Dr. Dustin Sulak on CBD dosing - your optimal dose and why more means worse
Dr Dustin Sulak o dawkowaniu CBD — co to, jak dziala i co mowia badania. u Bucha.
Most people start with too low a dose of CBD, see no effect, and double it. Then they double it again. After a month, they take 10 times more than at the beginning and still ask why it 'doesn't work.' Dr. Dustin Sulak - an American physician with over 15 years of clinical experience in cannabinoid therapy and creator of the microdosing protocol - claims this is the opposite mistake. CBD exhibits a biphasic effect: too high doses may be less effective than small ones. This is not intuition, but pharmacology: Zuardi et al. showed that 300 mg of CBD reduced anxiety before public speaking more effectively than 900 mg (Zuardi et al., Journal of Psychopharmacology, 2017). This article explains how to find your optimal dose - and why more doesn't necessarily mean better.
KEY INFORMATION
• CBD exhibits a biphasic effect: a low dose yields different - often better - results than a high one (Zuardi et al., J Psychopharmacology, 2017).
• Sulak's protocol: start with 1-2 mg, increase by 1-2 mg every few days, sensitivity test breath/body/mood - you are looking for a threshold, not a maximum.
• Most wellness users have a sweet spot between 5 and 25 mg/day - not 100+ mg as with epilepsy.
• Exceeding the optimal dose may cause desensitization of CB1 receptors and a paradoxical worsening of effects.
• Keeping a symptom diary and patience is key - the optimal dose requires 2-4 weeks of exploration.
Who is Dr. Dustin Sulak and where does his protocol come from?
Dr. Dustin Sulak is an osteopathic physician (D.O.) licensed in the state of Maine, USA, where he runs the integrative practice Integr8 Health. For over 15 years, he has worked with patients using medical cannabinoids - he estimates that several thousand patients with various indications have passed through his office: chronic pain, epilepsy, PTSD, sleep disorders, inflammatory conditions. Sulak is also the founder of the educational platform Healer.com, where he publishes dosing protocols for doctors and patients.
His dosing philosophy does not stem from a single RCT study but from systematic clinical observations combined with the biology of the ECS. Sulak is one of the few doctors who, instead of prescribing a standard dose, teaches patients how to self-calibrate their 'sweet spot' - the point at which the body requires a minimal effective dose without unnecessarily saturating the receptors.
What is the biphasic effect of CBD?
The biphasic effect means that a substance exerts different, and sometimes opposite, actions at low and high doses. For CBD, the best-studied example is its anxiolytic effect. A groundbreaking study by Zuardi et al. tested three doses of CBD (150 mg, 300 mg, 600 mg) in a public speaking anxiety model (SPST - Simulated Public Speaking Test). Results: the 300 mg dose statistically reduced anxiety and subjective discomfort. The 150 mg dose - weaker effect. The 600 mg dose - effect similar to placebo or even worse than 300 mg (Zuardi et al., Journal of Psychopharmacology, 2017).
The biological explanation for the biphasic effect is complex. At low doses, CBD inhibits FAAH (increases anandamide), activates 5-HT1A, and modulates CB1 indirectly. At very high doses, it may desensitize cannabinoid receptors through a mechanism similar to tolerance - receptors decrease their sensitivity to stimulation. Additionally, high doses of CBD may block the action of endogenous anandamide by excessively saturating the FAAH pathway, paradoxically reducing the effective availability of endocannabinoids.
| CBD Dose | Typical effect (anxiolytic) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1-5 mg | Subtle, often unnoticed | Starting point of Sulak's protocol |
| 5-25 mg | Sweet spot for most wellness purposes | Range for sleep, stress, overall well-being |
| 25-100 mg | Umiarkowany do silnego - wskazania kliniczne | Chronic pain, inflammatory conditions |
| 150-600 mg | Plateau or reverse effect (biphasic) | Padaczka, psychoza - tylko pod nadzorem |
| 600+ mg | Possible worsening of effect, drowsiness | Only in clinical settings (Epidiolex) |
Sulak's microdosing protocol step by step
Sulak describes his protocol as 'introspection aided by biology.' Instead of telling the patient 'take 25 mg twice a day,' he teaches them to observe how their body reacts to the minimal dose and gradually calibrate it. Here’s how it looks in practice.
Step 1: Start with 1-2 mg of CBD in the morning for 3-7 days. Before each dose and 45-60 minutes after, rate three indicators on a scale of 1-10: depth of breath (do you feel you are breathing more freely?), level of tension in the body (shoulders, jaw, abdomen), and overall mood. Record the results.
Step 2: If there is no change after a week, increase the dose by 1-2 mg. Repeat the weekly interval - not faster. Many people want to speed up because 'they feel nothing.' Sulak emphasizes: the effect of CBD is subtle, especially at the beginning, and that is why this test is necessary - it calibrates perception.
Step 3: When any of the three indicators increases by at least 1 point compared to the measurements before the dose, you have found the threshold. This is your minimum effective dose. Maintain it for 2 weeks, observing whether the effect is stable. Do not automatically increase - first check if this is not your sweet spot.
A key insight from Sulak that often gets lost in popular articles about CBD: the test should include time before and after the dose. Many people only measure 'how I feel after' - without a reference point 'how I felt before.' This is a fundamental methodological error that causes people not to notice subtle but real changes.
Desensitization of receptors - what happens with too high doses?
Cannabinoid receptors undergo regulation similar to other G-protein coupled receptors. Chronic, excessive stimulation of CB1 by an agonist (whether THC or indirectly through endocannabinoids enhanced by CBD) triggers compensatory mechanisms: internalization of receptors (the receptor 'hides' inside the cell) and downregulation of their expression (the cell produces fewer receptors). The result is tolerance - the body needs more and more of the substance to achieve the same effect.
With CBD, the mechanism is indirect - CBD is not a strong CB1 agonist - but at very high doses (hundreds of mg daily for months), clinical data suggest the possibility of diminishing effect. Sulak proposes a 'T-break' (tolerance break) - a 48-hour break every few weeks as a preventive measure. An article on PET brain imaging studies described how such a break restores the sensitivity of CB1 receptors - this is the topic of an article on a two-day CBD break in the same knowledge cluster.
Why is comparing your own doses with others a mistake?
CBD is a highly individual supplement. Optimal dosage is influenced by: body weight and fat tissue ratios (CBD is lipophilic and accumulates in fat tissue), CYP450 metabolism rate (liver enzymes), density of CB1 and CB2 receptor expression (genetically variable), state of the endocannabinoid system (people with ECS deficiency may need a different dose than those with a functioning system), and route of administration (sublingual vs. oral with different bioavailability).
Two individuals with the same body weight and the same indication may have a sweet spot that differs by five times. This is not anecdotal - a study by Ujvary and Hanus (Drug Metabolism Reviews, 2016) documented enormous individual variability in the pharmacokinetics of CBD at the same orally administered dose (Ujvary & Hanus, Drug Metabolism Reviews, 2016).
Practical conclusions - before you increase your dose
If you have been taking CBD for 2-3 weeks and 'feel no effect,' before you double your dose, check a few things. First: are you using CBD with a documented composition with a CoA certificate? A study on mislabeling (Bonn-Miller et al., JAMA, 2017) found that nearly 43% of CBD products contain a different amount of CBD than the label states. Second: are you consistently taking CBD at the same time, with a fatty meal (which increases absorption)? Third: are you sure that what you are looking for is realistically achievable with CBD - and does not require medical intervention?
From our experience, the most common mistake is the lack of a diary. Without recording, it is difficult to catch subtle changes over weeks - the brain favors dramatic memories and ignores slow, gradual improvements. A simple sheet with the date, dose, and assessment of the three Sulak parameters (breath, body, mood) before and an hour after the dose completely changes the quality of this observation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Dr. Dustin Sulak and where does his knowledge of CBD dosing come from?
Dr. Dustin Sulak is an osteopathic physician (D.O.) from Maine, USA, founder of Healer.com and one of the pioneers in the clinical use of cannabinoids. Over more than 15 years of working with thousands of CBD/THC patients, he has developed a microdosing protocol based on individual calibration of the minimum effective dose rather than standard "manufacturer's doses."
What is Sulak's CBD microdosing protocol?
Start with 1-2 mg of CBD, increasing by 1-2 mg every 3-7 days. Before and 45-60 minutes after each dose, assess three indicators: breath, body tension, mood (scale 1-10). An increase of 1 point in any indicator signals the threshold of effectiveness - this is your minimum effective dose. Most wellness goals are achieved between 5 and 25 mg/day.
What is the biphasic curve of CBD?
CBD has different effects at low and high doses. A study by Zuardi et al. showed that 300 mg of CBD reduced anxiety before public speaking more effectively than 900 mg - high doses produced effects comparable to placebo (J Psychopharmacology, 2017). This is why "more" CBD does not always mean "better."
How long does it take to find the optimal dose of CBD?
With a systematic approach - 2 to 4 weeks. Start with 1-2 mg, weekly increases with a symptom diary. Patience is key: CBD builds its effect gradually, and the threshold of effectiveness is subtle and requires regular self-observation to avoid missing it.
What happens if we exceed the optimal dose of CBD?
Exceeding the optimal dose can lead to diminishing or reversing effects (biphasic effect). Long-term use of excessive doses may cause desensitization of CB1 receptors - internalization and downregulation - which paradoxically reduces the sensitivity of the endocannabinoid system and requires increasingly higher doses for the same effect.
This article is for informational and educational purposes and does not replace consultation with a doctor. If you are pregnant, breastfeeding, taking medications, or have chronic conditions, consult the use of supplements or herbs with a specialist.
Author: Michał Waluk · Published: 2026-05-04 · Updated: 2026-05-04
