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Marijuana and your Heart!

Zildjian

Zildjian

Bluelighter
Joined
Jun 3, 2008
Messages
99
Location
shroomland
Okay, so we all know marijuana is harmless, bro. I would agree, but that statement is directed towards a healthy person . Here's something else to think about.

THC, one of the active ingredients in the marijuana plant, causes heart inefficiency. Sure, this really doesn't matter to the healthy person.. but to people with cardiovascular or similar diseases, it does.

If you have a cardiovascular disease/disorder/whatever it may be, be aware that smoking, eating, vaporizing, anythinging weed makes your heart work harder than it should have to, especially during exercise. Let's take my disorder for example. Marfan's Syndrome - weak tissue (especially in the heart). It's vital that I don't put too much pressure or work on my heart. I can't lift things, run, do any contact sports, nothing. I live a sedentary lifestyle. I knew that marijuana lowered blood pressure, but increased heart rate. I took the risk and tested how much of an increase it was. At first it was a little quick, then with use, it slowed down, to having little effect in speed at all. My blood pressure was normal. I thought I was a-ok.

I went for my heart checkup, and shit my pants. My aortic valve (that's the main blood pumping highway in your heart) grew a shitload. Why? I didn't do any exercise or running since kindergarten. All I did know was that my heart was going the wrong way, and fast.

I decided to investigate weed again. This time, I bought a book. It was called "Buzzed - Just Say Know". I'd recommend it by the way, very helpful and unbiased. Upon reading the whole section on marijuana, I saw that THC makes your heart work harder, and this is okay for healthy people, but people with cardiovascular risks beware. I'm not sure, but I'm fairly positive this is what happened.

I'm taking more than my normal dose of Cozaar, (my doctor said to, btw) to try and stop my aorta from growing. I've also stopped smoking weed, and believe me, it was hard. I'm putting this information out there to make sure nobody is in the same boat as me, and there is a death caused by this situation, forever labeling marijuana as deadly. I'm taking one for the team, so when I die, it won't be a news report on how deadly the devil's favorite plant is.

Keep this in mind. Also, one could compare this to having an allergy to peanuts. Peanuts aren't harmful to normal, nonallergic people. But to the wrong person, peanuts can kill. In this case though, not many people know they're allergic to peanuts.

Stay safe, and stay high my friends :)

zildjian

UPDATE - Please read - 8/14/11
here's an update!

I dropped atenolol, 25mg daily from my medicine as my doctor advised and only continued Cozaar, 50mg daily. I smoked and vaporized marijuana, daily, while "somewhat" taking my Cozaar. I'd say I took my cozaar every one to three days.. I was lazy and stupid I know. I continued my daily weed use then added various psychedelics, (psilocybin, lsd) to my substance of use list periodically for about 4 of those months. All the while I had been lazy on my heart medicine. Just a week ago I had my annual echo-cardiogram, expecting to find that my aorta was a day from an aneurysm or dissection, but it had actually gotten better. It was 3.2 last year, and now 3.1 this time. That means a millimeter was subtracted from the diameter, (although this millimeter could have been a product of mismeasurement, it is possible). Even so, that meant my aorta was stable, which shows that it wasn't weed that caused the spurt a while back. I now believe this was just the pubertal growth, as I did attain a bit of height and weight alongside the aortic growth. I was suprised not even the LSD or shrooms caused problems.. I now believe that the overall lowering of blood pressure does more good than harm.
 
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Thanks for the warning. Cannabis would be easier for professionals to study if it were legal. In the meantime, I will continue with my own private research.
 
^^
fuck yeah, infected mushroom is my legal high ;)

and yeah, just trying to help it out so nobody dies lol.. learn from my mistakes
 
i certainly have no axe to grind with cannabis usage .
however i do get chapped with uninformed, nonsensical prattle about it's harmlessness .

smoke inhalation will trash lung tissue - try an experiment ----exhale tobacco and cannabis smoke through a tissue held to your lips . wadda you see tarring up the paper the most ?

vaporizers rule !
 
That's the other thing i forgot to include. Smoking (anything) also causes cardiovascular risks, two folding the thc. vaporize!
nice call hobhead ;)
 
There's another thread about THC, smoking herb, and the heart floating around here in Cannabis discussion somewhere. It was just a general thread asking if smoking herb had a cumulative negative effect on the heart like smoking tobacco does.

Zildjian-Are you sure that marijuana caused your aortic valve to grow? Does your doctor know that you used to smoke, and that you've never really exercised since you have Marfan's Syndrome?
 
onmyway said:
by what mechanism does marijuana cause the heart to work harder?
Click to expand...

It has a biphasic effect on the autonomic nervous system. Some types of weed, or even depending on the amount of THC in your system, can cause heart rate and blood pressure to go either up or down. During this occurrence, it is to my knowledge that the heart can't get oxygen enough, and in drastic cases, you will pass out. IIRC, the heart will "stress" to get more blood pumping. Especially during times of even light exercise, such as walking, games, sports, etc.

From what I've researched, of course.

EDIT: just found this
Marijuana smoking increases the level of carboxyhaemoglobin, thereby decreasing oxygen delivery to the heart due to which it stresses the work of the heart by forming atheroma.
 
Zildjian said:
Okay, so we all know marijuana is harmless, bro. I would agree, but that statement is directed towards a healthy person . Here's something else to think about.

THC, one of the active ingredients in the marijuana plant, causes heart inefficiency. Sure, this really doesn't matter to the healthy person.. but to people with cardiovascular or similar diseases, it does.

If you have a cardiovascular disease/disorder/whatever it may be, be aware that smoking, eating, vaporizing, anythinging weed makes your heart work harder than it should have to, especially during exercise. Let's take my disorder for example. Marfan's Syndrome - weak tissue (especially in the heart). It's vital that I don't put too much pressure or work on my heart. I can't lift things, run, do any contact sports, nothing. I live a sedentary lifestyle. I knew that marijuana lowered blood pressure, but increased heart rate. I took the risk and tested how much of an increase it was. At first it was a little quick, then with use, it slowed down, to having little effect in speed at all. My blood pressure was normal. I thought I was a-ok.

I went for my heart checkup, and shit my pants. My aortic valve (that's the main blood pumping highway in your heart) grew a shitload. Why? I didn't do any exercise or running since kindergarten. All I did know was that my heart was going the wrong way, and fast.

I decided to investigate weed again. This time, I bought a book. It was called "Buzzed - Just Say Know". I'd recommend it by the way, very helpful and unbiased. Upon reading the whole section on marijuana, I saw that THC makes your heart work harder, and this is okay for healthy people, but people with cardiovascular risks beware. I'm not sure, but I'm fairly positive this is what happened.

I'm taking more than my normal dose of Cozaar, (my doctor said to, btw) to try and stop my aorta from growing. I've also stopped smoking weed, and believe me, it was hard. I'm putting this information out there to make sure nobody is in the same boat as me, and there is a death caused by this situation, forever labeling marijuana as deadly. I'm taking one for the team, so when I die, it won't be a news report on how deadly the devil's favorite plant is.

Keep this in mind. Also, one could compare this to having an allergy to peanuts. Peanuts aren't harmful to normal, nonallergic people. But to the wrong person, peanuts can kill. In this case though, not many people know they're allergic to peanuts.

Stay safe, and stay high my friends :)

zildjian
Click to expand...
I used to have mitral valve regurgitation. Then one visit to the doctor a couple years later, and it was gone. I'm not attributing this to pot, in fact it's probably due to heavy caffeine use, but it wasn't detrimental to my health.

I also have arrhythmia, and when I smoke, I usually average 120bpm. I also have hyper tension, but apparently marijuana alleviates that.

I seriously doubt marijuana would be dangerous to someone with a relatively minor heart condition.
 
Mercury (Hg) said:
I used to have mitral valve regurgitation. Then one visit to the doctor a couple years later, and it was gone. I'm not attributing this to pot, in fact it's probably due to heavy caffeine use, but it wasn't detrimental to my health.

I also have arrhythmia, and when I smoke, I usually average 120bpm. I also have hyper tension, but apparently marijuana alleviates that.

I seriously doubt marijuana would be dangerous to someone with a relatively minor heart condition.
Click to expand...

Relatively minor is an understatement for my heart disease; my grandma died at age 40. My disease is fatal. Many others are too, which is why i'm putting this warning out there.
 
Zildjian said:
It has a biphasic effect on the autonomic nervous system. Some types of weed, or even depending on the amount of THC in your system, can cause heart rate and blood pressure to go either up or down. During this occurrence, it is to my knowledge that the heart can't get oxygen enough, and in drastic cases, you will pass out. IIRC, the heart will "stress" to get more blood pumping. Especially during times of even light exercise, such as walking, games, sports, etc.

From what I've researched, of course.

EDIT: just found this
Marijuana smoking increases the level of carboxyhaemoglobin, thereby decreasing oxygen delivery to the heart due to which it stresses the work of the heart by forming atheroma.
Click to expand...



i have long thought that we absorb a significant amount of carbon monoxide by inhaling smoke.

anyway, i was looking for a biochemical mechanism. maybe the anticholinergic effects? however, pot doesent seem likes its too strong of an anticholinergic.
 
Mercury (Hg) said:
I used to have mitral valve regurgitation. Then one visit to the doctor a couple years later, and it was gone. I'm not attributing this to pot, in fact it's probably due to heavy caffeine use, but it wasn't detrimental to my health.

I also have arrhythmia, and when I smoke, I usually average 120bpm. I also have hyper tension, but apparently marijuana alleviates that.

I seriously doubt marijuana would be dangerous to someone with a relatively minor heart condition.
Click to expand...

There are many arrhythmias, some are minor, some will kill you. I don't know what you have but I'm guessing it's not that bad. I agree that it probably isn't dangerous for someone (perhaps like you) with a minor heart condition. The OP, however, has Marfan's. Look it up if you want, but it's pretty serious as he's said himself.
 
Divine Moments said:
There are many arrhythmias, some are minor, some will kill you. I don't know what you have but I'm guessing it's not that bad. I agree that it probably isn't dangerous for someone (perhaps like you) with a minor heart condition. The OP, however, has Marfan's. Look it up if you want, but it's pretty serious as he's said himself.
Click to expand...
I agree. I wasn't discrediting what he said. You misinterpreted me. I was only talking about people with lesser conditions.
 
correct me if i'm wrong, but the THC acts almost entirely on the brain/nervous system with very little physical mediation of any part of the body, other than the stomach and digestion (which is controlled by the brain). i know its a vasodialator, so that may cause a temporary change in blood flow, but to blame it for physically altering your circulatory system seems like an anomaly, to say the least.
 
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deez_nuggs said:
correct me if i'm wrong, but the THC acts almost entirely on the brain/nervous system with very little physical mediation of any part of the body, other than the stomach and digestion (which is controlled by the brain). i know its a vasodialator, so that may cause a temporary change in blood flow, but to blame it for physically altering your circulatory system seems like an anomaly, to say the least.
Click to expand...

Little physical mediation of any other part of the body? Heart rate increase is an effect on the cardiovascular..
and do say i'm blaming it? it's not like i got my disease by smoking weed man, i'm saying, "hey ya fucks, don't smoke weed if you have heart issues", because it is a very high risk activity to do so.
And to say it only affects the brain? your brain/nervous system controls your body. Your heart rate is affected by it; that's why there's a general raise in BPM of about 30. Your reproductive system; your hormones are suppressed that regulate the reproductive system. All from your brain!

also, it lowers blood pressure (cardio, pal)
 
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