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Cannabis and Atrial Fibrillation - Anyone else experienced this ?

Bropiace

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Feb 4, 2015
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I stumbled upon this medical article : http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/570583_4


Quoting :
Although some recent case reports indicate an association between marijuana smoking and atrial fibrillation (AF), the actual significance of this phenomenon remains unknown. AF, even in its paroxysmal form,
is no longer considered a 'benign' arrhythmia as it is independently associated with excessive cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.
[15,16]It is therefore reasonable to speculate that marijuana may be an important cause of AF in apparently healthy individuals who habitually or occasionally use this illicit drug. The aim of the present article is to provide a systematic review of all reported cases implicating marijuana smoking in the development of AF, as well as to concisely discuss the potential underlying mechanisms and clinical implications of this emerging association.



Basically they say they tested people who were prone to Atrial Fibrillation when smoking weed and that when administered Beta-Blocker they could prevent the AF

Now my personal history, I used to smoke weed in decent amount about 15 years ago (about 3.5 g a day) and been doing so for a few years. At one point I had to stop for a few weeks. When that wasnt a necessity anymore I tried to smoke again but each time my heart would start racing, I would feel a shortness of breath and my hands would be disturbingly cold.

I left it like that and never tried again until about 4 years ago. I was alone and felt very relaxed before starting. Being older I knew I would be smashed and wanted to be reasonable so I rolled a small needle in which I put a ridiculously small amount of weed a lots of tobacco, lighted it without puffing, and finally toke on it 3 very small shots. I thought I could redose as much as needed and even roll another.

So the high started slowly but I felt it and liked it. It was like meeting again a long lost friend. I went to sit in front of the computer with a stupid grin on my face and I figured I was quite high for the stupid low amount I smoked. However, and this really important, I was happy. No stress, no anxiety, nothing.

But I felt my heart racing again. I kept cool, thinking I should not let it blow out of proportion and induce a bad trip.

But no breading technique, relaxation, whatever helped.

Now, I've been badtripping in my life. On lots of dope. On Shroom, on PCP, even on weed. But it NEVER got my hearth race like this.

So basically (still feel stupid about to this day, yet now I am glad I did) I called 911 and the paramedics came in.

I could tell they found the situation funny and smiled to each others (I was sight at 32, red eye, high as a kite) but still they took my heart rate which was over 200 BPM.

When I asked if I should follow them to the hospital I received some confusing answer like, well it is a high rate, it is not really normal, etc.

So I went and waited, and waited and waited. After like 4 hours, my heart was back to a decent rate, I was less high, felt stupid and I knew everyone was convinced I had a panic attack. So I just left and never saw a doctor.

But thats just the thing, I always felt it was physiological and not psychological. I wasnt stressing, I was even relaxed and happy. I eventually convinced myself it must have been a panic attack and that somehow weed wasnt for me anymore and wouldnt be for the rest of my life.

And now I just stumbled upon this medical article, so...

Anyone else experienced something like that ? Anyone know about this condition being induced with Cannabis ? Does Beta-Blockers really helps ? Any information on that matter will be appreciated.

As a sidenote, the only time I felt like this were when I ODed on crack (happened twice). It was worse, I also had bluelips. But the feeling was basically the same.



 
I basically stopped smoking weed because it made my heart race to the point I could not sleep. Never got checked for Afib as I was much younger and doubt that was it, but at least a little anecdote on weed and tachycardia.

I too felt it was physical, not psychological.
 
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Don't smoke tobacco and weed. The tobacco will jack up your heart rate and cause other tobacco related problems. Tobacco causes vasoconstriction. Weed will exacerbate that, and make your heart rate go through the roof.
Take a break from weed and if your doing other stuff like shrooms or any other drug you were mentioning, take a break.
Now after some time has passed, maybe try a little weed.
The only rules are, make sure it's high grade. Indica preferably. Take a small puff, and that's it.
See how you react to a small dose. One hit quit. Now if that goes well, go from there.

Your mileage may vary. This technique worked for me.
You could also completely give it up, and get your health in order.
 
It sounds exactly like you had a panic attack. Weed does increase the heart rate, but it seems to be a small increase similar to doing some light exercise, not to 200bpm resting, that's a panic attack. It can make you more aware of your heartbeat & it can cause anxiety too, but there's no real evidence that I'm aware of that weed can cause any serious heart problems. Tobacco & other stimulants wont help, even tobacco & caffeine can cause panic attacks on their own, harder stims & psychedelics can be worse, weed can really increase anxiety in combination with other drugs that increase anxiety. You must have been stressing to call 911. Your heart will have started to beat faster when you smoked, you will have become more aware of it & had some anxiety about it, which makes your heart beat faster, which makes you more anxious until you're in a panic attack.

A benzo might help in the short term, but benzo dependence & rebound symptoms will make the problem much worse.

If you have free healthcare/insurance then why not see a doctor for a general cardio check-up, get cholesterol, blood pressure, etc checked, maybe it'll reassure you or give you an early warning of possible problems. Just because weed is unlikely to cause problems doesn't mean you're totally healthy.

Don't start taking beta blockers unless your doctor tells you to, make sure you find out what other drugs have harmful interactions with beta blockers (I believe it's not good to mix stims, particularly cocaine/crack & beta blockers, but I'm not a real doctor). Beta blockers are serious drugs & could harm you if you don't need them.

Using cannabis regularly seems to reduce anxiety. Different types of cannabis can more more calming or stimmy/psychedelic/anxiogenic, usually indica types are more calming. I'm not sure if regular use builds a tolerance to the anxiogenic effects or if it's maybe some thc metabolite, or another cannabinoid with a longer halflife in your system. Oral consumption might help too, it tends to be a more calming effect when eaten, just need to be careful not to eat too much without waiting for it to take effect.

Breathing techniques can really help if you have another panic attack, you'll often start hyperventilating which makes the problem worse. Concentrate on breathing slower & it'll help a lot.

Meditation & mindfulness can make you less anxious overall, meaning you'll be much less likely to experience panic attacks, be calmer & live a happier, healthier life. Good diet & regular exercise always helps too.

You're very unlikely to become the first person in the world to have a fatal overdose on weed, it's not crack.

If you've convinced yourself that weed will always give you a panic attack then it's more likely to, it's mostly psychological. Once you recognise that an increase in anxiety is drug related & not due to any real problem it's easier to ignore, then it goes away rather than building up to a full panic.

Tobacco has killed millions of people though, caused a lot of heart problems (as well as other things), stopping smoking tobacco will greatly improve your health & reduce anxiety. Cutting caffeine consumption & cutting down use of other drugs (especially stimulants) can help too.
 
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^^ I agree w/DrGreenthumb. Panic attack and any type of stim is a no no. Sounds like a good time for a checkup.
 
Thank you all for sharing.

And a special thanks to Dr Greenthumb for taking the time to write a long and detailed answer.

I am well aware a Panic Attack is the most likely cause, but I am confident it was something else. I linked to a medical article stating they discovered weed is inducing A Fib and symptoms are identical to Panic Attacks.

I've quit psychedelics and stims long ago. I ODed twice on crack (first time wasnt enough lol) and I even quit drinking.

I am not Super healthy fit but I run 3 times a week and been doing so for a few years.

The reason I am stating all this is I am honestly convinced it wasnt a Panic Attack. Do I think one always know when they have one ? Of course not and I would be stupid to assume I am the exception. However Cannabis induced A Fib fits the bill neatly. And I agree it is obvious that there has to be anxiety involved. Of course after 60 minutes at 200 + BPM one worries and there is a feedback loop. It is just that I know my body and mind and the Panic Attack seems doubtful subjectively.

As for tobacco and weed, I understand their synergy and it probably contributed. However their was a time when I would always mix both without a problem.

Then again, you are right and that is definitely my intent, a medical check up is in order and I do have access to it freely so as soon as I see my MD again, I'll bring up the topic.

I mostly wrote this post wondering how many people shared my experience and maybe to spread the news a bit. If I am indeed right (even if I am wrong about me) and that what happened to me was A Fib followed by Panic Attack and not the other way around, others might have experienced the same and that could be the signal for them to go get check up and / or they might be able to start smoking weed again instead of jumping head first in other shit (I know when I figured opiates gave me a nice high without heart race I started a downward spiral that is still not over to this day but that is a whole different story).

So I am hoping a little good can come up from spreading the news.
 
Good can always come from sharing. Like you just pointed out, A fib is no joke. That's great that you are going to talk to your doctor soon about the A fib. I might even ask my doctor if I have the chance, about it. I've had check ups and my heart is healthy.
I personally think(assume) that the greater contributing factor was the tobacco and crack. The crack alone straight fucks with your heart, followed by the tobacco that doesn't help anything. Just because there was a time when you could do both smoke and weed, doesn't mean the damage wasn't starting while you could handle it or were handling it fine.
Anyways, good deal that your getting healthy and a check up. I hope the best for you.
 
Thank you for the kind words Speed King.

Just in case I wasn't clear enough tho. The crack thing was waaaaay back, 10 - 15 years before the last A-Fib weed episode which happened when I was still a cigarette smoker (about 20 a day).

Anyway, doesnt change much of anything but felt the (maybe) need for clarification.
 
There is more and more evidence pointing out that SMOKING cannabis can lead to A-Fib issues. Unfortunately, there has not been enough research to prove this either way.
 
I get the exact same heart racey feeling sometimes from psychecelics, dissociatives, or stimulants, or even when I'm tired and stressed.
It's just anxiety, if there is a link between cannabis and atrial fibrillation then a racing heart likely isn't evidence for it
 
Man it does it to me it will go away after a few days but when I smoke cigs it will intensify it and makes it worse
 
I was visiting friends this weekend and a conversation about "the Chills" came up. My friend had experienced uncontrollable shivers and chills and thought it was "a flu". He has heart issues and was telling his cardiologist who explained that it was "affib". Listening to the conversation, the symptoms sounded strangely what I had experienced about a half dozen times after smoking pot. I am an infrequent user, probably because I get these chills, forget, and then indulge again. The first time this happened was 15 years ago and I've experienced it a half dozen times since then and have probably indulged 8-10 times in the past 15 years. Long story short, I've experienced it. That said, I recently had a full heart workup done including a stress test and was told I am fine. I am a 53 year old male and I work out regularly and would say I am in better than average shape for my age. I do have a family history of heart disease and requested the cardio testing after experiencing chest pain which turned out to be a "gastric" issue. Anyway, it is real and it is scary.
 
I experience this quite often, but probably not to the extent you do. I find that when I'm stoned, I move around at a much faster rate because it feels like I'm moving extremely slow. While sober I'll slowly walk around my house but while stoned I'll speed walk, and even sprint up my steps. Because of this faster moving which is fairly uncommon with weed, my heart rate is much faster than usual, almost uncomfortably so. That being said, it does not last close to as long as your heart rate does. It usually subsides after I'm sitting for a while. I'm also prescribed adderall, and sometimes I notice after smoking weed while on a decent amount of adderall, my heart rate is significantly faster after smoking. While these aren't too similar to your experience, I would confidently say an increased heart rate is common with smoking weed. That being said, it's unusual that it lasts as long as it did with you. Considering getting an examination by a doctor if you haven't for abnormalities, but if that turns out ok, I wouldn't worry. It may just be from paranoia or some other trait of a marijuana high.
 
See a medical doctor and even a cardiologist. Be honest about which drugs you used in the past, if you use any now, if you drink alcohol or smoke tobacco, and tell the doctors everything that you wrote here. You will not get into legal trouble for doing this.
 
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