CBD Oil and Beta-Blockers, Can You Take Both? Here’s What to Do!
Posted by Prescription Hope - See Editorial Guidelines (Last Updated On: Fri Feb 10 2023)
Perhaps you’re taking beta-blockers, and you want to know if CBD oil and Beta-blockers can be taken together. Or could CBD potentially replace the need for Beta-blockers?
So, we’re diving into more details around this subject. But here’s the quick answer to get us started.
CBD Oil and Beta-Blockers, what happens? Many take CBD and beta-blockers together to reduce blood pressure levels quickly or reduce/relieve beta-blockers’ side effects by using CBD oil. Doing this results in an unhealthy level of low blood pressure. This is because CBD oil inhibits the body’s ability to metabolize beta-blockers.
Why Are CBD Oil And Beta Blockers Taken Together?
CBD is a natural supplement that has shown effectiveness in controlling and healing a variety of medical conditions. One of the medical conditions that CBD has shown high potential to control is lowering high blood pressure.
CBD alone, with no other medications or supplements, has positive results for patients with high blood pressure.
So, the first and foremost reason patients combine CBD with heart medications like beta-blockers is for high efficacy.
Meaning, many patients combine CBD with beta-blockers to experience an effective reduction of high blood pressure or expect stabilized blood pressure levels throughout the day.
The second and perhaps the most overlooked reason why CBD oils are combined with beta-blockers is to negate the side effects of beta-blockers.
How CBD Oil Helps Relieve the Side Effects of Beta-Blockers
Some of the most common side effects of beta-blockers are nausea and fatigue. Many user experiences believe the use of CBD has a high potential to relieve these common side effects.
However, some users also state, CBD oil may sometimes worsen the side effects of beta-blockers if you take the wrong dose.
CBD oil in general helps to reduce the experience of nausea across a range of health conditions. This can range from general motion sickness to chemotherapy-induced nausea.
Along these lines, some users also make the connection that the use of CBD oil will also help to negate nausea induced by beta-blockers. This is why some will advocate for taking CBD oil if you begin to feel nauseous after taking a beta-blocker.
CBD is also being studied in an ongoing process to assess its effectiveness in promoting wakefulness.
Surprisingly, many studies have concluded that taking smaller doses of CBD oil helps increase wakefulness, alleviating daytime sleepiness caused by factors like sleep apnea, substance abuse, or certain medications.
So, it’s reasonable to say that patients who experience fatigue or drowsiness as a result of beta-blockers may find relief in taking CBD oil along with beta-blockers.
There’s also the question of whether CBD causes headaches.
Interactions of CBD Oil and Beta-Blockers
CBD is a natural compound and is generally considered very safe with tolerant compounds. This also makes CBD oil exhibit very few unintended side effects.
However, CBD oil inhibits the cytochrome P-450 enzyme system in the liver. So, because of this, any medications that use this cytochrome P-450 enzyme system as a pathway for processing the medication face a threat or a risk.
One such medication that uses this specific pathway for processing medications is beta-blockers. So, CBD oil can interact with beta-blockers, and in turn, the effectiveness of both beta-blockers and CBD oil may be undermined.
Giving a clearer breakdown of this, the P-450 enzyme system breaks down toxins into substances the body can process.
These toxins include certain medications too. Taking CBD oil, along with natural compounds like grapefruits, has resulted in slowing down the metabolic process of the P-450 enzyme pathway.
CBD Inhibits Pathways
When the P-450 pathway is filled or occupied with something like CBD oil, the time taken for your body to process other things, like beta-blockers, is delayed.
This is because CBD inhibits the pathway’s ability to break down the medication and enable it to work in the body.
When the beta-blockers are not broken down, higher amounts of active ingredients stay in the system for a longer period. Not only that, but the active ingredients from beta-blockers also stay unmetabolized for longer in the P-450 pathway.
This delayed time required to process and metabolize beta-blockers increases the likelihood that you’d experience the side effects of the interaction.
So, it’s pretty clear, CBD oil can interact with beta-blockers, and the primary reason for this comes with CBD oil inhibiting your body’s ability to break down beta-blockers.
Side Effects of Combining CBD Oil and Beta Blockers
The side effects of taking CBD oil and beta-blockers include low to very low blood pressure.
This is because beta-blockers are designed in a way to reduce your heart rate by slowing down or preventing the release of the stress hormone “adrenaline.” This is primarily how beta-blockers help with lowering blood pressure and relieving stress.
On the other hand, CBD oil does the same thing. CBD oil relieves stress and is shown to be effective in lowering high blood pressure.
Nevertheless, CBD oil also amplifies the effects of beta-blockers. This means as beta-blockers reduce high blood pressure, CBD reduces the blood pressure even further.
This will result in your body lowering blood pressure beyond what would be considered healthy.
Feeling tired, lethargic, dizzy, and weak are some common symptoms of low blood pressure. In extreme cases, such as when your blood pressure reduces too much, you could faint or even move into a state of shock, which are all medical emergencies.
How to Safely Use CBD Oil with Beta-Blockers
As it’s clear, both CBD oil and beta-blockers reduce blood pressure levels, so the key to using both safely is to find the right balance.
To find the right balance, the first and foremost thing to do is consult your doctor.
You can also speak to a professional in alternative medicine who specializes in CBD-based medical treatments.
It would be typically recommended that if you were to combine CBD oil and beta-blockers that you start with the lowest dose possible. You can then gradually increase your dose if need be. However, you must consult your doctor for medical advice to ensure you are not putting yourself at any risk.
Tolerance to CBD Oil
Some patients find their body beginning to build a tolerance to CBD oil. This means that they can phase out the use of beta-blockers.
For this, you can try lowering the dose of beta-blockers and gradually increase your CBD oil dosage.
However, this must be done under the guidance and advice of your doctor.
To Close
For some, CBD oil might be seen as a natural alternative to beta-blockers, and this may be the case for you. But tread with caution. Beta-blockers can serve as a life-preserving medication and should not be messed with lightly.
So, before taking CBD oil and beta-blockers, always consult your doctor regarding any changes in these medications.
If you’re having trouble affording any of your medications, then Prescription Hope may be able to help. Enroll with us and see if you qualify to pay only $60.00 a month through Prescription Hope’s medication access service for each of your medications.
