Can I Drink Water After Taking CBD Oil?

If you’ve rarely or never taken CBD oil before, you probably have questions about how it will affect your body and the things you can do to maximize your supplement’s effectiveness. One common worry centers around whether it’s safe or recommended to ingest water in close proximity to a dose of CBD. We are often asked:

• • Can I drink water after taking CBD oil?
• • Will water — or any other foods and beverages — cause potential side effects or interfere with the CBD supplement’s desired effects?
• • If so, how long after taking CBD oil can I safely drink water?

Let’s dive in and answer these questions in detail.

Can You Drink Water After Taking CBD Oil?

The short answer is yes, absolutely. And you can do so immediately; there’s no need to wait a designated amount of time.

Many supplements, including Butler Hemp Co.’s CBD tinctures, are meant to be taken sublingually, by letting the oil sit under your tongue while the compounds enter your bloodstream via the thin oral membranes. When you take CBD this way, you’ll be holding the supplement in your mouth for fifteen to twenty seconds before swallowing. The vast majority of people will want to immediately take a few sips of water to wash the remaining oil down.

Since much of the CBD has already entered the bloodstream by that point, swallowing the oil and water simply sends the rest of the compound through your digestive system. Whether you take it with water or not, the CBD will eventually be metabolized by the liver and enter your blood.

Even if you were to swallow too quickly, without allowing the full twenty seconds for optimal absorption, you would simply have to wait for the compound to digest to begin to feel the normal effects. This would also happen with or without water.

Can water — or anything else — cause side effects or interfere with your dosage?

Water will not cause any side effects or alter the way CBD affects your body. It is perfectly fine to consume water directly before or after a sublingual dose of CBD.

Swallowing your supplement without allowing it to absorb sublingually will slow its absorption, and doing so with a large quantity of food may further slow the digestive process. CBD tinctures are made with oils, which are lipids, and may bind to the lipids in your food instead of taking the direct route into your bloodstream.

However, the CBD will eventually get metabolized by your liver even if it takes an hour instead of a few minutes. Therefore, your dosage should not change. Simply allow some extra time for the CBD to kick in.

Though water and most foods are fine, you may want to avoid eating or drinking anything containing grapefruit or grapefruit juice. That’s because the liver enzyme responsible for processing grapefruit is the same one that breaks down CBD. Hitting the liver with both at the same time can affect the way your supplement digests and actually force a higher dose into your bloodstream than would have happened normally.

In fact, grapefruit acts in a similar way when taken with common medications such as statins and anticoagulants. Unlike these medications, a higher dose of CBD is unlikely to cause any serious side effects. Still, this interaction is something to be aware of.

The good news is that the vast majority of foods and beverages you consume alongside your CBD should not significantly alter its effects or dosage, so you can absolutely drink water and have your dinner without fear.

Whether it’s for pain relief, relaxation, or to get a good night’s sleep, add a Butler Hemp Co. CBD tincture to your routine.

Butler Hemp Co. sources only the best CBD and other cannabinoid compounds for use in our products, so you can rest well knowing your pain and worries will soon melt away.

Our Daily Blend is perfect for keeping the aches and anxiety at bay during the daytime, while the Sleep Blend has been specifically formulated to help you fall asleep and stay asleep all night long.

Shop for tinctures here or contact us with any questions.