Medical CBD and Drug Interactions
Medical CBD and Drug Interactions
Cannabidiol, commonly known as medical CBD, is a chemical compound found in Cannabis sativa plants. CBD is one of the major active ingredients of marijuana and its medicinal uses have made it to be widely adopted for therapeutic functions. Its health uses range from use in seizure treatment to anxiety and insomnia treatment.
Medical CBD is proven to be safe for use both when used alone or alongside some other drugs. But there are some other medical cannabidiol and drug interactions you should know about as they can be problematic thus causing certain adverse effects. Below are the common medical marijuana and drug interactions you need to know about.
How Do CBD Drug Interactions Occur?
Drug interaction is of two different types. There’s the pharmacodynamic and the pharmacokinetic interaction. The pharmacodynamic interaction of drugs is based on the mechanism of action of the drug whereas the pharmacokinetic interaction of CBD drugs causes a change in the absorption, metabolism, and excretion of one or both drug substances.
Cannabidiol is mostly metabolized by CYP3A4 and CYP2C19 enzymes which are isoforms of the CYP450 family of enzymes located in the liver. cannabidiol also serves as an inhibitor to CYP2C9, CYP2D6 as well as CYP3 enzymes which serve as the basis for their interaction with other drugs. A lot of Marijuana Doctor prescribed drugs are metabolized by CYP3A4 enzymes which metabolize medical marijuana. This similarity in metabolizing enzymes serves as the basis for cannabidiol drug interactions.
CBD drug interaction is mostly theoretical and isn’t commonly seen as it mostly occurs due to high doses of medical marijuana and not the normal doses usually taken by users. High doses of CBD are mainly used in the treatment of serious health conditions like seizures under thorough medical supervision.
Most Common CBD Drug Interactions
Most Common CBD Drug Interactions
CBD interacts with several medications but the most common CBD drug interactions include the interaction of cannabidiol with warfarin, a blood thinner, another is cannabidiol interaction with antidepressants. Another common CBD drug interaction is its interaction with several seizure medications like clobazam. All these common cannabidiol drug interactions will be discussed in this article.
Medical CBD and Warfarin and Other Blood Thinners
Warfarin is one of the most popularly used oral anticoagulants. This blood thinner functions by disrupting vitamin K-dependent clotting factors to inhibit blood coagulation. There is R-warfarin and S-warfarin, the latter is the more active stereoisomer.
It’s metabolized by the CYP450 family of enzymes in the liver but both stereoisomers of warfarin have different metabolic pathways. CYP2C9 metabolizes S-warfarin while R-warfarin is metabolized majorly by CYP3A4, while CYP1A1, CYP1A2, CYP2C8, CYP2C9, CYP2C18, and CYP2C19 play a lesser role in its metabolism.
Taking medical marijuana inhibits the metabolism of warfarin as cannabidiol metabolism is also in the way of CYP450 enzymes metabolizing warfarin including CYP1A1, CYP1A2, CYP2C8, CYP2C9, CYP2C19, CYP2D6, CYP3A4, and CYP3A5.
Up to five of these isoforms include the major warfarin stereoisomers metabolizing enzymes including CYP2C9 and CYP3A4. In addition to this cannabidiol also competitively inhibits all of its metabolizing enzymes and thus contributes to its inhibition of warfarin degradation.
Medical CBD and Seizure Disorder Medications
There are different types of seizures, most of which are mainly due to changes in the brain’s electrical activities. For the proper treatment of this brain condition, numerous seizure disorder medications have been developed, some of which have adverse effects on the human body. It’s been found that cannabidiol may minimize the adverse effects associated with the administration of seizure disorder medications.
Aside from limiting the adverse effects of anti-seizure medications, cannabidiol products can also be used in the treatment of seizure disorders. Epidiolex is a cannabis formulation that’s approved for the treatment of rare seizure disorders like Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, tuberous sclerosis complex, and Dravet syndrome.
There are other numerous medical marijuana products used for the treatment of seizures. These products mediate their effects by interacting with the receptors of the endocannabinoid system in the body.
Medical CBD and Statin Cholesterol Medications.
Another common medical marijuana drug interaction is that of cannabidiol with Statin cholesterol medications. Statin cholesterol medications help reduce the level of blood lipids. Statins cholesterol medications are metabolized by the CYP450 group of isoenzymes including CYP3A4, CYP3A5, CYP2C9, and CYP2C19. Medical cannabidiol is a potent inhibitor of these enzymes so CBD inhibits the metabolism of Statin cholesterol medications but it doesn’t decrease its effectiveness.
Medical marijuana Statin medications interaction results in elevated levels of blood statin. An increase in the level of statin concentration in the blood level can increase health risks. This interaction usually ranges from mild to moderate and is only significant in rare cases of high doses of cannabidiol and statin drugs as well as long-term usage
Medical CBD Erythromycin and Azole Antifungals
Erythromycin is an antibiotic that is used to treat bacterial infections, it mediates antibacterial action by inhibiting bacterial growth. On the other hand, Azole antifungals function to treat fungal infections by preventing fungi growth.
Erythromycin and Azole antifungals are both substrates and inhibitors of the CYP family of isoenzymes. Their inhibiting action on the hepatic CYP450 enzymes affects the metabolism of medical marijuana during this interaction thus posing unpleasant effects.
Medical CBD and Antidepressant Drugs
Depressive disorders are treated using antidepressant drugs. The majority of antidepressant drugs are metabolized by CYP2D6 which is inhibited by cannabidiol. The inhibition caused by the interaction between medical marijuana and antidepressants drugs increases the serum level of the different classes of antidepressants drugs ranging from tricyclic antidepressants, and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) like
citalopram to monoamine oxidase inhibitors like phenelzine. An increase in the level of these antidepressant drugs in the bloodstream results in adverse side effects over a long period.
Medical CBD and Immunosuppressant Medications
It’s been discovered that medical marijuana can slow down the rate of metabolism of immunosuppressant medications like tacrolimus and sirolimus. Aside from slowing down the metabolic rate of the drug, CBD- antidepressant interaction can also reduce the amount of the drug absorbed by the body.
Increased the level of blood immunosuppressant as a result of this interaction causes increased unpleasant side effects of the drug. This cannabidiol drug interaction is mostly hypothetical but it’s safer for you to know about it and talk to your doctor about any potential cannabidiol drug interaction.
Medical CBD and Glaucoma.
Glaucoma is a common eye condition caused by increased intraocular pressure and can result in eye tissue damage and loss of vision. Most of the medications used for the treatment of glaucoma work by decreasing the intraocular pressure thus limiting the loss of vision.
While certain studies have shown that medical cannabidiol may minimize intraocular pressure, others claim it has no effect and there are claims that it increases it but it’s generally recommended to avoid using medical CBD for glaucoma treatment as it might not be beneficial in any way. It’s also been found that cannabidiol may worsen glaucoma and cause eye dryness with time.
FAQs
Is it safe to use CBD?
CBD is being proven to be safe to use but it still has certain risks attached as it can affect how other drugs you take function thereby causing adverse side effects. cannabidiols also comes with noticeable side effects like diarrhea and sleepiness.
What medications can you not take Medical cannabidiol with?
Taking medicinal CBD with opioids may cause severe side effects like coma, respiratory distress, and even death in some cases. Taking medicinal cannabidiol with benzodiazepines like triazolam causes side effects ranging from sleepiness, confusion, difficulty in focusing, and confusion. You should also avoid taking alcohol, barbiturates, and antidepressants with medical cannabis.
Can you mix Medical cannabidiol with other medications?
Due to its effect on the liver enzymes, mixing medical cannabis with many medications can cause interference in its effectiveness and concentration level in the blood.
Can I take Medical CBD with my blood pressure meds?
Taking medical cannabis with your blood pressure meds can bring about negative effects due to the interaction between both substances. Medical cannabidiol is also known to lower blood pressure which can cause extremely low blood pressure when mixed with blood pressure meds.
How long does 25 mg of Medical CBD stay in your system?
Typically it should stay for about 10 to 15 days but it may vary depending on certain factors like what you eat, your body system, method of use, and how often you use it.
Does Medical CBD raise your heart rate?
Medical cannabidiol can cause an increase in heart rate under normal conditions.
How long does it take for Medical cannabis to fully kick in?
The time taken for medical cannabidiol to use depends on the method of use. It takes about 15 minutes of using medical CBD sublingually for the effect to fully kick in. But it takes up to one or two hours when taken orally or topically.
What happens if you have too much Medical cannabis in your system?
Having excess medical cannabidiol in your system can elevate your likelihood of experiencing unpleasant side effects as well as cause damage to your liver.
ARK Medical Texas Cannabis Clinic: Best Marijuana Doctor/Clinic to get Medical CBD Treatment in Dallas, TX
Best Marijuana Doctor/Clinic to get Medical CBD Treatment in Dallas, TX
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