Alcohol and CBD can each make you drowsy, and the prescribing information for CBD warns that alcohol may increase that effect.1 Alcohol also raises the amount of CBD that reaches the blood.1 Beyond that, the combination has been studied very little, so there is no evidence-based “safe amount” to quote. Tell your prescriber how much you drink.
What has been documented?
More sedation. In epilepsy trials, sleepiness or sedation affected 32% of people on CBD and 11% on placebo. The US prescribing information says use with “other CNS depressants (including alcohol) may increase the risk of sedation and somnolence”.1 The Australian product information says alcohol “can potentiate the somnolence and sedation effect”.2
Higher CBD levels. Taking CBD with alcohol raised peak CBD blood levels by 93% and total exposure by 63%. The label does not say how much alcohol was used.1 Higher levels make dose-related side effects more likely.
Does the dose of CBD matter?
Almost certainly, but the numbers are missing. The sedation figures come from prescription doses equal to roughly 700 to 1,400 mg a day for a 70 kg adult.1 We found no controlled study of typical lower doses combined with drinks.
Does taking CBD hours earlier avoid the problem?
Probably not entirely. After a week of twice-daily dosing, CBD’s half-life is 56 to 61 hours, so a daily user has it in their system all the time.1
What about the liver?
CBD can raise liver enzymes. In healthy adults taking about 350 to 400 mg a day for 28 days, 5.6% had a significant rise and nobody on placebo did.3 No study we found tested whether drinking changes that risk. We found no human trial supporting claims that CBD protects the liver from alcohol. See is CBD bad for your liver?
Does CBD prevent hangovers or sober you up?
We found no verified human evidence that it does. The documented effect runs the other way: more sedation, not less.1 The Australian product information says patients should not drive or operate machinery unless certain of the medicine’s effect on them.2 See can you drive on CBD oil?
Does Epidyolex contain alcohol?
Yes. Each mL has 79 mg of ethanol, about 14 mL of beer or 6 mL of wine per maximum single dose for a 70 kg adult.2
What should you do?
- Tell your prescriber and pharmacist how much you drink.
- Expect stronger drowsiness, especially early on, at higher doses or with other sedating medicines.
- If someone is very drowsy or hard to wake, call 000. For poisoning advice, call 13 11 26.4
Read the full guide: CBD and alcohol.
Footnotes
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Jazz Pharmaceuticals. Epidiolex (cannabidiol) oral solution, US prescribing information and medication guide, DailyMed (accessed November 2026). https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/drugInfo.cfm?setid=8bf27097-4870-43fb-94f0-f3d0871d1eec ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7
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Therapeutic Goods Administration. Epidyolex (cannabidiol) Australian Product Information, version attached to the AusPAR, January 2021 (may be superseded). https://www.tga.gov.au/sites/default/files/auspar-cannabidiol-210115-pi.pdf ↩ ↩2 ↩3
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JAMA Network. News release on Florian J and others, cannabidiol and liver enzyme level elevations in healthy adults, JAMA Internal Medicine, 7 July 2025. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1089832 ↩
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healthdirect. Poisoning (Poisons Information Line 13 11 26). https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/poisoning ↩
This page is general information, not medical or legal advice. Laws and evidence change; we show the date we last checked the facts at the top of every page. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist before starting, stopping or changing any medicine.
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