Which specialist should you see?
If you are considering CBD, who should you talk to? Which doctor to see for your condition, and when to see a pharmacist?
Last updated: SourcedWe do not recommend personal doses.
What's on this page?
Who should you talk to first?
If a doctor follows you for your condition, ask them about CBD first. Tell all of your healthcare providers about the complementary and herbal products you use, including CBD. Do not use CBD as a way to put off seeing a doctor about a health problem.
If no specialist follows you, start with your family doctor (aile hekimi). In Turkey, the family doctor provides diagnosis, treatment and counseling in primary care, decides whether you need to go to a hospital, and refers patients who cannot be diagnosed or treated at the family health center (aile sağlığı merkezi).
The same applies to people being treated for cancer: before starting a complementary product, talk the decision over with your doctor, nurse or pharmacist.
Source: NIH NCCIH: Cannabis and Cannabinoids; Aile Hekimliği Uygulama Yönetmeliği (Family Medicine Implementation Regulation), Art. 4 and 28; NCI PDQ: Cannabis and Cannabinoids
If you take medicines: your pharmacist
Pharmacists inform patients about problems related to medicine use, and pharmacies offer counseling on medicine use and health-related products. If you take another medicine, it is recommended that you talk to a pharmacist before starting an herbal product. Pharmacists can also help check whether your medicines might interact with each other.
CBD can change the blood levels of some medicines by affecting the liver enzymes that break them down. You can also look up your medicine in the guide’s drug interaction tool; if it is not on the list, that does not mean it is safe.
Source: Eczacılar ve Eczaneler Hakkında Yönetmelik (Regulation on Pharmacists and Pharmacies), Art. 6, 7 and 33; NHS: Herbal medicines; NIAMS: Rheumatoid arthritis, who treats; EMA: Epidyolex product information, section 4.5
If you are having surgery: the anesthesiologist and the surgeon
Before surgery, tell the anesthesiologist about your cannabis and CBD use. Ask your anesthesiologist, surgeon or care team when you can use it again after surgery.
The first anesthesia guideline in the US recommends asking patients about cannabis use before any procedure that requires anesthesia: the type of product, how it is taken, how much, how often, and when it was last used. Before surgery, you will also be asked to know all the medicines, vitamins and herbal products you take.
Source: ASA: Cannabis and surgery; ASRA 2023 guideline on cannabis and surgery (PMID 36596580); NHS: Preparing for surgery
If you have had a side effect
Suspected side effects of medicines can be reported to the Turkish Pharmacovigilance Center (Türkiye Farmakovijilans Merkezi, TÜFAM) by healthcare professionals as well as by patients and their relatives.
How do I report a side effect?
Source: TİTCK (Turkish Medicines and Medical Devices Agency): Pharmacovigilance (TÜFAM)
Which specialist for which condition?
The specialties below are the ones usually involved in diagnosing and treating that condition. If you are not sure which department to go to, start with your family doctor. The specialty names are the official specialty names in Turkey.
| Topic | Related specialty | Note | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neurology (Nöroloji). For children, Pediatrics (Çocuk Sağlığı ve Hastalıkları; subspecialty Pediatric Neurology). | A person who has had a seizure is usually referred to a neurologist; after a first seizure, it is recommended that children and young people be referred to a pediatrician experienced in seizures and epilepsy. Prescription CBD is started and monitored by a doctor experienced in treating epilepsy. | ||
| Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (Çocuk ve Ergen Ruh Sağlığı ve Hastalıkları); Pediatrics (subspecialty Developmental Pediatrics). | Autism assessment is done by a team of professionals from different fields: a pediatrician or child psychiatrist, a speech and language therapist, and a psychologist. | ||
| The oncology team managing your treatment (Medical Oncology, Tıbbi Onkoloji); palliative care for symptoms. | Cancer doctors are advised to ask about cannabis use without judgment. Pain, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting and insomnia are symptoms addressed in palliative care; the first person to ask about palliative care is your oncologist. | ||
| Algology (Algoloji; the pain subspecialty, under Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Neurology, or Anesthesiology and Reanimation as the main specialty). | Pain treatment is often a team effort: a pain specialist, specialists for your other conditions, nurses and mental health professionals. | ||
| Neurology; Algology. | Some people with suspected damage to the peripheral nerves (peripheral neuropathy) need to see a neurologist at a hospital for further tests. | ||
| Rheumatology (Romatoloji); Orthopedics and Traumatology (Ortopedi ve Travmatoloji); a physiotherapist for an exercise program. | In osteoarthritis, a rheumatologist, an orthopedic surgeon and a physiotherapist are involved. If rheumatoid arthritis is suspected, the family doctor refers you to a rheumatologist. | ||
| Family doctor; Rheumatology. | Most people with fibromyalgia are followed in primary care; a rheumatologist, a pain specialist, a mental health professional and a physiotherapist may also be part of the team. | ||
| Neurology. | If the diagnosis is unclear, or if migraine stays severe despite treatment, the family doctor may refer you to a neurologist. | ||
| Anesthesiology and Reanimation (Anesteziyoloji ve Reanimasyon); the surgeon who will perform the operation. | Before surgery, tell the anesthesiologist about your cannabis and CBD use (see the section above). | ||
| Psychiatry (Ruh Sağlığı ve Hastalıkları); clinical psychologist. | When needed, the family doctor refers you to a mental health professional, such as a psychiatrist or a clinical psychologist. | ||
| Psychiatry. | If bipolar disorder is suspected, the family doctor refers you to a psychiatrist; if schizophrenia is suspected, to a mental health team. In severe depression, too, you may be referred to a mental health team that includes psychiatrists and psychologists. | ||
| Psychiatry; the Turkish Ministry of Health’s addiction treatment centers (AMATEM; ÇEMATEM for children and adolescents). | The Ministry’s addiction treatment units include psychiatry outpatient clinics, Alcohol and Drug Addiction Treatment and Training Centers (AMATEM) and Child and Adolescent Substance Addiction Treatment Centers (ÇEMATEM). | ||
| Family doctor; a sleep clinic if needed. | For long-lasting insomnia, the treatment usually recommended first is cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia. If another sleep disorder such as sleep apnea is suspected, you may be referred to a sleep clinic. | ||
| Gastroenterology (Gastroenteroloji). | Ulcerative colitis is usually diagnosed in a hospital by a specialist in digestive diseases (gastroenterologist); people with Crohn’s disease are also followed by a team that includes a gastroenterologist. | ||
| Neurology. | If MS is suspected, the family doctor refers you to a neurologist. | ||
| Neurology or Geriatrics (Geriatri). | If Parkinson’s is suspected, the person is referred to a neurologist or to a specialist in diseases of older age (geriatrician). | ||
| Dermatology (Deri ve Zührevi Hastalıkları, “Skin and Venereal Diseases”). | For acne, eczema and psoriasis, the family doctor can start some treatments or refer you to a dermatologist. | ||
| Family doctor or Internal Medicine (İç Hastalıkları); diabetes team. | Most people with diabetes are followed in primary care, with help from a family doctor or an internal medicine specialist. In type 1 diabetes, treatment begins in a hospital with a specialist diabetes team. | ||
| Family doctor. | You can have your blood pressure measured at a pharmacy or at your family doctor’s practice; blood pressure medicine is usually started by the family doctor. | ||
| Ophthalmology (Göz Hastalıkları). | A person diagnosed with glaucoma should be referred to an eye specialist (ophthalmologist) for further tests. |
Source: Law No. 1219, Annex 1 and Annex 3 tables of specialties
What should you tell your doctor and pharmacist?
- All the complementary and herbal products you use, including CBD.
- The type of product (oil, capsule, cream…), how you use it, how much, how often, and when you last used it.
- All the medicines, vitamins and herbal supplements you take.
The guide’s personal warning tool prepares a short summary you can take to your doctor once you choose your age, medicines and situation. Nothing you enter is sent anywhere.
Source: NIH NCCIH: Cannabis and Cannabinoids; ASRA 2023 guideline on cannabis and surgery (PMID 36596580); NHS: Preparing for surgery
Frequently asked questions
Which doctor should I see about CBD?
If a specialist follows you for your condition, ask them first. If not, start with your family doctor: in primary care, the family doctor provides diagnosis, treatment and counseling, and refers you to a hospital if needed.
Can a pharmacist check for drug interactions between CBD and my medicines?
Pharmacists give information and counseling about problems related to medicine use. If you take other medicines, it is recommended that you talk to a pharmacist before starting an herbal product.
Should I mention that I use CBD before surgery?
Yes. Tell the anesthesiologist about your cannabis and CBD use; ask your anesthesiologist or surgeon when you can use it again after surgery.
Check drug interactions · Prepare a summary for your doctor · For clinicians · Ongoing clinical trials