Life can come with a number of pains. From toothaches to burns to back pain to chronic medical conditions like arthritis, it seems like there’s not a day when we don’t experience some kind of throbbing, burning, or sore pain in some area of our body. Over 20 percent of Americans have chronic pain and depend on taking daily doses of over-the-counter nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like naproxen or ibuprofen, or prescription opioids and antidepressants. Due to overdoses caused by addictive opioid painkillers, doctors are reluctant to prescribe them for anything but acute injuries, leaving patients dealing with chronic pain without many options. For patients experiencing severe chronic pain, NSAIDs just aren’t enough, even when combined with other treatment modalities like massage.
Taking just 25–50 milligrams of CBD oil orally each day can bolster the effectiveness of painkillers, without increasing the likelihood of addiction, overdose, or death. CBD oil increases dopamine levels, lessening the desire to use drugs and alcohol and reducing the likelihood patients will overdose on or die from prescribed opioids. Phytocannabinoids in CBD oil including THC and CBD decrease inflammation and pain while boosting mood, which can also help patients reduce their dosage of opioids. In fact, a 2020 study by the University of Louisville found 53 percent of chronic pain patients reduced or completely stopped taking opioid painkillers after using CBD oil for eight weeks, and found their quality of life was improved.