Cannabis Before Surgery?
It is generally recommended that cannabis not be used for several days or weeks before having surgery. Though research is limited, there are suggestions cannabis may interfere with anesthesia even though cannabis does reduce anxiety and nausea. Cannabis causes the blood vessels of the body to relax, a process called vasodilation, which can cause the blood pressure to fall and the heart rate to increase, circulating your blood more quickly, effecting localized freezing time and effectiveness.
Is It Safe to Use Cannabis After Surgery?
There are a lot of adverse effects of prescribed opioid painkillers after surgery, so how does cannabis compare and help manage unwanted symptoms?
One study, led by the Imperial College London in the United Kingdom and the Medical Research Council and published in the Journal of Anesthesiology, researchers found that Cannador, a cannabis plant extract, has significant pain relieving effects for those suffering from post-operation pain.
How does it Work?
Cannabis extracts work due to the cannabinoid receptors in the brain. These receptors interact with the cannabinoids in Cannador and helped to strengthen the body’s ability to reduce pain feeling. The doctors changed the dose level of the drug per patient. The results were obvious and positive: as the dose increased, patients experienced less pain. However, the Cannador did have some side effects like increased heart rate that came along with a high dose.
The study showed cannabis was beneficial for use after surgery, providing ideal pain relief with few side effects. This potentially means we could see doctors prescribe cannabis or cannabis extract in the future as pain relief alternatives.
Cannabis and Surgery – Edibles not Smoking
The medical industry definitely has a long way to go before just anyone can get a cannabis prescription after surgery. But for those who have just had surgery (us and many of you out there) and are looking to use cannabis to treat pain, they might want to consider various ways of administrating the cannabis. Instead of smoking cannabis, we suggest tinctures and edibles. Especially if you’ve had heart or lungs surgery, coughing can interrupt the healing process and we don’t want that.
****We are not medical professionals. Always contact your doctor for their pain management and health suggestions.
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