Training 03 · Your care team

Walk in prepared.

The best outcomes happen when cannabis is part of a conversation with your clinician — not a secret from them. Build a question sheet for your situation, then print it and bring it along.

superpower: the right questions ✺
The visit builder

Make your sheet

Tap whatever applies. We'll assemble a tailored list of questions worth asking — and gently flag the things that deserve extra attention.

What are you hoping it helps with?

Do any of these apply to you?

Drug interactions

The grapefruit problem

Here's the mechanism worth understanding: just like grapefruit, CBD and THC tie up the liver enzymes (the CYP family) that clear many other drugs. That can let those drugs build up higher than intended. This is the single most important thing to review with a pharmacist.

Blood thinners (warfarin)

Watch closely

Cannabinoids can raise warfarin levels and bleeding risk. If you take it, your clinician may want to check your INR after starting.

Sedatives, opioids, alcohol

Additive

Benzodiazepines, sleep aids, opioids and alcohol stack with THC's drowsiness and impairment. The combination hits harder than either alone.

CYP-cleared medicines

Review levels

Some antidepressants, anti-seizure drugs, heart medicines and immunosuppressants are processed by the same enzymes — CBD in particular can nudge their levels up.

Clobazam & certain anti-seizure drugs

Dose may change

High-dose CBD is well documented to raise levels of some seizure medications, sometimes requiring a dose adjustment.

You don't have to memorize this. Just tell your pharmacist everything you take — including supplements — and ask, "Does cannabis interact with any of these?" That one question catches most problems.
Genuine cautions

When to be extra careful

Cannabis is generally well-tolerated, but a few situations carry real, evidence-based risk. None of these are judgments — they're reasons to involve a clinician first.

Pregnancy & breastfeeding

avoid

THC crosses the placenta and enters breast milk. Major medical bodies advise avoiding cannabis while pregnant or nursing.

Psychosis or bipolar history

higher risk

High-THC cannabis can trigger or worsen psychosis, especially with a personal or family history. CBD-dominant products carry less of this risk.

A still-developing brain (under ~25)

caution

The brain matures into the mid-20s. Regular heavy THC use during this window is associated with cognitive and mental-health effects.

Heart conditions

caution

THC briefly raises heart rate and blood pressure. With unstable heart disease, that's worth discussing before you start.

Liver conditions

caution

The liver processes cannabinoids. Significant liver disease can change how you handle a dose — start lower and monitor.

Driving & machinery

don't

THC impairs reaction time and coordination. Don't drive while impaired — effects can outlast the "high," especially with edibles.

Sources

Where this comes from

  1. Cannabis–drug interactions via CYP enzymes; clinical monitoring — MacCallum & Russo, Eur J Intern Med 2018. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29307505
  2. Harms & associations (psychosis, respiratory, etc.) — National Academies of Sciences, Engineering & Medicine, The Health Effects of Cannabis and Cannabinoids, 2017. nationalacademies.org · 24625
  3. CBD raising anti-seizure drug levels (e.g., clobazam) — discussed in MacCallum & Russo 2018; established in epilepsy trials of pharmaceutical CBD.
Educational, not medical advice. This sheet helps you ask good questions — it doesn't replace your clinician's judgment about your specific health and medications.