How To Find Your Ideal CBD Dosage

Whether you’re a CBD novice or a seasoned veteran, one of the most confusing parts of taking CBD is figuring out, “How much CBD should I take?” Beginners are never really sure where to start and those who have been taking CBD for a while find it frustrating that they don’t know if their dosage is optimized quite yet.

There are multiple reasons why it’s hard to dial in on your ideal CBD dosage. Most CBD brands offer different concentrations and have their own unique dropper. As a result, dosing can be confusing from one brand to another. Even once you find your go-to product, it can be hard to know for certain that you’re not taking too much or too little. BATCH is here to help eliminate confusion with some simple advice for finding your ideal CBD dosage.

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To start things off, it must be said that every single CBD expert out there will recommend starting with a lower dose of CBD and gradually increasing it until the desired effects are achieved. This is good advice, especially when you consider the principle of the Minimum Effective Dose (MED). In pharmacology, this is the principle that you want to take the smallest possible amount of a substance to achieve your desired outcome. Although your body doesn’t develop a tolerance to CBD (unlike THC or alcohol), you’ll still want to take the MED in order to save money in the long-run. This will also help you to better understand your own body and how any supplements or medications you take on a regular basis interact with one another.

The second piece of general advice is to talk to your doctor before you start taking CBD. If you’ve already begun taking CBD without talking to your doctor, we highly recommend you set up a phone call with them to make sure you’re both on the same page. Medical professionals are objective third-parties that will tell you if CBD is even a solution for you. If it is, they’ll often be your quickest path to finding your ideal CBD dosage. This is because your doctor will be aware of your previous or current medical conditions, prescribed medications, and will have a better idea of the severity of the condition you’re hoping to alleviate with CBD.

This is what makes the “everyone is different” trope so true but so frustrating. Yes, it’s true that your ideal CBD dosage will vary depending on the factors listed above. In all reality, they won’t change too drastically unless you’re moving from one end of the spectrum to the other. In general, know that larger bodies require more CBD to reach the same desired effect. Older folks, on the other hand, can expect to need slightly less CBD than those under fifty. Metabolism is hard to speak to because not many people are aware of their metabolic rate compared to the average. For this one, it’s important to use your past knowledge of how substances affect your body. For example, are you typically a “lightweight” when it comes to consuming alcohol, or do you need quite a bit of booze to get a buzz going? Now, this isn’t a very scientific approach but you understand what we’re getting at. This is known as your sensitivity to a substance and further complicates the dosing equation. Unfortunately, a little experimenting is going to be required to dial in your dose precisely.

To complete said experimentation effectively, keep in mind that you shouldn’t adjust your routine too quickly. If you don’t feel the desired results after day 1, don’t immediately double the dose on day 2. Try each dosage for at least 7 full days before deciding to increase or decrease your dosage. When you do, don’t change your dose, in either direction, by more than about 5-10mg. CBD relies on consistent, repeated use for optimal results just like most other supplements. Giving up on a dosage too fast can lead you to use too much CBD which can be costly.

Regardless of your age, height, and weight, your ideal CBD dosage might still change depending on the condition you’re taking CBD for. Some studies for anxiety suggest taking as much as 300mg daily to help combat it. In the world of CBD enthusiasts, it’s generally agreed upon that if you’re taking CBD to help you fall or stay asleep, a slightly larger dose could be helpful. The recommended dosage is about 25-40mg CBD about an hour prior to sleep. Keep in mind that as the severity of your condition increases, your ideal CBD dosage will likely increase with it. It’s important to be honest with yourself whether you are supplementing overall wellness with your CBD routine or seeking to manage a serious lifelong condition. CBD does have immense benefits for both these types of conditions and will have a large impact on your ideal CBD dosage.

Do you plan to take CBD just once a day or are you able to take it multiple times throughout? Ideally, you should split your daily dose into a morning and afternoon schedule. This will allow you to experience the peak benefits for the longest possible duration throughout the day. However, we’re all busy and some of us might have trouble finding even one time a day to incorporate CBD into our routines. If this is the case, take CBD just once daily, but up your dose by about 25%. This will ensure you feel the effects longer and will decrease the chances of your initial dose “wearing off”.

The form by which you consume CBD isn’t the most important factor, but there are still some small differences between the many methods you have available. For example, some ingestible forms of CBD such as softgels, gummies, candies, or other “edibles” will require a significantly greater amount of time before you feel their effects. That being said, the effects will last longer. This is in comparison to the standard CBD oil tincture with quicker effects and slightly shorter peaks.

When it comes to topical CBD products—those you apply to the surface of your skin—you don’t really have to worry about dosage at all. In general, we just direct people to apply as needed. As you become familiar with these topical lotions and balms, you’ll know fairly quickly what works for you. It’s also important to note that topical products will likely only have localized effects. This means that although they might produce amazing effects in relieving pain from a swollen knee, it won’t necessarily help with mental health issues such as anxiety. For more advice on when to use ingestible vs topical CBD products, check out this past blog: Finding a CBD Product That’s Right For You.

Overdosing should not be a concern of yours. Everything, even water, is toxic at some point. That being said, experts agree that it’s safe to take up to 600mg of CBD per day. That’s as much as some brands have in their entire 1 oz tincture! One study even found that taking up to 1500mg of CBD a day won’t have negative side effects. Common signs that you might be taking too much CBD will include dry mouth, fatigue, drowsiness, and diarrhea. The current estimate for a toxic dose of CBD is about 20,000mg taken all at once. Unless you gulp down about 5 whole tinctures of BATCH’s Gold Reserve blend (4000+ mg CBD), you’ll be fine.

In conclusion, we recommend taking your time when finding your ideal CBD dosage. Although we want all to experience the amazing natural benefits of CBD, we want everyone to arrive there efficiently. BATCH highly recommends opening communication between you and a medical professional. It’s much better to start slow and ramp up your dosage then to take too much too fast and waste perfectly good CBD oil. Be patient; while some companies may want you to see results as fast as possible, BATCH takes a no-shortcuts approach.