Part of getting the best result from using CBD products is finding a dosage that works for you. Unfortunately, there is no quick and easy “right answer” to the question of how much CBD is right for you. The amount of CBD needed to obtain the effect you want can vary based on a number of factors, like your age, body weight, overall health and any other medications you might be taking.
CBD products, while entirely legal in all 50 states, are not regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), so there are no official dosing guidelines to follow. This means finding the correct dose for you can take a little experimentation.
In this article we’ll answer some common questions about CBD in general and then we’ll get into some general dosing rules to help you get started on finding the right dose for you.
COMMON QUESTIONS ABOUT CBD
IS TAKING CBD SAFE?
With any discussion of dosage, comes the concern about over-dosing. The good news is that research into CBD has shown little to no sign of it having any negative effect on the human body, even for people taking exceptionally high doses of up to 1,500 mg per day. Further research by the National Cancer Insitute has stated that “lethal overdoses from Cannabis and cannabinoids do not occur.”
It should also be noted that some CBD products contain, at most, trace amounts of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive that produces the “high” experienced through the consumption of marijuana. CBD oil is not taken from the marijuana plant but instead extracted from the hemp plant, which has a much lower concentration of THC. Consuming CDB products will not get you high or impair your cognitive function.
DOES CBD HAVE ANY SIDE EFFECTS?
While it is generally accepted that CBD’s side effects are significantly less intense than other drugs, it’s best to be aware of them.
In 2017, researchers analyzed a collection of relevant animal studies and clinical data to provide a thorough update on the safety and potential side effects of CBD. Both physiological and psychological parameters like body temperature, blood pressure and heart rate were not found to be negatively impacted, and in some cases, responded positively to cannabidiol.
Despite the relatively favorable outcome of the studies, CBD’s potential side effects do include fatigue, diarrhea, and changes in weight, appetite, or both. Again, highlighting the fact that these side effects are generally experienced with all drugs and relative to others, cannabidiol holds a milder set of them in terms of intensity.
CAN YOU DEVELOP A TOLERANCE FOR CBD?
It is possible to build up a tolerance to CBD over time. If you find that you had previously reached a dose that was working for you but the effects have fallen away over time, you may need to start incrementally increasing your dose until you are back at a workable level of effect.
If you don’t like the idea of increasing your dose, try taking a few days without taking any CBD before starting back at a low dose and building back up to your original dosage.
HOW LONG DO CBD PRODUCTS TAKE TO BEGIN WORKING?
The time between you taking your chosen CBD product and feeling its effects depends on how you choose to take the product.
- Orally – CBD’s effects are based on its interaction with the human endocannabinoid system. Before they can do that, CBD products taken orally have to pass through your digestive system, so it can take anywhere up to 90 minutes for you to feel any effects.
- Tinctures – Tinctures work faster than CBD products that are taken orally because they bypass the digestive system. Most tinctures are ingested sublingually (under the tongue) and users report feeling the effects within about 20 minutes.
- Vaping – CBD vape juice has the quickest time to effect, with users starting to feel the effects within a matter of minutes.
- Topically – Topical CBD products do not usually reach the bloodstream. Instead, they are applied to the skin to target specific areas and the active CBD component interacts with nearby cannabinoid receptors. How quickly topical CBD products take effect depends on the concentration of the product, but they will generally only affect the area they are applied to.
DOSAGE GUIDELINES
FINDING THE RIGHT CBD DOSE
The most significant variables, when it comes to the right CBD dose, are bodyweight and the concentration of the product taken. Finding the right dose for you starts with comparing your weight to concentration, usually measured in milligrams (mg), of your chosen product.
By its nature, the “correct” dose of CBD is a very subjective thing and we suggest you find the minimum dose that works for you, using our handy chart below, and steadily increase that dose in 5 mg increments until you get the desired effect.
| Body Weight | Mild Dosage | Moderate Dosage | Strong Dosage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Less than 100 lbs | 15mg | 20mg | 25mg |
| 100 to 150 lbs | 25mg | 32mg | 38mg |
| 150 – 200 lbs | 38mg | 44mg | 50mg |
| 200 – 250 lbs | 50mg | 56mg | 63mg |
| 250+ lbs | 63mg | 70mg | 75mg |
CBD DELIVERY METHODS – UNDERSTANDING AND CALCULATING DOSAGES
CBD can be taken in many forms, chief among them oral, topical and vaping products. This article is intended to cover dosing guidelines for oral administration of CBD only so we will not be diving deeper into guidelines for topical and vaping products, thought those methods are touched on briefly in a subsequent section.
When talking about taking CBD orally the main products in this category are oils, gummies and gel capsules. Dosing for gummies and gelcaps is pretty straightforward as each gummie or gelcap contains a specific amount of CBD. Once you’ve determined your optimal dosage (using the chart above and your own experience) you simply take enough gummies or gelcaps to deliver the required amount of CBD. For instance, if your optimal dose of CBD is 40mg and the gummies/gelcaps you have are 10mg each you’ll simply take 4 gummies/gelcaps and your done. Easy!
When we begin talking about oils (aka tinctures) however, things are not quite as straightforward so we’re going to spend a little time going over this area in more depth.
UNDERSTANDING CBD TINCTURES
CBD tinctures are one of the most popular delivery methods; and who can argue? Placing a few drops under the tongue and its effects are felt within minutes? Yes please! Tinctures, however, are arguable one of the most challenging products to dose. There is, however, light at the end of the tunnel; and it requires some knowledge of yourself and some basic math skills. Let’s jump in!
Step 1: Understanding CBD quantities
Nearly all CBD oils are going to be packaged in 30ml dropper bottles, and each full dropper equals 1ml of oil. To break this down further:
- One (1) 30ml bottle = 30 dropper-fulls of oil
- 1 dropper-full of oil = 35-40 drops
- Each bottle contains XXXmg of total CBD
Step 2: Determine your CBD’s potency
CBD potency is measured as the number of milligrams of CBD per milliliter of oil. Sounds complicated, but the math is fairly simple. To determine potency simply divide the total mg per bottle by the number of ml in the bottle. You’ll find this information right on the label. So if you have a 30ml bottle containing 500mg of CBD, the potency is 16.667mg/ml:
Since the dropper in a 30ml bottle holds 1ml of oil, the amount of CBD in one full dropper is 16.667mg…the same as the potency.
NOTE: For most folks this is as far as you’ll need to go in this section. Once you’ve determined the amount of CBD per dropper of oil it is fairly easy to dose based on a percentage of the dropper. (full dropper, 3/4 dropper, 1/2 dropper, 1/4 dropper) CBD dosing does not need to get down to the individual mg level…a slight deviation +/- of a mg or two is not going to make a noticeable difference. I will include the calculations below to get down to the mg/drop level, but know that you will rarely if ever need to calculate this precisely.
Step 3: Determine the mg of CBD per drop of oil
To determine the number of milligrams per drop of oil, we simply divide the mg/ml by the number of drops in a dropper. For this exercise we will assume 35 drops per dropper. Based on our previous calculation we know that 1ml of oil contains 16.667mg of CBD. 16.667 divided by 35 gives us .476mg of CBD per drop:
Step 4: Determine how many drops you need
Now that you know the potency of a single drop of your oil, the next goal is to determine how many drops you’d need to experience relief. This is also a simple math equation – take the desired CBD dose of the product and divide it by the amount of CBD per drop you made in previous calculations.
Let’s again assume that after consulting the dosage chart above you’ve determined that you need to take 40mg of CBD per dose. Divide this amount by the mg of CBD per drop to determine how many drops of oil you need to take. Since the 500mg bottle in our example contains .476mg per drop, we’d need to take 84 drops of oil to reach our desired dosage. That’s nearly 2-1/2 droppers-full, which is why I mentioned earlier that needing to measure CBD by the drop is going to be a rare occurrence…you will nearly always simply calculate based on a percentage of the dropper. (full, half, quarter, etc.)
CONCLUSION – FINDING YOUR CBD SWEET SPOT
CBD as a treatment is still in its early days, which means dosing best practices are still being narrowed down. Finding the right dosage for you is going to take a little experimentation on your part but, with this article as a guide, you soon be on the path to finding your own CBD sweet spot. If you need additional guidance or recommendations regarding which product and dosage may be best for you please feel free to contact us…we’re happy to help!
If you would like to learn more about the potential benefits of CBD please check out the many articles we have available on our sister site, sinplicity.net.
