Have you considered CBD?
Here at Sona Pharmacy, we’re interested in the many ways a person can pursue wellness. We believe medications, supplements, and lifestyle choices are all part of a balanced approach to whole-body health. And we believe that, while CBD mostly falls outside of those neatly-defined drug and supplement categories, it has a lot to offer on the path to better health.
Our team is committed to bringing you the knowledge you need to make the right choices for you. In the last few years, we’ve published several resources outlining the definition, benefits, and uses of CBD.
What questions do you have about CBD products?
We’ve got the answers you’re looking for in this resource roundup.
What is CBD?
As a primer on CBD, basic product types, and a clinician’s perspective on the growing use of CBD for pain and chronic disease, read Pharmacist Scott Henson’s “Clinical Review: CBD Products.”
How does CBD work?
Did you know your body has a system just for processing cannabinoids? To learn what exactly a “cannabinoid” is, how your endocannabinoid system works, and the difference between the many terms you’ll hear as you shop for CBD products (e.g. full-spectrum, broad-spectrum, and isolate), read “ What Is The Endocannabinoid System?”
What CBD products can I trust?
Our pharmacy stocks a variety of CBD products from select, trusted brands. Read The Sona Guide to CBD Products to learn more about which brands we carry and which types of products we recommend for certain scenarios.
What is CBD used for?
CBD products are used to treat a wide variety of concerns. Pain relief, mental health support, cancer symptom relief, neurological support, heart health, and treatment for sleep issues, stress, and anxiety are some of the most common reasons people use CBD.
Recommendations
Dosing
As with any new medication or supplement, you don’t want to dive in head-first. If you’re just starting out with CBD, talk to your doctor or pharmacist, and take it slow.
Start low, with 5-20 mg per day, depending on your body weight. Take this low amount for about a week to ensure no ill side effects occur, then increase the amount very gradually once every few days until you’ve reached your desired dosage.
While there are no official dosing recommendations for CBD, here’s a shortlist of clinically-studied dosages based on several conditions. As you can see, many of the dosages vary wildly — it’s important to talk to a professional before you begin.
- Anxiety: 300mg-600mg per day
- Arthritis: Maximum 30mg per day
- Cancer-related pain: 50 to 600 mg per day
- Epilepsy: 2.5 mg per kg of body weight twice daily
- Parkinson’s disease: 75 to 300 mg per day
- Poor sleep: 25 mg per day
- Psychosis: 600 mg per day
Effect
Don’t give up on CBD if you’re not seeing an immediate change. For concerns like sleep, stress, and pain, you may not notice an immediate effect. Continue taking a low dose for several weeks — it sometimes takes up to three weeks to notice any difference.
Product type
Choose the product type that makes it easier for you to get the dose you need. If you need a low dose, a high-concentration oil is going to be more difficult to measure carefully. If you need a larger dose, handfuls of gummies may be fun, but not super practical.
References
“6 Health Benefits of CBD Oil — And A Look At Side Effects.” Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/cbd-oil-benefits Accessed online May 19 2022.
Bergamaschi MM, Queiroz RH, Chagas MH, et al. Cannabidiol reduces the anxiety induced by simulated public speaking in treatment-naïve social phobia patients. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2011;36(6):1219-1226. Accessed online May 19 2022.
EPIDIOLEX- cannabidiol solution. DailyMed. Accessed online May 19 2022.
Fasinu PS, Phillips S, ElSohly MA, Walker LA. Current status and prospects for cannabidiol preparations as new therapeutic agents. Pharmacotherapy. 2016;36(7):781-796. Accessed online May 19 2022.
Good, P., Haywood, A., Gogna, G. et al. Oral medicinal cannabinoids to relieve symptom burden in the palliative care of patients with advanced cancer: a double-blind, placebo controlled, randomised clinical trial of efficacy and safety of cannabidiol (CBD). BMC Palliat Care. 2019;18:110. Accessed online May 19 2022.
Linares, Ila M. et al. Cannabidiol presents an inverted U-shaped dose-response curve in a simulated public speaking test. Brazilian Journal of Psychiatry. 2019;41(1):9-14. Accessed online May 19 2022.
Peres FF, Lima AC, Hallak JEC, Crippa JA, Silva RH, Abílio VC. Cannabidiol as a promising strategy to treat and prevent movement disorders?. Front Pharmacol. 2018;9:482. Accessed online May 19 2022.
Shannon S, Lewis N, Lee H, Hughes S. Cannabidiol in anxiety and sleep: a large case series. Perm J. 2019;23:18‐041. Accessed online May 19 2022.
