Can You Take CBD With Statins? What You Need to Know

• CBD can interfere with how your body breaks down certain statins.
• This interference can cause statin levels in your blood to become too high.
• Higher statin levels increase the risk of side effects, such as muscle pain and weakness, potential liver enzyme changes, and increased fatigue and nausea.
• The likelihood of interaction can depend on the dosage and frequency of CBD use.
• ZYPITAMAG and pravastatin have reduce potential for interactions with CBD and THC than other statins.

CBD (cannabidiol) has gained popularity as many adults explore its potential benefits for sleep, anxiety, and various forms of discomfort. Simultaneously, statins are the first-line treatment option for managing cholesterol. A large percentage of adults, particularly those over 75, rely on statins to reduce their risk of heart disease.

Given the widespread use of both CBD and statins, it's not uncommon for individuals to take them at the same time.

While CBD is often perceived as safe, it's important to understand that it can influence how your body processes other medications. When CBD is in your system, it may slow down how quickly statins are cleared from your body. This can cause statin levels to rise, which may lead to stronger side effects or reduce how well the medication works over time.

What Are CBD?

CBD (cannabidiol) is a natural compound found in cannabis plants. It's one of over 100 similar compounds called cannabinoids. Two most well-known cannabinoids are CBD and THC.

THC is the part of cannabis that can make you feel “high”, or dizzy, or give you a sense of euphoria. CBD does not have that effect. It does not change how you feel in the same way. This is one reason why many feel more comfortable using CBD.

CBD is used in various forms like oils, capsules, and creams by people who have issues with sleeping, anxiety, and pain.

It's important to know that even though it's plant-derived, CBD is considered a drug because it can affect your body and how it processes other medications.

What Are Statins?

Statins are a class of medications commonly prescribed to help manage cholesterol levels. They work by blocking an enzyme in the liver that is needed to produce cholesterol.

Cholesterol is a waxy substance essential for the body in small amounts, but high levels can increase the risk of heart disease and stroke.

Statins affect different parts of cholesterol:

• Lower "bad" cholesterol (LDL)
• Slightly raise "good" cholesterol (HDL)
• Reduce triglycerides (a type of fat in the blood)

There are 7 statins available

• Atorvastatin (Lipitor)
• Rosuvastatin (Crestor)
• Simvastatin (Zocor)
• Pravastatin (Pravachol)
• Lovastatin (Mevacor)
• Fluvastatin (Lescol)
• Pitavastatin (Zypitamag)

While each statin works slightly differently, their main goal is to improve cholesterol levels and reduce harmful fats in the bloodstream.

How CBD and Statins are Processed in Your Body

Both CBD and statins are metabolized in your body, primarily in the liver, before they can fully work or be removed. This process involves a group of enzymes known as the cytochrome P450 system, which helps your body process medications and eliminate them once they've done their job.

Key Enzyme: CYP3A4

CBD is broken down by several enzymes, especially CYP3A4. This same enzyme also metabolizes certain statins, such as atorvastatin (Lipitor) and simvastatin (Zocor). Because both CBD and some statins use this same pathway, taking them together can cause them to interfere with each other.

CBD's Unique Effect

CBD not only gets broken down by CYP3A4 but also inhibits this enzyme, slowing its activity. As a result, statins might stay in your body longer than they should, potentially causing their levels to build up. However, this does not happen with all statins; some are metabolized through different pathways and are less likely to be affected by CBD.

Other Enzymes Involved

CBD may also inhibit other liver enzymes, such as CYP2C19, CYP2D6, and CYP2C9, which are involved in processing statins like rosuvastatin, and many other medications. This means CBD can alter how quickly or slowly different medications are cleared from your body, depending on which enzymes they rely on.

Interaction Between CBD and Statins

When CBD and certain statins are taken together, they may compete for the same processing pathway, leading to higher statin levels in your body than expected, even if the dose has not changed.

Why Combining CBD with Certain Statins Can Be Risky

The main issue is that CBD can interfere with how your body breaks down certain statins, causing the statins to build up to higher levels than normal, which increases the risk of side effects.

Muscle Pain or Weakness

You might notice unusual muscle soreness, aches, or general weakness. Elevated statin levels can irritate your muscles, leading to these symptoms. This is a relatively common side effect when a statin dose becomes too strong for an individual.

Severe Muscle Damage (Rhabdomyolysis)

In rare instances, very high statin levels can lead to a serious condition called rhabdomyolysis. This involves a dangerous breakdown of muscle tissue, causing significant muscle pain. A key sign can be dark-colored urine due to muscle proteins entering the urine. While uncommon, rhabdomyolysis can be life-threatening and potentially damage your kidneys if not promptly treated.

Liver Enzyme Changes

Statins can sometimes affect your liver function. If too much statin builds up in your system, blood tests might reveal changes in liver enzyme levels, indicating liver irritation. In rare cases, this can progress to liver damage. Signs of liver issues could include yellowing of the skin or eyes (jaundice) or dark urine, although mild enzyme changes often don't cause noticeable symptoms.

Other symptoms

You might experience additional side effects if your statin levels are elevated. Some individuals have reported increased fatigue or nausea when their statin dose effectively becomes too high due to an interaction. These symptoms can be subtle but warrant attention if you start using CBD while on a statin.

Overall Consideration

Most patients taking statins do not experience severe side effects, but the likelihood of side effects can increase if the drug’s level in your body is higher than intended. That’s why it’s important to be cautious when adding something like CBD that could affect those levels.

CBD’s impact on drug breakdown can vary based on how much CBD you use and how often you use it. The effect is dose-dependent. For example, small occasional doses of CBD may have little to no noticeable impact on your statin, whereas high doses or very frequent use of CBD are more likely to cause a stronger interaction.

Speak with Your Doctor

If you’re taking a statin and thinking about using CBD, or if you’re already using both, it’s important to talk with your doctor or pharmacist. Even though CBD may seem harmless or low- risk, it can still change how your body deals with certain medications, including some statins.

Your doctor can help you figure out if the statin you’re taking is one that might interact with CBD. In some cases, they may recommend using a different statin that’s less likely to be affected, adjusting your dose, or checking your liver and cholesterol levels more often.