I am wondering if anyone has any information or personal experience with this. It seems like from what I've read, general anesthesia can be affected by smoking in general, as oxygen and anesthetics are fed through the airways. But I have a surgery coming up on a leg, and will be given some sort of local anesthetics from the waist down during the procedure.
I have no problem asking my doctor, as my state is both medical and recreational, so I will get his professional opinion, of course.
I can't find much on it, but below are some of my early search results (as I am doing this, I find some definite credibility in link #3):
(1) https://www.aana.com/newsandjournal/Documents/cannabis_1280_p526.pdf
This first article was sent to me by a family friend, but I don't see much value in the works cited. It was also published by no more than a registered nurse, less than 6 months after his graduation date.
(2) http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1046/j.1365-2044.2002.288312.x/full
This is an interesting detailed experience from a doctor in the UK. Only a single instance, but it looks like anesthetics were administered both intravenously (midazolam) and orally via respiratory face mask (propofol, fentanyl, and sevoflurane). I think the focus here is the respiratory administration. An additional dose of oral and two additional doses of IV were required to keep the patient under.
WARNING: POSSIBLE GRAPHIC IMAGES IN LINK #3
(3)https://www.realself.com/question/los-angeles-ca-weed-affect-local-anesthesia
Q: "Will weed affect local anesthesia, I'm having a labiaplasty under local anesthesia. I don't smoke cigarettes but I smoke weed. Will it affect local anesthesia? Also when can I smoke afterwards? Are edibles ok? I am in excellent health and I have excellent lungs. I know this is not the norm but I am a competitive long distance runner and it has never slowed me down ."
A: " Marijuana usage prior to surgery is not an issue but I would highly not recommend smoking or ingesting anything on the day of surgery.Please, also let your surgeon know that you do smoke marijuana." -David Ghozland, MD (cosmetic gynecologist in Los Angeles)
A: "Edibles would be fine, but smoking can decrease circulation, even if your lungs are healthy. There's no risk with local anesthesia, but I would not use any marijuana products the day of your surgery." - Adam J. Oppenheimer, MD (plastic surgeon in Orlando)
A: "You should be OK for local but might heal more slowly than other patients." - John Di Saia MD (plastic surgeon in Orange, CA)
(4) http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1476-5381.1974.tb08594.x/pdf
(5) WRONG LINK
(6)http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2044.2001.02269.x/full
"Up to 10–20% of people aged 18–25 years may take cannabis weekly or more often. As a result of its slow elimination, these compounds may be present in the tissues of users for weeks, and they may interact with a number of anaesthetic agents. Animal work has shown additive effects and/or cross-tolerance with barbiturates, opioids, benzodiazepines and phenothiazines [75, 76]. There are very few published human data, but such interactions are thought to be possible [5]. Cannabis smoking is associated with an impairment of lung function similar to that associated with tobacco smoking. There is one case report of cannabis smoking causing uvular oedema and airway obstruction in a patient undergoing tympanomastoidectomy who smoked cannabis 4 h before surgery [78]. The authors caution that elective operations should not be performed on patients who have recently been exposed to cannabis smoke. As a result of its cardiovascular effects, cannabis may interact with other drugs affecting heart rate or blood pressure, such as β-blockers, anticholinergics and cholinesterase inhibitors [5]. It is also possible that adverse psychiatric and autonomic reactions to cannabis, including withdrawal effects, may interfere with the induction of anaesthesia and postoperative recovery. Hence, it is prudent to enquire about the drug history of young patients and to be aware of the potential interactions between cannabis and anaesthetic agents."
I've seen this publication cited many times. It also mainly focuses on respiratory ingestion as the issue, but briefly mentions possible cross-tolerance with drugs like barbiturates & opioids. Also, the effect on heart-rate seems important when dealing with anesthesia.
Any further opinions, experiences, concerns? I'm very interested to hear what others think. I wouldn't mind keeping off the canna for 72 hours prior to the operation. If anything, it'll make my post-surgical self-medication that much nicer!
I have no problem asking my doctor, as my state is both medical and recreational, so I will get his professional opinion, of course.
I can't find much on it, but below are some of my early search results (as I am doing this, I find some definite credibility in link #3):
(1) https://www.aana.com/newsandjournal/Documents/cannabis_1280_p526.pdf
This first article was sent to me by a family friend, but I don't see much value in the works cited. It was also published by no more than a registered nurse, less than 6 months after his graduation date.
(2) http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1046/j.1365-2044.2002.288312.x/full
This is an interesting detailed experience from a doctor in the UK. Only a single instance, but it looks like anesthetics were administered both intravenously (midazolam) and orally via respiratory face mask (propofol, fentanyl, and sevoflurane). I think the focus here is the respiratory administration. An additional dose of oral and two additional doses of IV were required to keep the patient under.
WARNING: POSSIBLE GRAPHIC IMAGES IN LINK #3
(3)https://www.realself.com/question/los-angeles-ca-weed-affect-local-anesthesia
Q: "Will weed affect local anesthesia, I'm having a labiaplasty under local anesthesia. I don't smoke cigarettes but I smoke weed. Will it affect local anesthesia? Also when can I smoke afterwards? Are edibles ok? I am in excellent health and I have excellent lungs. I know this is not the norm but I am a competitive long distance runner and it has never slowed me down ."
A: " Marijuana usage prior to surgery is not an issue but I would highly not recommend smoking or ingesting anything on the day of surgery.Please, also let your surgeon know that you do smoke marijuana." -David Ghozland, MD (cosmetic gynecologist in Los Angeles)
A: "Edibles would be fine, but smoking can decrease circulation, even if your lungs are healthy. There's no risk with local anesthesia, but I would not use any marijuana products the day of your surgery." - Adam J. Oppenheimer, MD (plastic surgeon in Orlando)
A: "You should be OK for local but might heal more slowly than other patients." - John Di Saia MD (plastic surgeon in Orange, CA)
(4) http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1476-5381.1974.tb08594.x/pdf
(5) WRONG LINK
(6)http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2044.2001.02269.x/full
"Up to 10–20% of people aged 18–25 years may take cannabis weekly or more often. As a result of its slow elimination, these compounds may be present in the tissues of users for weeks, and they may interact with a number of anaesthetic agents. Animal work has shown additive effects and/or cross-tolerance with barbiturates, opioids, benzodiazepines and phenothiazines [75, 76]. There are very few published human data, but such interactions are thought to be possible [5]. Cannabis smoking is associated with an impairment of lung function similar to that associated with tobacco smoking. There is one case report of cannabis smoking causing uvular oedema and airway obstruction in a patient undergoing tympanomastoidectomy who smoked cannabis 4 h before surgery [78]. The authors caution that elective operations should not be performed on patients who have recently been exposed to cannabis smoke. As a result of its cardiovascular effects, cannabis may interact with other drugs affecting heart rate or blood pressure, such as β-blockers, anticholinergics and cholinesterase inhibitors [5]. It is also possible that adverse psychiatric and autonomic reactions to cannabis, including withdrawal effects, may interfere with the induction of anaesthesia and postoperative recovery. Hence, it is prudent to enquire about the drug history of young patients and to be aware of the potential interactions between cannabis and anaesthetic agents."
I've seen this publication cited many times. It also mainly focuses on respiratory ingestion as the issue, but briefly mentions possible cross-tolerance with drugs like barbiturates & opioids. Also, the effect on heart-rate seems important when dealing with anesthesia.
Any further opinions, experiences, concerns? I'm very interested to hear what others think. I wouldn't mind keeping off the canna for 72 hours prior to the operation. If anything, it'll make my post-surgical self-medication that much nicer!
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