The Best Way to Try CBD in Stages

If you suffer from symptoms like chronic pain, insomnia, anxiety or seizures, you may be interested in trying CBD to help manage your symptoms and find relief. There are many ways to administer CBD to enjoy its possible health benefits and effects, though it may take a little experimentation to find the right dose. The best way to try CBD in stages is with one product and a slow increase in dosage, until you find a symptom-busting dose that works for you. 

CBD is a cannabinoid found in cannabis and hemp plants, though it won't cause a psychoactive effect or high like THC would. Further, CBD is now legal to buy, sell, and use in most parts of the US. 

As always, be sure to talk to your doctor before starting a CBD regimen, especially if you want to use it to help treat seizures. Here's everything you need to know about how to try CBD in stages: 

1. Pick a quality product and delivery method

The best way to try CBD is to start with one product or delivery method. There are hundreds of different CBD products out there, including lotions, tinctures, capsules, oils, suppositories, and edibles. The product you choose will determine how soon you can begin feeling the effects and how long they will last. Here's a breakdown of product types and delivery methods: 

Brand Quality

you choose a brand of CBD, it's incredibly important to choose a reputable brand, made naturally from quality hemp. It should also have readily available 3rd-party lab results.  One of the best sources of CBD is Oregon, for example. A great place to start is with a reputable company who offers great products, and perhaps subscriptions as well, like RootedHempCo.com.

Oral Delivery

With oral delivery, you take a CBD-infused tincture or CBD oil and hold it under your tongue until it's absorbed into your bloodstream. You can expect to start feeling the onset of effects in 15 minutes, so it's crucial that you dose yourself correctly. As with any orally delivered CBD product, start at a lower dose and work your way up so you can stay in control, but we'll touch on that in the next steps. Oral products are often longer-lasting, too. Some CBD tinctures can leave effects on the body for up to 24 hours. 

Edibles 

Edibles get a bad reputation even though they're by far the easiest way to consume cannabis safely. With edible delivery, you have to digest the CBD through a baked good or a CBD capsule and begin metabolizing it in your body before you can start to feel the effects. This can take as little as 30 minutes for some people and up to two hours for others. When the dose finally kicks in, it'll be twice as intense as a dose from smoking or otherwise. If you start with a low dose and be patient, you'll be pleased to find all-day relief with CBD products that last up to 8 hours.

Topicals

Topical CBD delivery (in the forms of lotions, salves, and creams) is mostly for people who suffer from chronic pain and inflammation. Topicals provide all of the benefits of CBD for the body by absorbing the cannabinoids through the skin. Spreading some lotion or a salve on arthritic hands can help clear up the pain in a few minutes, though they will need to be reapplied frequently. 

Suppositories 

A newer delivery method, suppositories are great for people who have chronic pain or gastrointestinal issues like ulcerative colitis, IBS and Crohn's Disease. They also work for people who suffer from menstrual cramps, people who have trouble eating and keeping food down, and people who don't like the other delivery methods. CBD suppositories kick in in a matter of minutes and last all day. 

Inhalation 

The inhalation delivery method is the fastest acting, so it provides the quickest relief. By inhaling CBD smoke through a vape or CBD-flower, you're introducing the CBD into your lungs which spreads the CBD through your blood and to your brain in a matter of seconds. The downside to inhalation is that the highs usually peak after 15 minutes and you'll need to take another hit after 45 minutes or so.  Also, there have been a lot of recent concerns within the health industry regarding vaping, so this is not a highly recommended method.

All in all, you have a lot of options when it comes to CBD. Keep in mind that the best way to try CBD is in stages with one specific product until you find the perfect dose. 

2. Start with a low dose 

Regardless of which product you choose, you'll want to start with a small dose to get a feel for how you react to CBD. We suggest always talking to your doctor before adding CBD to your daily supplement regimen. Your doctor will have a better idea for a good starting dose since they have more insight on your age, height, weight, and medical conditions. 

However, a good rule of thumb is to start low and slowly increase your dose until your symptoms are manageable. Some people have a low tolerance to cannabinoids like CBD and will only need about 5mgs to help manage pain while others will need over 100mgs. The best way to try CBD is to start with a low dose and work your way up in stages. 

It's important to stick to one product while you adjust to the dose and delivery method. Once you find the correct dose with one product, you can begin the process again with other products and delivery methods. 

3. Increase your dose every week

The best way to try CBD is in stages. Your first dose may be a very small one at 5mgs, but if you find that it does very little for your symptoms, you can jump up by 5-10mgs per week until you find your perfect dose. 

Think of each week as a new stage. During week one, you'll start with 5mgs and see how it affects you throughout the week. Keep in mind that you can't just jump to the next dose immediately because CBD doesn't work that way. CBD promotes homeostasis in the body, and for it to achieve a balance of effects you need to take a consistent dose for a minimum of one week to see how the levels in your body are affected. 

Each week, you can up your dose by 5-10mg. It's important to monitor your symptoms and level of pain closely during this time to see how you feel during the adjustment period. Repeat this process for a couple of weeks until your symptoms feel manageable. 

4. Stop increasing your dose when your symptoms feel manageable 

Once you achieve a level of comfort and pain relief that makes your symptoms feel less intense, you can stop upping your dose. Typically, you'll experience noticeable effects of CBD at about 30 mg. However, everybody's body functions differently, so this dose may be higher or lower for your symptoms. 

Once you have one product type, dosage, and delivery method figured out, you can begin experimenting with other products in the same way. The best way to try CBD in any of its forms is in stages, so be sure to start low and go slow until you find what works for you. 

All in all, anecdotal evidence and scientific study shows that CBD may be an effective treatment option for many different ailments, both physical and mental. Always be sure to talk to your doctor before taking CBD, and always get a feel for products and delivery methods in stages before diving right into a high dose. A little CBD goes a long way!