling anything, and that’s a good thing! However, dosing CBD is a big part of how, when, and if you get true support. So if you don’t get your desired results it is very likely dosing is one reason.

Confusing packaging is also another reason. For instance, you may have tincture or oil drops that say 750 milligrams on the bottle. You might think this is per dose or dropper but it’s actually the whole bottle. This leads you to think you’re getting more than you are. 

Delivery method is also important. You have to choose how to take CBD. Don’t let your friends tell you how to take CBD, because what works for one person may not work for another. This is where HempExCo is a very useful resource. You can contact them and they will connect you with their pharmacist. You can even schedule time with her here.

We Can Help, Too!

As you know, just because a product is natural does not mean it’s safe to just dump on or in your body and hope for the best. There can be side effects of CBD and you need the correct dose for your needs. 

You don’t need to call your local pharmacy and risk getting judged. Some people still don’t understand the difference between CBD and THC, and you could get one of those on the phone or face one if you visit. We can help you find a reliable brand of product that meets your particular wants and needs.

Contact our pharmacist, Dakota Bryan, at Dakota.Bryan@theCBDreport.net. Not only will she help you decide on a dose, she can give you a list of brands that may be best for you and help with how to dose CBD.

You can also check back at TheCBDReport.net periodically and check our up-coming series on product comparisons. We will be trying products ourselves for specific purposes and writing charts to help you make good choices in your CBD care.