“CBD oil doesn’t work for me.”
“CBD oils are a scam!”
“Why am I not getting any effects from my CBD?”
If you’re not feeling any difference from CBD, it may have you puzzled, especially when you’ve read dozens of success stories of people living a better life thanks to supplementation with CBD oil.
You may feel scammed and have an impression that you’ve wasted money.
Although it IS possible that CBD oil won’t work for some people, most of the claims about “CBD not working for me” result from buying a poor-quality CBD product, or from unreasonable expectations from the compound.
In this article, we explain why CBD might not work for you, and what to do if you want to maximize your results with CBD oil.
Reasons Your CBD Doesn’t Work
There are almost 900 CBD brands in the American market. With so many products available at hand, there’s a risk you’ll stumble upon a fly-by-night vendor or a mislabeled CBD oil.
CBD has a long list of well-documented health benefits. There have been hundreds of studies conducted on its efficacy in alleviating a wide range of health problems.
People also use CBD as a means of daily supplementation with the purpose to support the endocannabinoid system (ECS) and keep the body in a state of balance (homeostasis).
So, why is CBD oil not working for you?
Here are a few possible explanations.
1. You Have a Low-Quality CBD Product
Unfortunately, poor product quality is more common than not. That’s because the CBD market isn’t regulated and there are no official manufacturing and labeling standards in place. This, in turn, results in lots of fake, under-dosed, contaminated CBD products getting sold.
In some cases, the hemp seed oil is labeled as CBD oil or hemp extract (containing ZERO CBD) as a means to confuse customers.
If you want CBD oil to work, you need to spend your money on the best CBD oils you can afford.
The good news is that poor quality vendors can be avoided with a few simple checks. It’s particularly important to do thorough research and buy CBD from reputable companies that test their products in independent laboratories.
Here are the must-check factors determining the quality of CBD oil:
- Look for CBD products made from organic hemp. Organic farming results in CBD-rich, clean flowers, which are the best source material for extraction. Poor farming practices may lead to contamination with heavy metals and other toxins from the soil, and if the growers use pesticides on the plants, they will be absorbed too. That’s why you should steer clear of companies using mass-produced hemp for extraction.
- Look for Certificates of Analysis from third-party labs. Lab testing can reveal the exact potency of CBD oil. The laboratory will also look for contaminants and potentially dangerous additives. The test results should be available for you to see for yourself.
- Read customer reviews. Check third-party websites like expert blogs and online rankings to see what other users are saying on brand effectiveness, customer service, delivery time, and product quality.
Many CBD users admit they have tried several different brands before sticking to a particular vendor, so keep experimenting if your first try wasn’t a bull’s eye. As they say, sometimes you may have to kiss many frogs until you find your prince.
But that doesn’t mean CBD doesn’t work.
2. You Didn’t Let CBD Build Up in Your System
The first time you try CBD may feel as if you’d wasted your money on some overhyped product. You know, you just put a few drops of CBD oil under your tongue, expecting near-instant relief from your chronic pain, and… NOTHING HAPPENS!
So, does it mean CBD isn’t working?
Not at all.
While some of the effects of CBD oil may be noticeable right away, CBD usually needs some time to let you experience its health benefits. In fact, many people take CBD for at least two weeks before they see a difference.
Exploring the effects of CBD isn’t as simple as getting a couple of pills and calling it a day. Proper supplementation actually requires consistency and a certain level of commitment to uncovering the long-term effects.
If you’re still not able to tell the difference before and after your dose of CBD, it may be time to move on and try a different company.
Keeping a CBD journal can help you keep track of your progress and whether or not CBD oil works for you.
Patience is very important in the process, and while it can be annoying to keep trying with no results, you may end up feeling thankful that you didn’t stop.
3. You need to Find the Right Dosage
Finding an appropriate dose of CBD can be challenging. The right amount varies between individuals, as every person has unique body chemistry that results in a different response.
So, how do you know what’s right for you?
A general rule of thumb is to start with a low dose — like 5–10 mg twice a day — and slowly increase it over time until you find the dose that provides the desired results.
Some users find that taking CBD in daily doses can help sustain a certain level of CBD in your body, which may support your endocannabinoid system to make it react better to cannabinoids like CBD.
Many people use a micro-dosing method to find their optimal dosage and adjust it as needed over time.
Again, a dosage journal may help you keep track of how much you’ve taken, how you feel before and after dosing, and if the CBD oil is working for you.
4. You Need a Different Consumption Method
Cannabis entrepreneurs can get really creative, and you can tell it by looking at the product selection in most online stores.
CBD is sold in everything from CBD coffee to bath salts and tampons.
The most common forms of CBD include:
- CBD oils
- CBD capsules
- CBD vape oils
- CBD topical creams
- CBD edibles (e.g. gummies and honey sticks)
If you’ve found that CBD oil isn’t working for you, it’s possible that a different form would solve the problem.
One factor to keep in mind is bioavailability, which essentially refers to the amount of CBD that actually reaches your bloodstream.
For example, products like CBD capsules and gummies have to go through your digestive system before the body can absorb them. The amount that ends up in your system may be relatively low.
Tinctures, on the other hand, offer higher bioavailability due to their route of delivery. Tinctures are absorbed through tiny capillaries under the tongue, so you’re absorbing them directly into your bloodstream. Not only does more CBD get into your body, but it also has a faster onset.
Speaking of which, the fastest delivery method of CBD is through vaping. Vaporized CBD enters the body through the lungs, ensuring that the effects show up within minutes from inhalation.
Other products, such as topicals, engage with the cannabinoid receptors in the skin, so they have virtually “zero bioavailability” but offer potential relief from localized problems.
5. You Take CBD Isolate
CBD isolate is just pure CBD in a crystallized, powdered form. Despite providing the highest concentration of CBD per serving (~990 mg per gram), it is considered less efficient and more difficult to dose than whole-plant extracts.
That’s because products like full-spectrum CBD oil produce the “entourage effect.” This term refers to a synergy achieved by all compounds naturally occurring in cannabis plants. This synergy makes the compounds more effective together than in isolation. Studies suggest that whole-plant extracts allow the user to overcome the bell-shaped dose-response, where the effects of CBD don’t always improve with an increase in the dosage.
If CBD oil isn’t working for you, maybe it’s time to switch from CBD isolate to full-spectrum CBD.
6. Tolerance, Genetics & Metabolism
CBD is a versatile tool for improving one’s quality of life, but it’s not a miracle drug that will fix you overnight. If, after all your efforts, CBD oil isn’t working for you, this means your body has difficulty absorbing it.
The level of absorption and response to CBD depends on several factors, such as:
- Biochemistry
- Genetics
- Metabolism
The endocannabinoid system (ECS) is a complex neurochemical network in your body that interacts with cannabinoids, and each person’s ECS operates a little differently.
According to psychiatrists, 20% of Americans may have a genetic mutation that makes them naturally produce more endocannabinoids — the endogenous analogs of the cannabinoids you ingest when using cannabis.
If you have that mutation, you might be less prone to stress and anxiety, but because you already have enough endocannabinoids, you might not see many improvements when you take CBD.
Checking with your doctor may help you discover other natural options that may work for you.
There’s no such thing as one-size-fits-all treatment, so don’t be afraid to tell your friends to stop bugging you about giving CBD a try.
7. You’re Expecting Miracles from CBD
Some people may feel like they wasted their money on a hyped product simply because the effects of CBD don’t match their expectations. However, this isn’t an argument to support the theory that CBD oil doesn’t work. If you expect CBD oil to cure cancer or mend broken bones, you may have a hard time waiting for such effects, because CBD doesn’t do such things. It’s a very valuable compound with high efficacy and a well-established safety profile, but it does have limitations — something which many people tend to forget.
Bottom Line: Why CBD Doesn’t Work for Some People
CBD isn’t as regulated as many other supplements and pharmaceutical compounds, and people in the industry are still trying to figure out the best practices to maximize its efficacy.
It’s not as simple as taking some standard dosage and feeling immediate effects. Sometimes, CBD takes time, patience, and ongoing research to find the right vendor, dosage, and form of consumption for you.
Buying from several different brands can also get pricey — but many premium companies offer discounts, coupon codes, and reward programs that help you save money on your favorite products or try new forms of CBD for less.
So before you abandon the idea of supplementing CBD altogether, use the above checklist to find out why CBD isn’t working for you.
