Recommended CBD Dosage For Every Type of Pain
With more and more people turning to CBD for pain relief, CBD manufacturers run into a new issue: what recommended CBD dosage to give to all these new consumers.
The problem here is that CBD and other cannabinoids affect every person slightly differently. Where one person might feel perfect relief from 20 daily milligrams, another may need 10 times that. With that in mind, it’s essential to understand what you should take into account when deciding on a CBD dosage for pain. Keep reading for actionable tips on dosing CBD for every type of pain.
CBD for Pain Relief—How Does It Work?
The science on CBD for pain relief dates back several decades. Today, we know that CBD is an effective painkiller that works for chronic pain, inflammatory pain, neuropathic pain, and much more.
Like other cannabinoids, CBD derives its properties from its effects on the endocannabinoid system (ECS). When we take CBD, we’re giving our endocannabinoid system a boost that helps it maintain its essential functions:
- Managing pain
- Managing inflammation
- Regulating appetite
- And more
With larger doses of CBD, many have been able to completely suppress high levels of pain—sometimes when nothing else worked.
CBD Dosage For Pain—How Much Do You Need?
If you’re interested in taking CBD for pain relief, don’t expect to figure out your “ideal” dose straight away. As much as we’d like to give you clear dosage recommendations, there is no one-size-fits-all dose that will relieve any type of pain. But we do want to give you some specific advice on recommended CBD dosage for specific conditions:
The Factors Behind Recommended CBD Dosage
First things first, it’s important to understand some of the factors that affect how much CBD a person should take:
Pain levels: It may sound obvious but let’s address it: the more pain you experience, the more CBD you’ll need to take for effective relief. In particular, those who suffer from acute pain may need to take a lot more than those with lower levels of chronic pain.
Weight and height: When CBD enters your bloodstream, it binds with endocannabinoid receptors, giving a boost to the endocannabinoid system. The thing to note here is that bigger people have larger systems and more blood—so they’ll need to take more CBD to experience results.
Familiarity with CBD: Contrary to popular belief, CBD doesn’t create tolerance. If you’re used to take CBD regularly, you won’t need to take more than someone who’s never taken CBD before. However, you can take more because you’re a lot less likely to have the side-effects that more inexperienced users deal with. For that reason, you won’t see us recommending doses above 30mg to first-time users.
CBD Dosage for Chronic Pain
We recommend that people who experience chronic pain take CBD every single day. CBD builds up in the system over time, meaning that they’ll eventually need to take less and less to feel the same effects.
Depending on your weight, height, and pain levels, try out a dose ranging from 15 to 150mg/day.
Chronic pain levels | Recommended CBD dosage |
Mild but persistent (no prescription pain-killers required) | 15 - 30mg/day |
Moderate pain (over-the-counter painkillers still work) | 30 - 60mg/day |
Severe pain (over-the-counter painkillers are insufficient) | 60 - 150mg/day |
CBD Dosage for Inflammatory Pain
People who struggle with inflammatory pain also benefit from taking CBD on a daily basis, as a constant endocannabinoid boost can keep inflammation levels low.
Depending on where you experience inflammatory pain, you should also adapt the type of CBD product that you take. For example, those who experience arthritic pain in the hands could benefit from using topical CBD cream on that area. Those with Chron’s disease may be better served by edible CBD. For all the rest and for people who experience inflammatory pain in several areas, we recommend vaping CBD for whole-body relief.
Depending on your weight, height, and pain levels, try out a dose ranging from 30 to 250mg/day.
Inflammatory pain levels | Recommended CBD dosage |
Mild (no prescription pain-killers required) | 30-50 mg/day |
Moderate pain (over-the-counter painkillers still work) | 50 - 100mg/day |
Severe pain (over-the-counter painkillers are insufficient) | 100 - 250mg/day |
CBD Dosage for Acute Pain
Sharp pain induced by accidents, injury, or occasional inflammation (such as period cramps) typically require much higher doses of CBD.
For this type of pain, we recommend a vast-acting product such as a CBD vape which provides relief in just a few minutes.
When you’re not taking CBD on a daily basis, you’ll need to take more to feel its effects. With that in mind, levels of acute pain do vary greatly and so does the recommended CBD dosage. Here’s an easy chart to help you navigate that:
Acute pain levels | Recommended CBD dosage |
Moderate pain (over-the-counter painkillers still work) | 30-50 mg/day |
Severe pain (over-the-counter painkillers are insufficient) | 50 - 150mg/day |
Very severe pain | 100 - 250mg/day (spaced out in a few installments throughout the day) |
CBD Dosage for Neuropathic Pain
Neuropathic pain tends to be severe as well as chronic. The good news is that CBD has already been shown to be very useful in relieving those affected by the condition.
If you suffer from neuropathic pain, we recommend redosing with CBD several times throughout the day. Chances are, you’ll need slightly larger amounts than those who suffer from other pain conditions. Our recommended dose stands between 100 - 300mg/day.
Neuropathic pain levels | Recommended CBD dosage |
Moderate pain (over-the-counter painkillers still work) | 25-50 mg/day |
Severe pain (over-the-counter painkillers are insufficient) | 50 - 150mg/day |
Very severe pain | 150 - 300mg/day |
How Much CBD Is Too Much?
If you’re new to taking CBD or switching over from over-the-counter painkillers to CBD, you may be worried about overdosing. But the good news is, CBD overdoses aren’t really a thing.
CBD does come with some occasional side effects. Remember, few people will ever experience any of these side effects. It can cause dizziness, nausea, lethargy, and changes in appetite. This is most likely to occur when you’re not used to taking CBD and take too much all at once. We recommend not taking more than 20mg of CBD at once if this is your first time trying it.
Moreover, studies tend to find that doses exceeding 600mg/day don’t provide additional benefits. So while it may be tempting to take as much as possible to find the relief you need, keep in mind that CBD has diminishing returns. Stick to our CBD dosage recommendations listed above, go low and slow, and you won’t have to worry about taking in too much.
Final Words
Giving advice on the perfect dose of CBD is hard given just how different everyone’s system is. While this may not be a satisfying answer, it bears repeating that the best way to find your ideal dose is through trial and error. Don’t try to take too much at once, don’t give up if you’re not feeling results straight away, and keep track of your dosage and symptoms.
Renact’s cannabinoids vaping extracts are a great way to consume CBD and other cannabinoids on the go—which is particularly beneficial to those with chronic pain. Our vapes are easy to use and easy to dose, and contain a wealth of useful compounds that can relieve pain instantly. Give them a try today by ordering your first CBD vape!