Humans apparently consist of a soul, and a body of flesh that serves as a machine for it. This machine helps us in our daily functioning. Unfortunately, this machine tends to break down quite a bit and also hurt. Pain is a terribly frustrating thing especially when it is chronic, but over the years modern medicine has found solutions for it, pain medicine has decreased and we have received things like paracetamol, medical cannabis and psychological therapy. But what if you are a cannabis patient – or even just stellen – who need to receive drug treatment and actually mix two different drugs? How does our machine react then?
Cannabis consumption can affect drug patients in unexpected ways, physically and mentally, and cause side effects from the other pills they are taking. Combining drugs together with cannabis takes place on two levels: the first is pharmacokinetic interactions, a description of a situation where both the drug and the cannabis act in similar ways within the body and collide with each other. The second is pharmacodynamic interactions, which are characterized by a joint activity in the body, a combination that can cause “overactivity” of one or both of them and thereby also side effects.
Medication for everything or you are just happy to see us. Medical cannabis (Photo: Shutterstock)
The big risks start with not knowing: many cannabis users are completely unaware of the interactions between it and prescription drugs, as well as veteran patients of prescription drugs who simultaneously become medical cannabis patients. Among the main dangers that such mixing can produce is a host of fun symptoms such as respiratory depression, dizziness, hallucinations, increased heart rate and blood poisoning. So that you don’t find yourself in the hospital just because you tried to use the wrong medicines at the same time, here is a short and useful guide.
1. Cannabis and painkillers
What’s going on here: We are talking about painkillers that work on the central nervous system.
What drugs: Opiates, sedatives, sleep-inducing drugs such as Tramdex, Tremel, Buprenorphine, Zaldiar, Dentrium.
What is the danger: Mixing with cannabis may increase the risk of respiratory depression. This is a condition where the breathing rate slows down to a rate of only 6-7 breaths per minute. The condition is not immediately life-threatening, but if there is respiratory depression, contact the family doctor to adjust the doses.
2. Cannabis andAntidepressants, anxiety and tranquilizers
What’s going on here: Here, too, it is a group of drugs that work on the central nervous system, and in addition also inhibit the MAO enzyme (it is the selector of serotonin and dopamine in our brain), and also contain tricyclic antidepressants.
What drugs: Take a breath, because the group of drugs includes aripiprazole, sorbone, buprenorphine, clozapine, lozapine, depraxen, Gilax, haloperidol, pericate, tofarnil, primonil, licarbium (lithium), ludiomil/melodil, nortriptyline, zipadhara, pimozide, Olanzapine Dexel, Olanzapine Teva, Quetiapine, Seroquel, Gaudon, Respond, Trazodil and sorry for those we forgot.
What is the danger: Mixing these drugs with cannabis may also lead to an increased risk of respiratory depression. Also among those taking tricyclic pills there is also an increase in the risk of hallucinations and an accelerated heart rate.
Write down, doctor, write down. Medical cannabis (Photo: Shutterstock)
3. Cannabis and antidotes SSRI antidepressants
What’s going on here: Everyone loves cannabis, everyone loves SSRI antidepressants, but the problem is that cannabis and SSRI antidepressants do not like each other at all.
What drugs: Prozac, Seroxat, Peboxil, Cipramil, Recital, Lustral, Cipralax and more.
What is the danger: Mixing SSRIs with cannabis will lead to dizziness, nausea, feeling tired, confusion, anxiety and risk of mania.
4. Cannabis and plant-based antidepressants
What’s going on here: In recent years, the popularity of plant-based antidepressants containing the hypericum plant has increased. You would think that two plants could live together in harmony in your brain – but no.
What drugs: These are usually pills of the Remotive type or other pills that contain the hypericum plant or another herbal anti-depressant component.
What is the danger: Hypericum-based pills will cancel out the effects of cannabis and increase the risk of respiratory depression. The hypericum plant is an MAO enzyme inhibitor and this is always a problem in combination with psychoactive substances that affect the serotonin and dopamine production centers.
5. Cannabis and psychiatric drugs
What’s going on here: In general, it is not recommended to combine psychiatric drugs with anything, it is not a game, but sometimes there is no choice and cannabis patients who are also treated with certain psychiatric drugs must learn the interactions between the treatments.
What drugs: There are quite a few, but they can be marked as particularly problematic Antipsychotics from the olanzapine family and tricyclic antidepressants from the mirtazapine/miro family, as well as drugs from the levompromazine (Ronexin) family.
What is the danger: A joint effect on the metabolism that may cause a faster breakdown of the drugs and thus reduce their effect. The drugs from the levompromazine family increase the effects of cannabis and therefore also its possible side effects (anxiety attacks, paranoia, disorientation).
A host of oils, extracts and compounds. Medical cannabis (Photo: Shutterstock)
6. Cannabis and anti-cholesterol drugs
What’s going on here: Well, even when combining drugs that do not act on the brain, there may be a host of problems when they are mixed with cannabis, in most cases as a result of canceling or increasing the effect of one of the parties.
What drugs: Anti-cholesterol and triglyceride drugs are widely used, here we mean generic drugs Bezfibert, Bezlip and Norlip.
What is the danger: Users will experience an uncontrolled increase in the effect of cannabis.
7. Cannabis and drugs for kidney cancer
What’s going on here: Many cancer patients are medical cannabis patients, of course, but sometimes the drugs given to them as part of the cancer treatment conflict unpleasantly with the effects of cannabis.
What drugs: Here we will focus specifically on drugs from the sorafenib family for kidney cancer, which are already known to inhibit an enzyme called CYP2C9 and break down in the same place where medical cannabis breaks down.
What is the danger: Combined consumption of one of the drugs with cannabis can cause disorders in the breakdown of cannabis and an increase in its effect on the body’s cells, hence its increased effect.
8. Cannabis and pills against vision problems
What’s going on here: If you suffer from allergies and eye infections and also like to pamper yourself – you may have a problem here. Many eye medications and antihistamines don’t like cannabis at all.
What drugs: Antihistamines such as levobastin, Rinolest spray, lastacept, olofetadine.
What is the danger: Use together with cannabis may lead to an increased risk of respiratory depression, increased heart rate and dizziness.
What are you swallowing today? Cannabis and other drugs (Photo: Shutterstock)
9. Cannabis and ADHD pills
What’s going on here: A huge population uses pills and preparations for the treatment of ADHD, including many cannabis patients and just plain old people with ADD. Even if you do it and feel fine – medically it is not a successful combination.
What drugs: These are pills from the category of amphetamine sympathomimetic preparations such as Ritalin, Etnet, and Vyance.
What is the danger: prolonged use Together with cannabis, it will increase the risk of an increase in the rate of heart activity, acceleration of blood circulation and blood poisoning.
10. Cannabis and the pills no one wants to talk about
What’s going on here: guess what? Even prescription pills to treat impotence are very, very bad with cannabis. If you took such a pill for a night of passion, it is highly recommended to avoid smoking cannabis at the same time.
What drugs: Pills from the Viagra family, Sildenafil Teva, Sil-on and more.
What is the danger: The use of pills of this kind, together with the accelerated physical activity and the effects of cannabis, significantly increases the risk of serious heart attacks.
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