My practice has helped me develop several proven strategies to lower these risks. Here’s what I recommend if you use marijuana:
You should try cutting back slowly if you notice cognitive symptoms. The good news is that symptoms usually get better within a month of reducing use. Make sure you work with your doctor during this process.
Here’s how you can protect your brain health:
-Take cognitive function tests regularly
-Do aerobic exercise often
-Try mindfulness and meditation
Your genes can affect how you react to marijuana. That’s why I tell my patients to:
-Start with lower THC content products
-Watch how their body responds
-Keep talking to their healthcare providers
You should keep a usage journal if you smoke marijuana regularly. Track changes in your memory, mood, and thinking. This helps catch problems early and lets you get help when needed.
Medical precautions
A major safety concern associated with medical cannabis is the possibility of medical use encouraging or transitioning into recreational use, which is associated with side effects that range from acute to chronic. Acute effects include intoxication, impaired cognition and motor function, elevated heart rate, anxiety, and psychosis in predisposed individuals. Chronic effects include bronchitis (from smoked cannabis), psychological cannabis dependency, loss of motivation, and cognitive deficits. By and large these effects seem to disappear on abstinence.
Medical cannabis may be riskier and perhaps contraindicated if a patient has a personal or family history of psychosis, unstable cardiac disease, and lung disease. Physicians advise medical cannabis users not to use tobacco, either alone or mixed with cannabis. They also are advised not to drive or operate machinery while initiating or changing doses and if impaired by the drug. Apart from possible synergistic effects of cannabis with other psychotropic medications, such as sedatives and hypnotics, there are no known major drug-drug interactions.
The primary purpose of medical cannabis use is symptom relief and improved function and overall quality of life. Reductions in doses (if not complete cessation) of other medications should be strongly considered. Clinical evidence of such outcomes is lacking, however, and it remains the responsibility of the treating physician and the patient to work toward the achievement of mutually agreed-upon goals.
Individual Factors Affecting Response
My research career studying marijuana’s effects has shown me something fascinating – people react very differently to the same cannabis dose. Let me share what science tells us about these variations.
Genetic considerations
Our genes shape how we process marijuana. Studies show genetic variations account for 50-70% of individual differences in cannabis use and misuse. My observations confirm that genetic factors shape both the therapeutic benefits and potential risks of marijuana use.
These genetic factors shape marijuana response:
-Variations in CB1 receptor genes
-Polymorphisms in THC-metabolizing enzymes
-Differences in endocannabinoid system genes
-Genetic variations affecting dopamine function
Some patients with specific CYP2C9 gene variations can have THC levels up to 300% higher in their system. This explains why some of my patients feel more intense effects than others from identical doses.