CBD, Caffeine, and Headaches
If you have been getting unexplained headaches and you also use CBD, this might be worth reading.
As CBD edibles, gummies, and drinks have become more and more popular, a connection started showing up that most people have no idea about. CBD and caffeine, two substances millions of Americans use daily, may be interacting in a way that triggers headaches.
The mechanism makes pharmacological sense. Caffeine works by blocking a brain chemical that makes you feel drowsy. It also constricts blood vessels in the brain. When caffeine wears off, those vessels rebound and widen, which is what causes the familiar caffeine withdrawal headache.
Here is where CBD enters the picture. CBD slows down the liver enzymes your body uses to clear caffeine from your bloodstream. The result is more caffeine staying in your system longer, and when it finally clears, the rebound is bigger than it would have been on its own.
That rebound can be the headache.
This is not something you will find widely discussed yet. But if you regularly use both, just being aware of the connection is half the battle.
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Authored by Gerard Guillory, MD
Gerard Guillory, MD, is a board-certified internist who practiced for nearly four decades with a focus on functional, root-cause medicine. He is the author of three books on irritable bowel syndrome and the founder of It’s My Health, where he and his team put current health news in context and help members understand the underlying causes of chronic symptoms.
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