In this article, we will talk about CBD and Gabapentin, their potential interactions, and whether or not you can use them safely together.
If you’re suffering from neuropathy, there is a good chance you’ve been prescribed Neurontin or Gabapentin. This is one of the most popular drugs for the particular condition.
And while this is a common drug used by a lot of people, there are still some things you need to be mindful of. For example, you need to consider how this drug works with other substances.
CBD and Gabapentin are two products that might cause issues when used simultaneously. Nowadays, a lot of people use CBD or cannabidiol on a daily basis.
It has become a popular wellness item used to harmonize internal processes. Although regarded as safe, it does come with a set of side effects and potential issues.
What is CBD?
CBD or cannabidiol is a popular wellness product that has taken the US market by storm. When we talk about cannabidiol, we usually refer to CBD oil.
However, this product comes in various other shapes and forms. Depending on the product type and administration method, medicinal hemp items may have a certain effect on your body.
CBD products are generally extracted from the hemp plant. You can also get them from marijuana, but due to high THC content and lower CBD content, most manufacturers prefer using hemp for these particular items.
Given that it’s extracted from hemp and not marijuana, these shouldn’t get you high unless you abuse them. Furthermore, these products are limited to 0.3% THC content, which isn’t enough to cause a psychedelic effect.
We are still learning about CBD’s potential benefits. A lot of our knowledge is based on presumptions and anecdotal evidence.
How does it work?
Scientists believe that cannabidiol and other cannabinoids are able to interact with the endocannabinoid system, which is responsible for numerous internal functions. Keeping in mind that the use of CBD may lead to various metabolic improvements, cannabidiol’s potential range of benefits is almost limitless.
Medicinal hemp is regarded as safe. If you do experience issues, they might come in the form of drowsiness, change in appetite, change in blood pressure, dry mouth. The substance is not toxic unless you take extreme quantities of it.
But, as long as you take a normal dose, based on your weight and metabolism, you shouldn’t encounter any severe issues.
Potential benefits of CBD include:
- Improved focus and memory
- Positive impact on muscles
- Mood improvement
- Better, uninterrupted sleep
- Various other smaller and bigger boosts
According to some data, CBD might also provide some benefits for neuropathy. Unfortunately, there is simply not enough data to make any conclusive statement.
CBD and Gabapentin: How does CBD interact with drugs?
Again, we don’t know how CBD might interact with other drugs. In some cases, it might boost their impact, and in others, it might blunt it.
One of the major concerns is how medicinal hemp affects enzymes in our stomachs. According to some data, it might prevent their creation or prevent them from functioning properly.
This can be a major issue if you’re using any medication. For example, some of these enzymes are used to break down drugs within the stomach.
If they’re not working as intended, the drug will remain in your body for a longer period of time, thus increasing the odds of side effects. But, given that Gabapentin is removed from the body in a unique way, it might not need enzymes to break it down. We will talk about this a bit more in the following section.
If you wish to address this potential problem, we suggest that you spread the use of CBD and Gabapentin. For example, if you’re using Gabapentin at a certain time during the day, make sure to wait for a few hours before administering CBD. This would give your body enough time to process Gabapentin, and then you can use medicinal hemp on “an empty stomach.”
In case that CBD really has a positive impact on neuropathy, it might be used in conjunction with Gabapentin. However, at this moment, this is more within the realm of theory. There is no evidence that would corroborate such presumption, which is why you need to be vigilant when using Gabapentin and CBD simultaneously.
Also, keep in mind that the use of these two substances may lead to some unpredicted drawbacks, side effects that are not common for CBD or Gabapentin.
How does the body metabolize Gabapentin?
Most of the drugs within the human body are metabolized by CYP enzyme system. But, this isn’t the case with Gabapentin. It is quite rare in the sense that the body will not fully process it, but instead, it will remove it through urine or execration.
As we’ve already mentioned, CBD shouldn’t cause the same issue with Gabapentin as it does with other medications. In most cases, cannabidiol will cause trouble because it will block enzymes. However, given that Gabapentin’s removal is not really affected by the enzymes, there shouldn’t be a clear interaction between CBD and the drug.
One of the things you need to consider is using high quantities of CBD. This substance can create a strong sedative effect when used in a higher dosage.
This can be really bad when you combine it with central nervous system depressants such as Gabapentin as it can increase the odds of addiction.
Where to buy high-quality CBD?
In order to reduce some of the potential risks, we suggest that you buy high-quality CBD products. Here are some tips that will help you find the right supplier:
- Only purchase from companies that performing third-party lab testing. This provides additional safety for the users.
- Needless to say, focus on companies with good ratings and reviews. This is especially important within the hemp industry as there are lots of shady manufacturers out there.
- If a company also provides white label and private label services, this is a good sign they are popular/reputable among their peers.