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Is It Safe To Vaporize Cannabis One Month Before A Major Back Surgery?

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Posted on Sat, 6 Jun 2015
Question: I am having a major back surgery in a month, is it safe to vaporize cannabis now ? I use it for pain as i went off all opiods. I also swim so my lungs are relayively healthy.
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Answered by Dr. Olsi Taka (1 hour later)
Brief Answer:
Stop one week prior to surgery.

Detailed Answer:
I read your question carefully and I understand your concern.

I understand that more then information about cannabis in general what you need to know what implications it can have regarding anesthesia and surgery as well as when should you stop using it before surgery.

Cannabis has the potential to cause anxiety and psychotic breaks prior to surgery as well as to interfere with the drugs used for anesthesia altering the necessary doses. Also it causes dilation of blood vessels and increased heart rate which can also interfere with anesthetic procedure.

So it is not advisable to use cannabis prior to surgery and your system should be clean of it. However there is still one month to go, no panic as there is enough time to do that. What is recommended is to stop its use one week prior to surgery, if you can live without it even two weeks to be extra safe. Of course your anesthesiologist should be aware of your prior cannabis use.

I hope to have been of help.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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Answered by
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Dr. Olsi Taka

Neurologist

Practicing since :2004

Answered : 3673 Questions

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Is It Safe To Vaporize Cannabis One Month Before A Major Back Surgery?

Brief Answer: Stop one week prior to surgery. Detailed Answer: I read your question carefully and I understand your concern. I understand that more then information about cannabis in general what you need to know what implications it can have regarding anesthesia and surgery as well as when should you stop using it before surgery. Cannabis has the potential to cause anxiety and psychotic breaks prior to surgery as well as to interfere with the drugs used for anesthesia altering the necessary doses. Also it causes dilation of blood vessels and increased heart rate which can also interfere with anesthetic procedure. So it is not advisable to use cannabis prior to surgery and your system should be clean of it. However there is still one month to go, no panic as there is enough time to do that. What is recommended is to stop its use one week prior to surgery, if you can live without it even two weeks to be extra safe. Of course your anesthesiologist should be aware of your prior cannabis use. I hope to have been of help.