cannabis) changes how another substance (in this case the prescription medication) is absorbed, metabolized, excreted, or processed in the body. This is called a pharmacokinetic interaction. When you introduce both of these substances into your body, there is a metabolic bottleneck of sorts VGDQD XNTQ ANCX B@MŗS DƤ DBSHUDKX AQD@J them both down at the same time. This is because both medical cannabis and up to 60% of pharmaceuticals use the same P450 liver enzymes for metabolism. So when you take another dose of your prescription medication, without having the previous dose metabolized, you can increase the risk for ONSDMSH@K RHCD DƤ DBSR Conversely,itisalsopossibleformedicalcannabis to inhibit other enzymes (ex. CYP3A4) from processing a medication into its active form, and therefore the result is too little of SGD LDCHB@SHNM SN @BGHDUD SGD CDRHQDC DƤ DBS Some research suggests medical cannabis can cause possible condition interactions, particularly when taken at high doses. Some possible condition interactions include psychosis, schizophrenia, low blood pressure, glaucoma, and anxiety.
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hen I work with patients, I all too often hear them say they don’t want to tell their doctor they are using or considering using medical cannabis. This makes me cringe, especially when someone has a long list of medications they are taking. 8NT CDRDQUD R@ED DƤ DBSHUD QDKHDE EQNL O@HM @MC RTƤ DQHMF @MC LDCHB@K B@MM@AHR can be an amazing alternative to so many traditional treatments that cause harm. However, medical cannabis is a medication, and you wouldn’t start taking a medication without consulting with you docSNQ ƥ QRS RN VGX VNTKC XNT CN SGHR VHSG
medical cannabis? You should be honest with your doctor and your doctor should welcome honest communication from you. Don’t assume that your doctor is not open to it as a treatment. This should be a discussion where you both are actively participating in making a treatment decision. If you are certain your doctor is not open to medical cannabis as a treatment, ƥ MC @MNSGDQ CNBSNQ SG@S HR So why is honesty so important? Medical cannabis can cause medication interactions, where one substance (in this case medical
So now you may be thinking, “gosh this is scary, maybe I shouldn’t use medical cannabis.” Overall,it has arelativelyfavorablesafeSX OQNƥ KD DRODBH@KKX S@JDM HM KNVDQ CNR@FDR My goal is to bring awareness to you, that medical cannabis is and should be treated like any other medication and therefore you doctor needs to be included in your decision making to use it, as well as provide you with ongoing evaluation…. just like any other medication.
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HY@SHNM SGQNTFG R@ED @MC BTRSNLHYDC LDCHB@K B@MM@AHR SGDQ@OX OK@MMHMF 3HƤ @MX G@R @ !@BGDKNQŗR NE 2BHDMBD degree in Biology and holds a medical L@QHIT@M@ SD@BGHMF BDQSHƥ B@SHNM ENQ 3Q@HM SGD 3Q@HMDQ "@MM@BH@Mŷ +DUDK One. OunceMag.com SUMMER 2019
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