Daniel Clauw, an MD and professor at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, is an expert in chronic pain. The professor and doctor refuses to write off CBD’s potential benefits just because the data is currently accumulated with primarily anecdotal evidence, which is why he regularly recommends CBD to his patients.
Clauw often points out that most of the negative side effects of cannabinoids come from THC rather than CBD, and he makes a point to explain that CBD is a safe, effective treatment option for the pain one experiences from arthritic pain. At the time, he was referring to a recent trial that touched on CBD’s potential at being a therapeutic target for osteoarthritis in the knee.
Start Gradually and Work Up
When trying to incorporate CBD into your daily routine (after you’ve spoken about it with your certified medical professional, we hope), it’s important to start small and work your way up from there.
The first step is to always take small, low servings. Increase only once you find the lower doses are simply not effective for what you need.
If this is your first time trying CBD oil, or trying it for pain, you may need to experiment with the serving sizes until you find the one that makes you feel most comfortable. On the bright side, most users find they needed a lower dose than they originally would’ve figured, as low doses are what seem to work best for pain relief – especially if pain from arthritis is a central focus.
Try Pure CBD First
You don’t have to go full CBD isolate, but Clauw did recommend using a pure CBD product that’s free of THC. Instead of using CBD and THC in combination, he guides his patients on starting with daily servings of CBD – perhaps less than 10mg.
This goes especially for those that know they’re sensitive to cannabinoids. It’s also best to read the instructions and not go that much over what the recommended serving size on the bottle suggests.
Speak with a Doctor
We always recommend talking with your doctor or another certified medical professional before you decide to incorporate CBD into your everyday routine.
If you’re on other medications or have a condition that you’ve had to treat with medicine in the past, we cannot stress enough that you should be open and honest with your doctor about the CBD you’re using. While nothing is fatal, CBD does have the potential to interact with other medications in a negative way.
Start in the Evening
Eventually, you’ll start incorporating CBD into your morning routine as well, but we recommend most people start in the evening. Taking CBD only at night, you should settle into bed for the evening about 30 minutes after you’ve taken your serving.
The best way to take CBD oil for pain is by applying drops under your tongue for at least 90 seconds. If you can, swish the oil around, making it absorb into the gums and along the inside of your mouth as much as possible before your swallow.
Stick with Something Easy
CBD oil or another CBD product that’s common to see, like a capsule or gummy, are safe, easy products to start with. If you’re new to CBD oil for pain, start with a lower dose than the recommended serving size suggests, and stick with a company that allows you to play around with the serving size until you find what fits.
Final Thoughts
We don’t pretend to make medical claims, because we know we don’t have all the answers yet. What we do know is that CBD has a massive potential to provide relief for certain types of pain. It may specifically be able to help with chronic and severe chronic pain, including inflammatory pain that plagues 23% of US adults. We hope our guide on how to best utilize CBD helps you find the relief from pain you were looking for.