If your taking prescription medications or you have an ongoing medical condition, you should talk with your doctor before starting to take cannabidiol (CBD.)  Depending on the person, that conversation may seem intimidating.  But it doesn’t have to be.

What questions should you ask your doctor before taking CBD?  Here are 9 critical questions you should ask your doctor before starting CBD if you have a complicated medical condition:

1. Is CBD incompatible with any of my medications?
2. Should I adjust the dosage of any of my medications?
3. Is there anything about my current medical condition that makes CBD risky for me?
4. What side effects should I watch out for?
5. Are there any side effects that I should call you about immediately?
6. How long should it take to see the benefits of CBD?
7. Are there any normal activities I should stop doing until I know how CBD will affect me?
8. Do you want to see me for a check-up after I start taking CBD?

If you’re generally in good health and not taking any prescription drugs, you probably don’t need to talk with your doctor before incorporating CBD products into your daily routine.  But if you are taking any prescription medications or you have a medical condition, be sure to have a conversation with your doctor before starting with CBD.  I’m going to teach you one simple question that will help you ease right into the conversation.  Then you can proceed to ask the above 8 questions.

Do your own homework

CBD is actually quite new to the medical community.  Most doctors in practice right now have never received any formal training about CBD, or cannabis in general.  So in most cases, it will be really helpful if you spend some time doing a little research.  Here are some things you should be prepared with before visiting with your doctor about CBD:

• What condition are you hoping CBD will help with
• Why do you think it will help
• What product are you considering taking

I’ve written about several reasons somebody might consider taking CBD to improve their health.  Feel free to check out some of my other blog posts to get you started.  But there are lots of resources online where you can learn all sorts of information about CBD.  Spend a few minutes on Google and you’ll find plenty of information to share with your doctor.

In order to help you organize your thoughts and questions, I’ve put together a simple worksheet.  Click the image to the right to download.  Feel free to use this in order to be more prepared to talk with your doctor.  I’ve found that many times when you go in for a visit with your doctor, it’s easy to get caught up in the moment and forget to talk about what you wanted to talk about.  I hope this worksheet helps you get the answers you’re looking for.

Starting the conversation

Now that you’ve done your homework and prepared for the conversation with your doctor, how do you start it?  For some people, this is very simple.  For others, it may be a little intimidating to have this conversation.  If you’re in the second group, and you’re a little hesitant to have the CBD conversation with your doctor, here’s a simple question I recommend asking in order to start the conversation:

“Would it be innapropriate for me to ask you a few questions about CBD?”

State it just the way I wrote it.  By phrasing the question as I did, the obvious answer is “No”.  And people love to say no.  It’s much easier than saying “yes”.  When you say yes, it feels like you’re committing to something.  When you say no, you feel safe, as if you just got out of something.  Trust me, if you say it exactly as I wrote it, your doctor is going to say “no”.  It’s clearly not inappropriate for you to ask him or her a few questions about CBD.  This effectively starts the conversation in a way that will make your doctor feel at ease.

What are you hoping for

Remember the homework you did before going to see your doctor?  Now is the time to tell your doctor about it.  Tell them why you’re interested in taking CBD.  Don’t feel nervous or embarrassed.  Just let them know what you’ve learned and why you think it will help you.  They will likely be impressed that you’ve taken the time to look into this a little bit.  Go over a few of the resources you’ve found that caused you to become interested.  Some conditions have had more research done with CBD than others.  Don’t feel like you need to have tons of research articles to defend your hopes.

With CBD being so new, some doctors are not going to believe all the preliminary research that has been done on many conditions.  They may try to tell you that there aren’t any valid double-blind medical studies for your condition.  And they may be right.  But don’t let that stop you if you’re truly hopeful about CBD.  What you’re really wanting to know from your doctor is if your likely to have any adverse reactions from taking CBD.  And what to look for as far as side effects once you start taking it.  He or she doesn’t have to be convinced that it will help you before you give it a try.  So if their first reaction is, “no, you’re wasting your time”, don’t let that stop you from proceeding through the list of 8 questions.

Question #1: Is CBD incompatible with any of my current medications

What you’re trying to figure out here is if there are any dangerous drug interactions between CBD and any of the prescriptions you normally take that could cause you problems.  One of the things they’ll want to consider is how your current medications are metabolized, or removed from your body.  The majority of prescription medications are metabolized with a group of enzymes in your liver called P450 enzymes.  CBD is known to slow these enzymes down.  This means your current medications are potentially going to be staying in your system longer than normal.  You need to know if this is going to cause you any problems.  This naturally leads to question #2.

Question #2: Should I modify the dosage of any of my medications

If your doctor is concerned about any of your medications staying in your system longer because of CBD slowing down the enzymes in your liver, then ask if they’d recommend reducing the amount of medication you take.  Or possibly increasing the amount of time between doses.  Depending on the medication, this could be a pretty easy thing to modify.  They should be able to advise you about this.  Make sure you take good notes at this point or ask the doctor to write it down for you.  Then before you leave, make sure you’re very clear about what they’ve recommended for you to do.  You don’t want to get home and not be clear which medication you were supposed to take less of.

Question #3: Does my medical condition make CBD risky for me

If you aren’t taking any medications, or your doctor doesn’t see any risk of negative side effects between CBD and your medications, then is there anything about your health in general that makes CBD risky.  This isn’t likely to be the case.  CBD does not increase heart rate, blood pressure, or any other processes that could lead to poor health.  But it’s still worth asking.  If you have a tricky condition, your doctor will be able to tell you what’s in your best interest.

Questions #4: What side effects should I watch out for

At this point, hopefully your doctor has told you he or she isn’t opposed to you incorporating CBD into your system.  But is there anything in particular they want you to watch out for as you start out?  Your doctor may suggest you pay attention to certain things.  These will likely be related to any medications you currently take.  Be sure to write these down so you can remember them.

I’ve suggested in other posts that the first time you take CBD you should make sure you have someone near you whom you trust to care for you if for some reason you have a strange reaction.  It’s extremely unlikely that you will, but it’s good to be prepared just in case.

Question #5: Are there any side effects I should call you about immediately

This is also unlikely, but if they gave you some side effects to watch out for, it’s nice to know if any of them are serious enough that you need to call them immediately.  This is something we forgot to do a few times with our daughter when she has been prescribed new medications.  It can be scary when you notice something a little off and you don’t know if it’s something to call the doctor about or not.  So just ask it now so you don’t worry about it later.

Question #6: How long should I try CBD before seeing any benefits

This question may not be critical, but it’s worth asking.  CBD isn’t cheap, and if you have health insurance with pharmacy coverage, it won’t help you out with regards to buying CBD.  If CBD isn’t going to give you any benefits, then don’t keep spending money on it.  I would think you’ll feel the effects within a week or so of starting CBD.  I certainly wouldn’t go less than a week.  Most products on the market come with enough CBD for one month.  You might as well take it for a full month and see how you feel.  But listen to what your doctor says.  Perhaps he or she will recommend you take it for longer than a month before making a decision.  Some conditions take longer than others to respond to treatment.

Question #7: Are there any normal activities I should stop doing as I start taking CBD

Most people aren’t going to have any issues starting CBD.  But it’s still a good idea to take it easy for a day or so just to make sure you aren’t going to be overly tired or anything like that.  You don’t want to take it for the first time right before you head out for a long drive or right before going to operate heavy machinery.  Those would be bad ideas.  Start taking CBD on a day when there isn’t much going on and you can just relax if needed.  You should know pretty fast, within a few hours, how you’re going to feel with CBD.  But take it easy for a day or so.

Question #8: Do you want to see me for a check-up after I start

At this point, you’re just kind of ending the conversation.  It may be that your doctor would like to monitor you a little more frequently while you’re taking CBD.  It’s likely that this is new for your doctor.  You may be one of their first patients who’s taking CBD and it may make them more comfortable if they can see you shortly after you start CBD.  This is for your own safety.  They may be able to catch something you hadn’t been aware of before it becomes a serious problem.  So if they want to see you shortly after starting CBD don’t be alarmed, just be grateful you have a doctor who wants to be thorough and keep you safe.

Anything else?

You’re basically finished with your questions at this point.  Is there anything else the doctor would like to cover with you?  They’ve been kind enough to listen patiently and respond to your questions.  Now listen to them and see if they have anything else to say that may be important for you.  This may be a good time to get their opinion about the product your considering taking.  I’ve recommended several products that I think are worth starting with, but maybe they’ll have some other thoughts.

Be sure and thank them for listening and answering your questions.  Doctors are busy people and the fact that they were willing to take a few extra minutes to advise you is something to be acknowledged and thanked for.

CBD is very safe

As I’ve gone back and read through this post, it comes off a little scary.  Almost as if CBD is this scary medication that has lots of side effects or is not safe.  But that is not the case at all.  CBD is generally a very safe drug.  It’s always a good idea to talk to your doctor before starting on CBD, but if you’re generally in good health, you probably don’t need to.  This post was specifically targeted towards people who have a fairly serious medical condition that requires on going prescription medications and/or regular visits with their doctor.

I hope you’ll find the relief your hoping for with CBD.  There are lots of people who are experiencing better health than they’ve had in a long time thanks to CBD.  And it isn’t just for one condition either.  Because CBD works with your bodies Endocannabinoid System, which influences so many parts of your body, there is a wide array of benefits you can experience through CBD.  Please let me know when you find yours.

Related questions

Can you get in legal trouble for talking to your doctor about taking CBD?  No.  Section 5.05 of the Physician’s Code of Ethics states: “The information disclosed to a physician during the course of the relationship between physician and patient is confidential to the greatest possible degree.”  You can talk to your doctor about CBD without fear of getting into legal trouble.

Can my doctor prescribe CBD? A prescription is not required to purchase CBD.  However, the FDA has approved a new drug called Epidiolex for treatment of two rare forms of seisures.  This medication contains only CBD and may be prescribed by a doctor for those suffering from these forms of seizures.

Can I pay for CBD oil with my HSA or Flexible Spending Account (FSA)?  In order for an item to be paid for with your HSA, it must be considered a qualified out-of-pocket medical expense.  Currently, the IRS does not consider CBD to be a qualified medical expense.  Even if your doctor recommends it, CBD may not be paid for with an HSA or FSA.  You may access a list of IRS approved medical expenses HERE.