Im thinking of using hemp gummies for painful arthritis, what can I expect in terms of feeling relief? How fast does it work? Do i need to take multiple consumptions for it to start working in the system? Will the relief effects wear off after I stop feeling it?
I start consuming 15mg when i wake up and 15mg later in the day, but as many of you know... this can get pricey.
Here are what the experts say about how long CBD gummies last, the effects of CBD, and how to dose your edible gummies.
Article Highlights
- The effects of CBD can last up to 3-4 hours after ingestion, and depends on your personal biochemistry.
- Maximum effects of CBD gummies range from 30 to 120 minutes.
- To get the best effects of CBD gummies, you need to try different amounts to find the dose that works for you.
- For savings, you can try CBDA gummies, since they have over 450% better absorption than CBD gummies, you can take much less to get the beneficial effects.
Tell me the effect of CBD on half life?
All drugs and compounds that we ingest are metabolized and excreted within some timeframe, with some also being stored in fat. The half life of a compound is how long it takes the body to remove half the maximum concentration from your blood.
Both CBD and CBDA are rapidly metabolized from the blood, meaning they both have a short elimination half life. For CBD oil, the half life was reported as a range from about 30-45 minutes, and for CBDA oil, it was a little longer at 40-55 minutes.
CBDA is the precursor cannabinoid to CBD, and is natural state found in the hemp flower. CBDA has over 450% better absorption than CBD, and with some similar properties, it is the premier cannabis plant medicinal form.
How long does CBD edible last in your body?
Like most cannabinoids, CBDA and CBD oil are fat soluble, meaning they are able to be absorbed by any tissue with enough fat content. This means that many cannabinoids can be detected in the urine days after ingestion.
Because people have different body chemistry, the elimination time period varies in length, but you can detect CBD in the urine up to 5 days after a single ingestion of 100mg. If you consume a higher dose of CBD gummies, or use daily, expect to detect longer than 5 days.
What are the daytime ranges?
Generally speaking the everyones body processes CBD at different rates, and thus will have different levels of CBD and other cannabinoids with the same dose. Depending on the CBD potency of a gummy and how much CBD you take, will also determine how long and how much will stay in your system.In this study, volunteers were given high doses of CBD tinctures, 1500mg to 6000mg and blood levels were tracked for 48 hours. At the end, there were still traces of CBD in the blood, but they were at around 1% of the maximum concentration found. This study was very much on the high end of doses, since typical CBD users are not taking CBD edibles at that amount.
A more reasonable amount was studied in volunteers, and the consumption ranged from 5mg to 10mg single oral administration. The detectible CBD found in the blood was gone by 5-10 hours, which is very different from the study with a much higher dose.
CBD metabolism takeaways
- A higher dose of CBD gummies last longer in the blood, and this makes sense since a higher CBD concentration will affect CBD absorption amounts, and this take longer for the liver to remove from the blood.
- It takes between 30 to 60 minutes for the CBD gummies to reach maximum absorption and start falling back down.
- At lower doses (under 30mg), CBD becomes non-detectible in the blood by 5 to 10 hours.
- At higher CBD dosage (over 500mg to 6000mg), it can take days for the CBD to be removed by the liver.
It should be noted that while CBD itself is cleared fairly quickly at low and moderate doses, the metabolites, such as 6/7-OH-CBD and 7-COOH-CBD can stay in the blood for a much longer period of time.
How long does CBD gummies effects last?
There is no universal answer to how long an effect from a CBD product will last. Pharmacology is complex, like full spectrum CBD, and can have varying effects and lengths on between individuals.Here are some ranges you can think of for how long CBD gummies last:
- For relaxation, you can expect to feel a CBD edible for 1 to 2 hours after consumption at a moderate dose (30-50mg)
- If your CBD gummies also have delta 8 or delta 9, those can have an effect for up to 3 to 4 hours
- If you are using CBD gummies for pain relief, 1 to 2 hours is also a good guide for moderate doses
Some of the variables that contribute to the effects of CBD edibles:
- The amount of CBD oil consumed
- How often CBD products are taken (multiple times a day, every day)
- Were CBD gummies taken on an empty stomach?
- Individual metabolism, ie how fast your liver metabolizes the CBD
- Body composition, if you are a male and have higher body weight than a female, how long CBD gummies last will be different.
- Quality of CBD gummies will also determine the effects and length
- What effect from CBD gummies you are looking for.
It is not an easy process, and similar to all prescriptions, dosage is titrated over time.
The reason people use CBD is because they react in different ways depending mainly on their appetite, size, metabolism and sensitivity. However, remember that CBD is not psychoactive, and therefore you will not experience a "high". Most patients report more calmness after using CBD.
What are the side effects of CBD Gummies?
The side effects of CBD gummies are typically pretty mild, and we are not considering edible forms that contain delta 8 or delta 9 since they have their own side effect profiles.Like CBD effects, CBD side effects are not typically seen unless higher doses are taken (100s to 1000s of mg). However, some of the common side effects seen are listed below:
- Drowsiness
- Lightheadedness
- Dry mouth
- Constipation
- Elevated liver enzymes (seen when patients take over 1000mg and are on multiple other medications)
When to consume CBD gummies & how to store them
CBD gummies can last for up to 2 years typically, as most CBD products have stabilizers in them, but can also depend on how you store them. Room temperature (~70F) to store CBD gummies is fine, but for optimal long-term storage the refrigerator is best. If you have CBDA gummies, long term storage should be room temperature or below as well, but also out of sunlight since CBDA can be dacarboxylated via sunlight exposure over long periods.When to take CBD gummies for best results will depend on what you are trying to get out of them.
- For sleep, an hour before bed is optimal
- For general anxiety, it may be best to take multiple times over the day
- For pain or joint discomfort, taking CBD gummies 30 minutes before activity may help
CBD Gummy Dosage Recommendations
When you are unfamiliar with CBD gummies you've probably asked yourself how much to use. CBD doses vary by individual needs and biochemistry, and what effects a person is looking for.
Here's the important information on your CBD dosage: Start low (five to 20-50 mg) : If starting out, use the smaller dose for a couple days, and increase if necessary.
The purpose of titrating (trying different doses) CBD oil is meant to measure how well the body responds to CBD.
How do I buy CBD edibles?
There are three main items to look for when researching the best CBD gummies:
The CBD CoA
CBD is widely available in the market but deciding what one is worth trying can be difficult. Finding the best CBDA or CBD product requires looking for a Certificate of Analysis (CoA). This is a lab report by a third party that determines the potency (how much cannabinoids are actually in the product), and should test for any potential contaminations. See our CBD CoA guide on how to interpret one.
The Dose
Do not start buying expensive CBD gummies with small doses in the 10-20mg range, this will not do anything for you. CBD is not well absorbed, and typically you need at least 50mg per dose to get any sort of effect.
An alternative to CBD gummies, are CBDA gummies, which can be taken in lower amounts since CBDA absorption is higher than CBD. In fact, a 50mg dose of CBDA reaches a similar blood concentration as 250mg of CBD. See our CBDA dosage guide for the calculations and research.
Applying CBD tinctures under the tongue can also increase the CBD affects since this route improves the absorption of most compounds. A CBD tincture should also have a similar CoA as CBD gummies.