Taking Medicinal Marijuana with Blood Thinners

Medical cannabis plant is permitted in numerous states in Australia. Patients suffering from a variety of medications conditions that can be adequately treated with medicinal cannabis sativa plant will be relieved to hear this. Concerns have been raised, however, concerning the possible interactions with other drugs that people with specific diseases may need to take.

A class of these drugs is used to thin the blood. Many doctors avoid recommending medicinal marijuana to patients on blood thinners since it can boost the effectiveness of these drugs. People don’t aware that medical marijuana may be used as a safe and effective alternative to anticoagulant drugs due to its inherent blood-thinning effects.

Some doctors, because to a lack of education on medical marijuana, warn their patients with a clotting disorder or other heart issues against taking Medicinal Cannabis oils. The medical community has yet to properly recognise medicinal marijuana’s potential advantages.

The Benefits of Medical Cannabis and Clot Prevention

To put it simply, blood clots impede normal blood circulation. A build-up of platelets, a kind of blood cell, causes certain conditions.

Stopping bleeding after an accident or wound is a vital body function, but blood clots may be quite deadly if they develop in the wrong place. Doctors typically give blood thinners to avoid this. Blood thinners have no effect on the blood’s viscosity. They work by preventing the blood from clotting.

Clot-busting antiplatelet drugs work by reducing the ability of blood’s platelets to stick together and clot. The chemical reaction produced by an anticoagulant increases the time it takes for a clot to form.

Does Medical Marijuana Reduce Blood Pressure?

For some, the anticoagulant properties of medical marijuana are worth the risk of becoming high. Insufficient study has been done on this aspect of medicinal marijuana; hence the exact explanation is unknown.

Phyto-cannabinoids, which may be found in abundance in medicinal marijuana, aid in a wide range of physiological processes, including blood thinning. The processes by which Medicinal Cannabis causes its blood-thinning effects are still poorly understood, however.

At now, the only research addressing the blood-thinning effects of marijuana was conducted on overweight rats.

It was determined through this study that cannabinoids such as cannabidiol (CBD), tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), and cannabinol (CBN) inhibit blood clotting activity, and that the endocannabinoid anandamide has clotting potential in vitro.

Blood thrombin activity was also shown to be altered by the cannabinoids found in medical cannabis. Blood clots are formed when fibrinogen is converted into fibrin by the enzyme thrombin. This data also reveals that cannabinoids, such as THC and CBD, have a high affinity for specific receptors (peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors or PPARy) in the blood vessels.

Research investigating the effects of medicinal cannabis on blood platelet and clotting activity cannot proceed until marijuana is either no longer classed as an illegal drug or rescheduled into a lower category.

Does Medicinal Cannabis Affect Blood Thinners?

The effects of medical marijuana on blood have not been studied extensively, however there is evidence that using marijuana in conjunction with blood-thinning drugs can have dangerous consequences. The liver is responsible for cleansing the blood of toxins and other harmful compounds and for breaking down (metabolising) medications.

Medicinal cannabis is broken down in the liver by the same enzymes responsible for breaking down blood thinners. Medical marijuana can modify the effectiveness of statins and blood-thinning drugs. To put it simply, marijuana reduces the efficacy of certain medicines and, in some situations, can cause dangerous drug interactions.

Will Blood Thinning Medications Interfere with Smoking Marijuana?

Many people who use blood thinners also frequently use medical cannabis. The risks associated with Medicinal Cannabis use for these people, however, are frequently related to how the drug is used.

Users who partake in dangerous behaviours, such as smoking, are responsible for the negative outcomes of such behaviours. Medical marijuana patients taking Blood Thinners often prefer edibles and topicals over smoking the drug.

What Are the Effects of Marijuana on Blood-Thinning Medications?

It is thought that marijuana’s ability to block the metabolism of blood thinners and displace them from their protein-binding sites contributes to the drug’s increased anticoagulant impact.

Properties in medical cannabis can counteract the benefits of blood-thinning drugs and therapies. There are two ways in which these consequences manifest: the first is a reduction in the beneficial benefits of therapy and an increase in the undesirable side effects common to many pharmacological medications. Dangers include overdosing, addiction, and toxicity.

Many people who need blood thinners also have cardiovascular concerns, such as high blood pressure, which makes using medicinal cannabis harmful. Abnormal heart activity, which might increase the risk of stroke, is a well-known risk of using medical cannabis.

People with cardiac problems are more likely to have negative effects from THC-rich strains of cannabis used for smoking or vaping. Those who consume marijuana in different forms may also be at risk.

Unfortunately, many people continue to use marijuana with prescription medicines like Warfarin despite warnings about the Marijuanaential for harmful interactions between the two. There is no clear evidence that long-term use of medicinal cannabis causes blood thinning, despite reports that it has anticoagulant action.

If you have heart problems and are on blood-thinning medication or therapy, talk to your doctor before starting a Medicinal Cannabis regimen. You’ll want to know what other options are available and how starting a new drug regimen could effect your current regimen and general health.

When integrating medicinal cannabis into treatment, it is essential for patients to do so under medical supervision.

How to Get the Most Out of Medical Marijuana While Taking Blood Thinners

In particular, those using blood-thinning or cardiac drugs may experience serious side effects from Medicinal Cannabis use. Quitting smoking is the most effective strategy to lessen this possibility.

Different strains and preparations of medical marijuana provide patients more options for using the drug safely and sensibly. Some people who use medical marijuana are concerned about the health risks associated with inhaling smoke and have found relief through alternative ways of ingestion, such as edibles, topicals, and tinctures, which are more powerful than smoking medicinal cannabis flower. The effects of marijuana are amplified due to the liver’s role in processing ingested products.

Medical marijuana smoking when taking warfarin?

Many people using blood thinners still smoke nicotine and medical cannabis despite the known risks. Reduced blood flow to the organs and the rest of the body is one of the negative effects of smoking.

Long-term usage also increases the risk of other vascular, pulmonary, and general health problems by making the arteries stiffer and less elastic. If you have abnormal blood clotting activity or heart or vascular health issues, you should not smoke medical cannabis while using a blood thinner.

Cannabidiol for Blood-Thinning Purposes

There has to be more research done on medicinal cannabis before it can replace standard blood thinners in medical practise. Blood-thinning medication users who are considering switching to medicinal marijuana should do so only under medical supervision.

The ideal ratio of THC to CBD in an oil combination is 2 ounces of THC to 1 ounce of CBD. Without first consulting with their doctor, patients shouldn’t use oil or omega-3 fatty acid supplements. Blood-thinning medications may not work as well if you consume these lipids.

Treatments based on medicinal cannabis are effective for a wide range of diseases and disorders because to the plant’s characteristics, which may affect virtually anywhere in the body. Unfortunately, distrust has grown up over the years due to concealing therapeutic remedies derived from the plant from the general public.

This is why many people persist in taking synthetic drugs despite their hazardous consequences and numerous drawbacks.

Which Prescription Drugs Should Not Be Taken Together with Medical Cannabis?

THC and CBD, two of medicinal cannabis’ primary active ingredients, are known to influence medication metabolism and action. These variations raise the possibility of misuse and addiction problems and make it more challenging for users to avoid dangerous drug combinations.

Dizziness, disorientation, lethargy, fast or shallow breathing, increased or lowered heart rate, drops and spikes in blood pressure, impairment of motor, cognitive, and judgement skills, aspiration, and psychosis are common symptoms of negative medication and Medicinal Cannabis interactions.

Patients using the following pharmaceuticals are at increased risk for negative interactions when using cannabinoids.

Liver damage, emotional instability, and drug addiction have all been linked to antidepressants and antipsychotics including Zoloft (sertraline), Seroquel, clozapine, valproate, etc.
A higher risk of abnormal and excessive bleeding is associated with the use of cardiovascular drugs like Warfarin, statins, etc.
Drugs that help people breathe easier, such bronchodilators like theophylline and beta-2 agonists like salbutamol, formoterol, and vilanterol, and anticholinergics like ipratropium, tiotropium, and glycopyrronium, are less effective when used with marijuana.
Mild negative effects are common when combining marijuana with anticonvulsants like benzodiazepines. However, the sedative effects of CBD and other drugs, such as blood thinners, are compounded when used together.

In spite of the risks, medical cannabis can be safely used in conjunction with prescribed medications.

Your doctor should be aware of your intention to use medical marijuana as well as any other drugs or supplements you are currently taking. Your doctor will go over your health background, explain your treatment options, and address any concerns you may have.

Your doctor should be consulted before you suddenly stop taking any drugs. To get the benefits of marijuana without harming your general health, your doctor may offer an alternative drug.

Finally

We know you might be curios to find out more information and discuss medicinal cannabis uses, or where to get legal medicinal cannabis products in Australia, or who is authorised to prescribe medicinal cannabis products to you, and we know lots of people are also worried about the use of medicinal cannabis.

For all these, schedule a consultation session today with our experts at Chronic Therapy to get professional advice about any medicinal cannabis product or medicinal use of the product to maximise your benefits from it.