TODAY'S VIDEO
If you’re worried about experiencing side effects with cannabis use, start your dose low, go slow, and consider the use of vape or tincture. If you know your dosage an edible may be better to avoid the risks of the smoke exposure over time.
What you’ll Learn
- Side Effects of overuse
- The right types to be safe
TRANSCRIPTION
The Side Effects: What can happen if you take too much Cannabis
What’s the worst that could happen with the using too much cannabis, with not managing the amount that you take effectively so that you end up getting too much and getting sick from it? Well some researchers looked into that and published a report of a series of urgent care ER visits, 3,695 reports on patients who presented with complaints of a toxic level of cannabis from recreational consumption. By recreational consumption I mean people that were using THC-containing compounds with an intent to have a psychoactive effect to get high, and these people may not have been titrating carefully and trying to make sure that they don’t get too much. So I think it’s a really nice representation of what could happen in the setting of an excessive amount of cannabis administration.
Of these patients who presented, mostly young males, 37 to 77% had tachycardia, elevated heart rates. Anywhere between 16 to 41% had a sense of panic or agitation, and 13 to 94% felt nauseated. These symptoms required only just general symptomatic care, and patients were discharged from these environments within a few hours to no more than eight hours.
The main health concern regarding the medical use of cannabis is really the respiratory consequences of inhaling all that smoke. During smoking more than 2,000 different compounds can be produced by the burning of cannabis. Vaporization may be a smarter approach. Vaporization reduces the formation of these hazardous compounds, especially compounds like tar, carbon monoxide, and other carcinogens, including the highly carcinogenic polycystic aromatic hydrocarbons, or PAHs.
While 150 concerning compounds are found in smoked, burned cannabis, including five polycystic aromatic hydrocarbons which are known as strong carcinogens, in fact only three concerning compounds are present in vapor. So if you’re worried about experience adverse effects surrounding cannabis use, start your dose low, go slow, and consider the use of vape or tincture, or if you know your dose, an edible to avoid the risks of the smoke exposure over time.
