CBD Oil Review > How Long Does CBD Last?

How Long Does CBD Last?

Depending on how you take your CBD, the effects could last as long as two days!

Written by Cathy Rozyczko — Edited by Jason Brett on September 27, 2021

With cannabidiol (CBD) oil becoming more widely available, it is being sought out by an ever-growing number of people due to its potential health benefits. The list of CBD’s reported therapeutic uses is also ever-growing, leading many people to consider trying it for the first time.

This increased interest in CBD oil has raised many questions, with one of the most common being, “how long does CBD last?” If you’ve never taken CBD before, knowing how long its effects will linger is important for determining your ideal dosage, and ultimately helping you decide if CBD oil is right for you.

Here’s your guide to finding out how long CBD lasts, as well as information on what factors can affect its duration and onset.

CBD Delivery Methods and Duration of Effects

Depending on the product you use and your individual biochemistry, CBD oil can remain in the system anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 days.

For example, CBD’s effects from edible preparations of CBD oil, like gummies, can last between 4-6 hours while a CBD oil transdermal patch can last up to 48 hours. On the other hand, a CBD vape oil’s effects can disappear within an hour while a CBD oil tincture can last 2-4 hours.

When choosing a CBD oil delivery format, these durations need to be considered. If you are trying to relieve an ongoing chronic pain condition, it is likely that you will want a format that offers longer relief versus one that provides shorter-lived (but often faster-acting) effects.

CBD Duration Chart

CBD edibles, capsules, tinctures, vaporizers, flower and topical creams are all methods for taking CBD, and each has its own time for onset and duration of effects.

CBD Oil Delivery Format	Onset of Effects	Duration of Effects
CBD inhalants (Vape oils; vape juice; e-liquid; CBD flower)	Within minutes – These products bypass the digestive process and are absorbed directly into the lungs	30 minutes to an hour
CBD Edibles	Up to 60 minutes – Edibles must pass through the digestive system before being absorbed through the liver	4-6 hours
CBD Oil Tinctures or Drops	Up to 30 minutes – Drops and tinctures bypass the digestive system and CBD is absorbed directly into the bloodstream through the thin skin under the tongue	2-4 hours
CBD Oil Capsules	Up to 60 minutes – CBD capsules must pass through the digestive system before being absorbed	4-6 hours
CBD Oil Topicals	Up to 2 hours – Topicals must be absorbed through the skin. The CBD’s absorption rate can be impacted by the amount of hair on the skin and fatty tissue under it	Typically 5 hours or more
CBD Oil Transdermal Patches	May take hours to show effects – The CBD’s absorption rate can be impacted by the amount of hair on the skin and fatty tissue under it; Transdermal patches may also be designed to release CBD at certain time intervals over the course of their relatively long lifetime	24-48 hours

There really is no universal answer to how long CBD will last in your body. With many factors playing a part in CBD’s duration and onset of effects, it can impact each person a bit differently. By keeping initial dosages low, you can see how you respond before fully adopting a regular CBD oil routine.

Factors that Affect How Long CBD Lasts

How you choose to take CBD oil is not the only factor that determines the duration of its effects.

Other factors that affect how long CBD lasts in the body include body weight, certain lifestyle choices, how frequently you use it, and dosage.

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Your Body Weight

Cannabidiol (CBD) is a fat-soluble compound. What this means is that it is stored in the body’s fat cells. With any fat-soluble substance, like vitamin D or vitamin K, weight plays a role in CBD oil’s rate of metabolization.

If you’re on the leaner side with a lower body fat percentage, CBD’s effects may not last as long as in a person with a higher body fat percentage. Typically, people with more muscle than fat have a higher metabolic rate which means substances like CBD oil will be processed through the body much faster, reducing the duration of their effects.

Your Lifestyle

Another factor that plays a role in how long CBD lasts in the body is lifestyle and activity level. If you lead an active lifestyle, your body is likely to process CBD more quickly because your metabolism will be faster, resulting in a reduced duration of effect.

Your Frequency of Use

The frequency with which you use CBD oil can influence its effects. Unlike other substances, it is unlikely that you will build a tolerance to CBD. In fact, it’s theorized that CBD creates a “reverse tolerance.” Simply put, with repeated use of CBD oil, it is likely that you will require less to feel the desired effects over time. It is believed that CBD increases the presence of naturally produced endocannabinoids in the body, so as your body adapts to create equilibrium, you require less to get the same effects.

If you take CBD regularly, the reverse tolerance you build could cause you to feel its effects for a shorter perceived amount of time.

Your Dosage

The more CBD oil you take, the longer it will take for your body to process it, and the longer the effects will last.

However, it is recommended that you begin with the lowest recommended dose for any CBD oil product. Until you know how CBD oil will impact you, it is best to take it slow.

To make dosing CBD as easy and as straight-forward as possible, CBD Oil Review has researched and tested many of the top CBD products on the market today, to come up with a standard serving suggestion for you to follow:

The CBD Oil Review Serving Standard is 25mg of CBD, taken twice daily.

It is recommended that you be patient and stick with this dose for a few weeks before considering an increase in dosage. If after 3 to 4 weeks, you’re not getting the results you were after, consider upping your dose by 25 mg. Continue increasing your dose in this way, until you get the desired results. Importantly, it is advisable to consult with a healthcare professional when trying to determine the best CBD oil dose for you.

For detailed information on CBD dosing, check out our dosing guide.

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+ 4 sources

Sources:

István Ujváry et al. Human Metabolites of Cannabidiol: A Review on Their Formation, Biological Activity, and Relevance in Therapy - National Center for Biotechnology Information https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5576600/
Vitamin D - National Institutes of Health https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminD-HealthProfessional/
Vitamin K - National Institutes of Health https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminK-HealthProfessional/
John R Speakman et al. Physical activity and resting metabolic rate - National Library of Medicine https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/14692598/

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One response to “How Long Does CBD Last?”

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