Monday, March 3, 2008

Smoking Marijuana May Increase Risk of Dying After a Heart Attack


A recent study shows that smoking marijuana after a heart attack may cause death. The study was spawned after it was found that oral doses of marijuana stopped atherosclerosis in mice. The goal was to see what effect marijuana has on people with existing heart disease and what, if any cardiovascular risks it poses. The results showed that you are three times more likely to die from the effects of marijuana post heart attack.

Lead investigator Dr Kenneth Mukamal (Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA), points out that "for all the thousands and thousands of studies we've done on people who have had heart attacks, virtually nobody asks them about their marijuana use. Every single study asks people if they smoke, if they drink alcohol, but we never ask about marijuana."

The study group was small, and Dr. Mukamal suggests that more studies are needed to precisely identify the cardiovascular risks associated with marijuana use. Past studies have shown the possibility of adverse effects in older adults and those with coronary artery disease. Marijuana increases heart rate and exposes the body to increased levels of carbon monoxide, both of which are undesirable under any circumstances, let alone in the presence of heart disease.

The study, though not definitive, provides hints that perhaps drinking a glass of red wine might be more beneficial for stress relief following a heart attack - but please get your doctor’s permission first.

This study was published in the March 2008 issue of the American Heart Journal. ◦
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8 comments:

  1. Smoking marijuana is more fun than drinking beer....

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  2. Smoking marijuana is more fun than drinking beer...

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  3. Phil,
    Well, that got posted twice...somehow.

    Thanks for your comment - We could talk a whole lot about "fun", don't you think?

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  4. I think its all about just being smart...Obviously pot will have adverse effects if you use it regularly after a heart attack, one of the two universal facts about pot is that it: A. Increases your appetite("munchies" great in cases of nausea), and B. Increases your heart rate. My guess is that after a heart attack you probably don't want you heart working too hard. So just take it easy with it and all should be well.

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  5. Any kind of smoke inhalation causes lung damage of course. The article is titled 'smoking marijuana...', and all other references imply smoking it. Are the effects (and negative side effects) the same when ingested? For that matter, are there other, safer ways to get marijuana into the bloodstream?

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  6. Hermann,
    Medicinally, researchers have indeed suggested that it is more important to deliver THC other than smoking it to negate the respiratory damage. Marinol is given in pill form. Also, patches and steam inhalation are being explored. Here is a good link, that sums up the facts about avoiding carcinogens and other chemical in marijuana that result from smoking it:
    http://www.usdoj.gov/dea/ongoing/marinol.html

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  7. Is smoking marijuana a contraindication to massage? Can you smoke before a massage? Thanks

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  8. I don't know of any studies done on the combination of marijuana and massage, but I have suspected for a long time that marijuana should be a local--if not systemic--contradiction to massage.

    One of my numerous reasons relies on the fact mentioned above: intake of marijuana increases heart rate. Similarly, massage increases blood pressure in a localized area. Applying pressure to the body could easily lead to a sudden, drastic spike in blood pressure on the area of contact. I imagine this would be particularly dangerous around the abdomen (which, as you know, is already contraindicated for high-blood pressure).

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