Smoking Weed and Heart Conditions

[Rustylions]

Hi,

A best mate of mine has had a recent heart attack (due to various factors) he's only 19 and has his whole life ahead of him.

Just wanted to know if anyone had any experience with this kind of thing. His main concern (as he isn't allowed to touch cigarettes, caffeine etc) is when he can start smoking cannabis again (through a vape)

Any info would be greatly appreciated as I'd love to give him a bit of relief or at least knowledge on the subject as the doctors in our country are reluctant to give any accurate advice.

Thanks,

RL

 

[Dr.Diddy]

I would say he can start as soon as HE feels comfortable. Vaping like you said, would be best. I would be wary of heavy sativa's as they tend to make the heart race. Try a nice Mellow Indica, in other words don't start him off on a 12-14 week super sativa, it may do more harm than good. I always say to start with lower doses...you can always vape another bowl. I know with my own heart issues I sometimes will feel the effects on my heart about 15-20 minutes after, usually I will be sitting watching tv with the wife when my heart starts racing. When it happens I make note of the strain and try to stay away from it. Thats kind of the whole thing with medical use, as of now we have to play a guessing game on works for us, one strain may calm someone way down, where another will string someone out. This process can take years if growing yourself. I am glad some seed companies are describing their product more in depth as a guide as to what can be found in a strain, but We are all different I guess. But yeah...As soon as he feels like he can start him off with a few puffs and build up.

 

[j6p]

A best mate of mine has had a recent heart attack (due to various factors) he's only 19 and has his whole life ahead of him.

I basically agree with Dr. D. After a heart attack he should wait until he feels OK, and take it slow. Vaping mild Indicas, just a couple puffs to start.
GL

 

[Quiet_Riot]

He should be vaping, yes. There should be a lot of carbon monoxide in weed and other carcinogens, so vape is best option for him, if he don't wanna die just yet

 

[sallyforthDeleted member 75382]

check out Mandala seeds, great description's. Try and stick with indica's and like other posters are saying dose it carefully by vape....hope your mate is o.k and best wishes.

 

[DoobieDuck]

Rusty sad to hear about your friend and only 19..so young to start having problems like this. My advice, this is his heart, a major medical issue. Nothing to mess with here at IC I don't think. He should be up front and honest with his treating Cardiologist and if he wants to vape..ask his physician about it. Good luck to him and you as well..DD

 

[JuniorBalls]

Well said Doobie - if your friend is American and is forunate enough to live in a Medical state then he should be able to ask his Doctor what the best course of action is.

At least it's recognised Medicinally in the US, in some areas

Always go with professional qualified advice if possible - strangers on the internet should really be a last resort!

 

[mugenbao]

If your buddy wants to continue smoking herb, he really should discuss it with a doctor.

There are some studies that show that the effects of cannabis are not always kind and safe for people who are already known to have heart problems, and he needs actual facts and medical advice, not just advice from a bunch of stoners

 

[Muleskinner]

If your buddy wants to continue smoking herb, he really should discuss it with a doctor.

There are some studies that show that the effects of cannabis are not always kind and safe for people who are already known to have heart problems, and he needs actual facts and medical advice, not just advice from a bunch of stoners

No doubt! I've helped a few medical patient friends who have never tried cannabis to try it for medical relief. The one and only warning I ever give them is about heart problems - cannabis can cause rapid heartbeat and exacerbate problems with rapid or irregular heartbeat. I think that is the only serious risk from using cannabis, of course there are others but dry-mouth and feeling sleepy or light-headed are not safety concerns.

I advise anyone with these problems to not use cannabis at all or to use it strictly under the supervision of a friendly doctor.

If it was me I'd slowly start using only heavy indicas and I'd take small doses and measure my heart rate as I went along. Obviously the trippy sativas are more likely to cause the heart to start racing.

 

[mugenbao]

The one and only warning I ever give them is about heart problems - cannabis can cause rapid heartbeat and exacerbate problems with rapid or irregular heartbeat

That's the only physical risk I'm aware of as well, and shouldn't be discounted if you are already diagnosed with a heart condition.

I recently read an article about the rate of incidence of heart attack within an hour of consuming cannabis among men with previously known heart conditions, though I can't seem to find the darned article now. If I remember it correctly, it wasn't particularly scary, but was certainly something to think about.

Other than that, it would seem that cannabis is the safest medicine you could ever hope to have

 

[Rustylions]

Thankyou to everyone for the replies!

I do keep telling him to talk to his doctor about it, however his doctor is a family friend of his who would most likely not and has repeatedly broken patient confidentiality. I'm waiting for my doctor to come back in a week so I can discuss it with her. She used to be a regular smoker and might not only have a more honest opinion but also will not leak it too his family without his consent. That is his choice.

My friend should be honest with his parents as well about it, but chances are that they would not be too understanding as they are both a doctor and scientist. I think it's better to be open about cannabis use, even if it can be a slight security issue. I like to show people that smoking weed is not about sitting on the couch, it's a social lubricating drug just like that they call alcohol. Just one is a flower, the other a poison. Haha all anyone has to do is look at a tattoo of a sativa leaf on me. I'm pretty blunt and open about it because it has helped me so much that I enjoy challenging anyone who is against it.

I've read so many conflicting articles on smoking and heart health that it is hard to get any real perspective. I will try my hardest to find some nice indica for him, not easy in the scene around my area as it's not exactly try before buy, been unusually dry for a while. I'm currently in between houses and haven't had a harvest since november so can't really help him out, had something that would have been perfect. Which got smoked and sold and a large amount of it subsequently jacked quite quickly unfortunately.

Anyway thanks for the advice once again, haha it may be the advice of internet stoners but personal experience can be quite valuable and it's very helpful to hear of peoples own experiences in this community. If only this kind of information was well documented and studied like it should be. Instead of a different report each yeah (that are mostly based on mice and sometimes synthetic cannabis or just one pure synthesis of natural THC without other cannabinoids through very complicated lab processing) , if cannabis was legalised years ago it could have been well documented on human studies. I would love to know the real effects and stats for cannabis smokers vs alcohol drinkers. And both.

Anyway cheers,

RL

 

[armedoldhippy]

i have read the same article on cannabis & heart problems. allegedly, if you are a male over 50 years old & already have high blood pressure, smoking a joint increases your risk of a heart attack by 60% for the next hour or so. it IS NOT a cumulative effect. 60 minutes or so later you are back to "normal" whatever the hell THAT is...

 

[Dr.Diddy]

You got it right Rusty, he should tell his parents that way he can be 100% honest with the Dr. and not worry about the Dr. snitching him out. If they are a Dr and scientist I am sure they are smart enough to pick up some of the latest research going around. I am guessing he uses recreationally...Either way there are studies out there for so many ailments. Your best bet for finding an indica dom strain is to find "the guy" who always has new strains, or consistently fresh buds. If they are in it for the cash 9.5/10 they will be growing a fast flowering indi. ORRRR, you just try smoking it first til' you find a strain thats mellow. I think what everybody here has said is he needs to really sit down with his Dr. and tell him straight up that he is hiding something because he fears the Doc will notify his parents and what he is hiding is hindering his health more than helping, then have him promise or even sign a contract. It's worth a shot! There are two people you don't lie to...Your Lawyer and your Doctor! Good luck to you and your friend, I hope he gets it figured out.

 

[tokinGLX]

your friend is probably going to kill himself if he keeps smoking weed. for people with weak hears, marijuana IS NOT GOOD. as stated already here, it can and will cause an increased heartrate(arrhrythmia). if a 19 year old is having a heart attack, they need to stay far away from pot.