This is a question that comes up alot and because many people are taking prescription drugs, it’s good to know if CBD will interfere or interact with those drugs. I am not a healthcare provider and if you have any questions or doubts, please check with your healthcare provider regarding interactions.
CBD and other plant cannabinoids can potentially interact with many pharmaceuticals by inhibiting the activity of cytochrome P450, a family of liver enzymes. This key enzyme group metabolizes most of the drugs we consume, including more than 60 percent of marketed meds.
At sufficient dosages, CBD will temporarily deactivate cytochrome P450 enzymes, thereby altering how we metabolize a wide range of compounds, including tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which causes the high that cannabis is famous for.
According to one article I recently read, CBD should never be taken with Clobazam or Valproic Acid. But most people fall into the second category of being aware and cautious when taking prescription drugs with CBD. It all has to do with Cytochrome P450 enzymes. Taking CBD with certain drugs may either increase or decrease how quickly your liver enzymes are able to break down the drugs, so they might reduce or intensify the drugs effects. Here a list of some of the category of drugs that might interact with CBD:
Muscle relaxers
Bronchodilators
Antidepressants
Antipsychotics
Beta blockers
Cancer medicines
Pain relivers
Epilepsy drugs
Diabetes drugs
Anti Inflammatories
Blood thinners
Benzodiazepines and more!
THE GRAPEFRUIT JUICE TEST:
There is a simpler way to help identify whether CBD could potentially interact with your prescription medication. It invovles asking whether or not it is safe to drink grapefruit juice! Harvard Medical School indicates that CBD can increase the level in your blood of the blood thinner coumadin and also raise levels of certain other medications in your blood by the exact same mechanism that grapefruit does.. So if you have bee told or there is a warning on your prescription bottles that says “DO NOT DRINK OR EAT GRAPEFRUIT WHILE ON THIS DRUG” then there is a possibility it might be unsafe to take CBD as well.
It is always a good idea to take CBD tinctures away from any prescription drug you take so that they don’t compete or interact.
For further reading on the subject here is a link to a ProjectCBD article https://www.projectcbd.org/medicine/cbd-drug-interactions/p450