If you are on certain medications such as Effexor, is it okay for you to be on CBD oil? Will the two counter-react or will they work together for the best?
What is Effexor?
Effexor, also sold under the brand name Venlafaxine, is an antidepressant medication. It comes in the form of tablets which should be taken once to thrice every day, usually after meals. It is a pretty common drug, not just in the UK, but also elsewhere including in the USA.
How do CBD and Effexor interact with each other?
CBD (cannabidiol oil), being natural, non-toxic and purely organic, has a high tolerance for other medications. This means that CBD oil should fair quite well when taken together with other meds. At mild and moderate doses, one should not have any problems taking CBD oil and Effexor/Venlafaxine together. There are documented cases of people taking these two substances without any issues whatsoever.
There has been some concern that taking a high dosage of CBD oil together with Effexor could trigger a manic/psychotic episode. This could be true if one uses very high levels of CBD oil or cannabis. However, it is important to note that Effexor can cause mania all on its own, seeing how that is one of its side effects.
The other main concern is that CBD oil could prevent the breakdown of other medications, Effexor included, by inhibiting the liver enzymes that metabolize these medications. However, the risk of this happening is only present if very high amounts of CBD oil have been consumed.
Using CBD together with Effexor
CBD oil is known for its antidepressant and anti-anxiety effects. So, from the onset, taking both Effexor and CBD oil could be counter-intuitive. In fact, the two almost work in the same way by triggering the release of bliss molecules and hormones in the brain to uplift mood. You can take the two together. However, if you’re like most people, you’ll want to wean yourself off of Effexor and switch to CBD oil.
Weaning off Effexor using CBD oil
It is wise to wean yourself off Effexor and switch to CBD oil because the former has loads of negative side effects. Effexor also has a strong negative withdrawal reaction too. A typical weaning process includes lowering your Effexor intake by 50% and starting on about 100mg of CBD oil.