CBD oil is the abbreviation for Cannabidiol and is the extract taken from Cannabis Plants. Recently, in the medical industry doctors and patients have been looking to use CBD oil as a treatment for treating medical conditions that are long-term and terminal. Although CBD oil is no cure for these conditions, they do provide some relief to the hefty symptoms that come with these illnesses. But what about the effects it could have on our bodies?
As scientists and doctors have been doing research and experimenting. Let’s look at some of their findings related to what happens if you take too much CBD oil, why it is necessary to know all this, as well as more insightful information.
How Does CBD Affect Our Bodies?
The human body consists of different systems and the Endocannabinoid System is one of them. This system is responsible for several of the major bodily functions that we use every day. Such as sleeping, appetite, mood, and memory.
The Endocannabinoid System
The endocannabinoid system enables it to act as a binding site for several anxiolytic drugs and other pharmaceutical therapy agents. It is a neurotransmitter system in the body that consists of synaptic junctions which transmit nerve impulses and specific chemicals which are neurotransmitters that pass on the nerve impulses to the next nerve in the series.
The cannabinoid has three components to the system, these are receptors, enzymes, and endocannabinoids. Whether or not people use CBD, these still function as they always do. When asking the question of what CBD makes you feel like, many experts suggest that it provides a feeling of relaxation and that is due to the functioning of all the variables present in CBD.
Each component has its own function, the receptors exist throughout the body and serve to bind the neurotransmitters and pass on information. The enzymes can appear in many forms but two of these enzymes can break down the endocannabinoids. Endocannabinoids are responsible for making the internal functions run smoothly.
CB1 and CB2: The Cannabinoid Receptors in the Brain
The two types of receptors are CB1 and CB2. The CB1 receptors control functions in the Central Nervous System (CNS) these functions are. The CB1 receptors interact with the ECB system to have sharp effects on the actions that are controlled by the brain areas that include thought processes, cognitive behaviors, and focus, movement, pain, appetite, memory, and it governs coordination. Cannabinoid products can give off therapeutic properties in degenerative disorders that affect the CNS, especially in the brain. Its anxiolytic properties are used to help stress disorders and anxiety, as will diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease, and Parkinson’s.
Whereas the CB2 receptors are another major type of receptors found in the Endocannabinoid are in the peripheral nervous system and these receptors influence pain and inflammation. After the enzymes break down the enzymes of these cannabinoids, the endocannabinoids bind with the receptors. Activating these receptors is responsible for all the health benefits people have been experiencing by using CBD oil and CBD oil products.
CBD and Liver Metabolism
The most mentioned side effect of using CBD products is the effect it has on the hepatic metabolism of various drugs. The liver is the organ that serves to function in the detoxification of toxic substances that are absorbed by the body through foods. It also breaks down medications and drugs and makes them soluble metabolites that are then excreted from the body through urine.
If any substance should interfere with the liver function and its ability to metabolize the toxins and drugs it can damage the liver and the other functions throughout the body.
CBD can affect the functions of the liver, as cannabinoids are found to disturb the metabolism of important toxins such as morphine in the liver. CBD was found to inhibit the demethylation of morphine in the liver, this means inhibiting its detoxification and excretion from the body.
CBD and People Who Are Immunocompromised
Another effect of CBD is that it also acts to suppress the immune activity of a person if they use it for long. More specifically suppresses the autoimmune responses of the body. This declines the immune functions of the body and will result negatively for people who are needing their immune systems to fight off infections.
CBD and Fertility
Research has shown that CBD has a detrimental effect on the reproductive health of individuals that have a low sperm count. The prolonged use of CBD decreases the fertilization capacity of sperm. It also decreases the testicular mass and testicular function in male individuals.
Read our article to know the relationship between CBD and Pregnancy.
What Happens if We Take Too Much?
The FDA hasn’t regulated the purity and use of CBD oil, the toxicity levels of CBD oil are not the same as using the Cannabis plant. However, just like any other substance, you could take too much CBD. CBD has been packed into dosages that are safe when taking CBD. Mostly, people are advised to only take between 5-20 mg per day. Most tinctures do have about 100 and 1500 mg in a bottle. Research has shown that people can take up to 1500 mg per day.
A toxic dose of CBD amounts to 20 000 mg but is not considered to be lethal. CBD however taken in large doses can cause drowsiness, lethargy, having an upset stomach, experiencing nausea and diarrhea, and other side effects in extreme cases. CBD does not give its users a “high”, people would consider it a better option than using medications as you cannot become addicted to it.
CBD oil can also interact with other medications if you are taking them. You cannot overdose on CBD oil although it can pose a health risk potentially. Even CBD products that contain some THC cannot be overdosed on as these products can only have a maximum amount of 0.3% of THC in them. The dosage of CBD oils differs from person to person as everyone’s body reacts differently to CBD. A mislabelled CBD product can also increase the chances of someone overdosing on CBD.
Symptoms and Signs That someone Could Be Overdosing On CBD
There are many factors that can go into someone suffering from an overdose, even if it is as rare as overdosing on CBD oil. These factors include but are not excluded to, the amount of the CBD dose, using a contaminated CBD product, being a first-time user, body weight, and using an expired CBD product.
A contaminated CBD product can cause an overdose depending on the ingredients used in the product. Expired CBD products can make you sick. CBD cannot kill you, but not using the correct dosages for your body can result in harmful side effects.
The symptoms or signs you should look out for are:
- Psychotic reactions where the person becomes paranoid or loses touch with reality and becomes paranoid because of that.
- Chest pains, heart attack or, heart beating rapidly
- Having a pale skin color on the body
- Increase in high blood pressure and having a headache
- Unresponsive or delusional effect
- Uncontrollable shaking or seizures
- Decreased coordination, judgment, perception, could lead to injuries and even death
- Panics attacks or extreme anxiety
By using CBD excessively, you could damage your liver. If you don’t feel the same effects as before when taking CBD, it is because people can build a tolerance to CBD oil. The CBD oil stays on your body depending on how much you take and how often you take it. If this happens, consider taking a break of 3-5 days before you start taking the CBD again to help reset your body.
If you don’t want to take the break, minimize your CBD dosages by half until you start feeling the effects of it again.
What Do You Do If Someone Has Taken Too Much CBD?
If you are worried that someone might have ingested too much CBD, then you should follow these few steps to assess if they have and get medical attention. You should call 911 or get the person to a hospital if they are unconscious, having a seizure, or having trouble breathing.
Be sure to have the following information ready as this will help treat the person. Give the name of the product that they have taken, the person’s weight and height and, also how much was ingested and when it was taken. If the person is experiencing any vomiting or diarrhea keep them hydrated.
Conclusion
Since medical marijuana has been made legal in most states it still remains a risk for people who suffer from diseases such as compromised immune systems and liver disorders. CBD can seem like a harmless substance but there can be some severe side effects that could lead to serious conditions. The FDA has only regulated one CBD drug which is called Epidiolex that treats two rare strands of epilepsy.
Therefore, any other CBD products are not to be used to treat, cure or prevent illnesses and diseases if the FDA has not approved them for medical use. Make sure you always purchase your CBD products from a reputable company that has tested products and discloses their ingredients and how the CBD is manufactured to the public. A very well-known company is Truemoola, check out their catalog now.
