Can you develop a CBD tolerance?

Whether you’re new to CBD products or something of a veteran when it comes to this nifty wellness ingredient, you may well have been told about the importance of consistency. Many CBD advocates praise the benefits of maintaining a consistent dosing regime to achieve the desired effects. But this may make you wonder: can you build a tolerance to CBD?

The short answer to this question is: yes, you can build a tolerance to CBD.

Just like many other substances – including caffeine, alcohol, and even THC – maintained exposure to CBD can cause you to build up a tolerance. However, it’s important to note that little research has assessed this particular aspect of CBD use – particularly when it comes to food supplements. 

Our tolerance levels relate to how much of a certain substance we need to consume before we feel its effects. Take coffee, for example, if you drink a cup every morning, you might soon notice that your usual single serving no longer gives you that same boost. This happens because your regular intake has increased your tolerance to its active principle: caffeine.

In simple terms, tolerance is your body’s way of adapting to a new substance, whether this is caffeine or CBD, as your body strives to maintain a state of homeostasis (balance). Taking any substance regularly, can mean we develop a tolerance to it.

Now that we’ve covered the basics, let’s delve deeper into the science behind CBD tolerance specifically. 

Few studies have focused on tolerance to CBD. However, a 2020 study involving 92 patients with treatment-resistant epilepsy did aim to assess the development of tolerance to the anti-seizure effects of a 20:1 ratio of CBD:THC cannabis oil. In this study, tolerance was defined as either a need to increase the dose by 30% or more due to reduced efficacy, or an increase of 30% or more in the average monthly seizure frequency.

Tolerance, as per this definition, was observed in 21 of 84 (25%) participating patients after a mean duration of seven months. The researchers concluded that these results may suggest limitations of the long-term use of medical-grade CBD oil for the treatment of refractory epilepsy. But while this study may offer a brief insight into the body’s ability to build a CBD oil tolerance at high doses, we know far less about our body’s response to over-the-counter CBD products.

It’s important to note that commercially available CBD products are nowhere near as potent as the medical CBD oil used in this study. Moreover, the CBD products available over the counter are not intended for the treatment of any specific medical condition, so the effects of gradual CBD tolerance are likely to be slower and of far less consequence. 

How fast CBD tolerance develops depends on many factors, including genetics, age and lifestyle. However, If you want to limit your tolerance to CBD, we recommend starting off with a low dose and gradually increasing it until you achieve the desired outcome.

While building up a tolerance to CBD is a potential outcome of prolonged and consistent use, simply increasing your dose a little at a time could help counteract this. While increasing the dose, it’s important to keep track of any potential side effects from CBD exposure. The most commonly reported side effects include a dry mouth and drowsiness.

• Start off with the lowest dose

• Allow enough time for the cumulative effect to take place

• Increase your dose slowly, and keep track of any side effects

Now that you know how to limit potential tolerance build-up, discover our range of CBD products .