What is the Right CBD Dose for Joint Pain?

Over-the-counter drugs have prescription labels that state their recommended dosage and advice on how they should be used according to a physician’s instructions. 

CBD prescription isn’t that simple due to its availability in various forms (oils, creams, pills, and edibles), its unregulated production, and the multiple delivery methods, including oral, inhalation, and topical methods. 

CBD and Joint Pain

Your body may release chemicals that cause inflammation, which causes your joints to become sore and painful. When your joints become inflamed, you’ll also feel pain in your muscles. When this happens, you may suffer from arthritis. Many people turn to over-the-counter medications such as a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug or an analgesic drug, such as ibuprofen, for joint and body pains. However, some people hesitate to take synthetic over-the-counter medications due to possible side effects. Many people would prefer to try other natural options that provide pain relief and with little to no side effects. 

One of the options that they may want to check out is the use of medical marijuana. In fact, this type of treatment is becoming quite popular due to its health benefits and more states are allowing medical marijuana usage. If you suffer from chronic pain, then this is probably one of your best options.

Medical marijuana provides a natural alternative to synthetic medicines, and it doesn’t come with the side effects associated with prescription drugs. For instance, when you’re taking synthetic medication, such as over-the-counter drugs, to treat your pain, you may also experience problems like drowsiness, nausea, depression, headaches, memory loss, anxiety, and even loss of appetite. Many people who are using medical marijuana claim that they don’t experience similar negative side effects, most especially if they take it in the right dosage. 

Right CBD Dose For Joint Pain

But how do you determine the right dosage for CBD? To help you out, here are the guidelines to follow for safe and effective use of CBD to manage joint pain: 

1. Expert Advice

Metabolism and past health records are some of the factors that need to be considered in the process of determining the right CBD dose for pain. Your health information and the appropriate dose to take is best figured out with your medical doctor’s advice. 

Based on their knowledge of your condition, your doctor will be able to guide you on the right amount and directions when using CBD. They’ll also help you keep track of the doses, and if they haven’t noticed the desired effects, they’ll give further advice on how to take CBD best. 

As a general guide, users take between 5mg and 600mg of CBD daily to treat varying severities of pain-related symptoms, such as arthritis, joint inflammation, osteoporosis, lupus, and joint overuse.  

2. Severity of Pain

To address the degree of pain a person may be experiencing, CBD dosages vary widely. If your pain is mild to a moderate level, a small CBD dose may be needed. On the other hand, a high dose may be suitable for a patient with severe pain.  

If you’re suffering from severe chronic pain, you can be placed on a CBD pain management program, which means that CBD will be administered in higher doses. You’ll be under the care of medical professionals who’ll prescribe proper medications for your pain.  

Ensure you’re taking your CBD doses correctly by doing the following: 

• Don’t take more than what’s prescribed by your health care provider. 
• CBD shouldn’t be taken with other medications, such as aspirin or acetaminophen.  
• Follow your doctor’s instructions on the proper drug administration, such as time and frequency of intake. 
• Adhere to the specified mode of delivery such as oral, inhalation, and topical methods. 
• Be cautious about the THC content of your CBD product before using it. 

3. Body Weight

The dosage of CBD also varies according to your body weight. People who have normal body weight usually start their CBD dosages on a small basis, between 10 to 20mg per day, depending on their condition. 

When using CBD for the pain, you shouldn’t consume more than your body needs, hence the proper dosages are crucial to your health. If you take more than what’s required, you could have many unwanted side effects. 

4. Incremental Dosages

This is one of the best ways to personally find the right dosage for CBD pain relief. You can choose a small dosage between 7 mg to 14 mg thrice daily and observe for a week to see how your body interacts with the initial dose. 

Then, take note if there are any changes in the pain you’re experiencing. If there are no changes, that is, you still feel pain in your joints, you can increase your dosage by 2 to 3mg at a 3-day interval. Thus, your new dosage can range from 9-17 mg thrice daily. 

For example, you can start at 14 mg three times a day if you feel you’re in a lot of pain. Observe for a week, and if you don’t feel relieved, increase your dose to 17 mg, three times a day for three days. If you don’t feel pain anymore, continue with this dose, otherwise, you can take 20 mg, thrice a day for the next three days. If you still don’t feel relieved, up the dosage to 23 mg in the next three days. Do this until you’ve witnessed a considerable reduction in pain.

When you feel relieved of pain, you can then start reducing the dosage by a single 3mg increment to see if you can use a lower dose. If you’re following the given example, your new dosage should then be 21 mg three times a day. Revert this reduction if you don’t get the desired results.

Side Effects

Every drug has side effects, some of which are only more noticeable than others. CBD’s side effects include lack of appetite, dry mouth, drowsiness, and fatigue. If you notice any of these side effects when treating pain, you should consider changing your dosage based on your doctor’s advice. 

A sudden halt of its usage isn’t advisable for long-term users because it can also result in withdrawal symptoms. A gradual reduction until all side effects are gone is the best strategy to adopt.  

Final Thoughts

CBD is a potent pain treatment that’s generally considered safe to use with very minimal side effects. Its different product types and delivery methods make it important to establish a safe dosage for pain. 

The first step is to consult a doctor for their prescribed CBD dosage for you, which may be accurate since they have knowledge of your past health records and your internal body make up. The severity of pain and your body weight are other considerable factors in knowing the right CBD dose. 

Take note of any side effects you’ve experienced in your intake and use it to reduce your dosage until these effects are reduced. Attempt an incremental dosage approach to establish which dose works for you.

Reference: https://highlandpharms.com/cbd-for-inflammation-what-the-science-says/