Can I Use Nectar Wellness Supercharged™ CBD Products with My Other Prescription or Non-Prescription Medications?

Did you know Nectar Wellness’ lineup of Supercharged™ Gummies, Supercharged™ CBD Oil, and Supercharged™ CBD Cream are all easy to take, gentle on the body and, of course, highly effective. These products are great for people of all ages and daily needs, with clean ingredients, lab-tested hemp extracts and potency levels that can give you the results you’re looking for.
But, if you’re taking a medication of some kind, you may need to consider your hemp routine a little more carefully. As it turns out, cannabidiol seems to have a unique relationship with an enzyme produced in the body that is responsible for metabolizing a lot of medications, both prescription and over the counter.

CBD and Medications: What You Need to Know!
CYP3A4 is an enzyme that’s found in the liver and large intestine of the body, and even has the important role of breaking down many organic molecules commonly found in drugs. In order for drugs to metabolize, CYP3A4 needs to be abundant enough to properly break down these molecules.

Cannabidiol can essentially bind up CYP3A4 in the body, meaning that there’s less of the enzyme available to metabolize the drugs we consume. This becomes a problem when the drugs are not metabolizing fast enough, and as we continue to take each dose, these molecules are accumulating in the blood stream since they’re not fully breaking down. This can, in severe cases, lead to drug toxicity.

But, the thing is that CYP3A4 doesn’t break down every medication that we take. CYP3A4 is also suppressed with grapefruit, so if you have a medication that advises against consuming grapefruit, this means that CBD is likely to play a role in the drug’s metabolization as well.

Some drugs that CYP3A4 metabolizes includes:

• Sedatives
• Antidepressants
• Corticosteroids
• Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
• Opioids
• Blood pressure medications

There are many drugs that are metabolized through this enzyme, and this is not an extensive list.

Why Dosage and Timing May Matter So Much?
Unsurprisingly, the dosage of both the CBD and the drug you’re taking matters. The higher the dosages of each, the more likely an interaction is to occur. There’s also the matter of timing. The closer you take the two together, the more likely it is that the two will interact. Each drug metabolizes at a different rate, with some metabolizing within 24 hours, some shorter, and some longer. So, with some drugs, if you take a dose and then take CBD the next day, there won’t be any interaction at all.

How Can the Delivery Method Make a Difference, Too?
Another thing that’s worth pointing out is that the delivery method of the CBD can matter a lot. Internal methods like edibles and tinctures seem to have a larger suppressant effect on CYP3A4, while topicals, which absorb through the skin and mainly remain localized, may not have nearly as much of an effect on the levels of CYP3A4 in the system.

Still, Your Doctor Knows Best
Ultimately, the only person who can help you determine whether or not it’s safe to mix CBD with a medication is your doctor. Only a licensed doctor is authorized to offer medical advice. Besides that, your doctor will be able to take into account your medical history, current medication routine and current CBD usage to determine which course of action is right for you.

Overall, a lot of daily CBD users take an over-the-counter drug from time to time with no issues, for example, but taking a strong prescription medication with a high daily dose of CBD may be a different story. And, based on the state of your liver and digestive system, you may be at a higher or lower risk of a negative interaction.

At the end of the day, we can only offer so much guidance when it comes to mixing CBD with medications. That’s because we’re not doctors, and medical advice is highly personalized, depending a lot on the user’s individual factors. So, again, if you do want to take CBD and you’re on a medication, best to speak to your physician, who can take all of your unique needs into account to give you the best guidance possible.