People who do not tell surgeons that they smoke or consume weed could suffer a terrifying complication during surgery, doctors warn.
Dr Kunal Sood, an anesthesiologist and pain specialist in Maryland, said: ‘[Regular] marijuana use may… change how the body processes drugs… and cause anesthetics to break down more quickly.
‘That’s why it’s important to be honest with your anesthesia team about your medical and social history, including cannabis use.’
About three in 20 Americans, or 51million people, now use cannabis at least once a week either recreationally or for a medical purpose such as easing pain, managing anxiety, or treating chronic illness. And nearly 18million use it daily or near daily.
But because marijuana boosts levels of certain enzymes in the liver, those who take the drug regularly may also break down anesthetics, both the kind used for sedation during medical treatments and over-the-counter painkillers, much faster, making them less effective.
Marijuana also interferes with the same system in the brain as anesthetics, which can also make the sedation-inducing drugs less effective.
Because the drugs are less effective, people could wake up during surgery, which poses dangers because it could prompt muscles to move suddenly, increasing the risk of injury, and cause psychological distress.
Studies suggest marijuana users may need up to 10 times more anesthetics than people who do not take the drug in order to ensure that their anesthetics are effective.
The above picture shows a woman receiving anesthetic in a hospital (stock)
Doctors urge patients to alert their physicians whether they smoke, vape, or consume marijuana as edibles, since all can affect their response to anesthetics.
People who have previously woken up during surgery have described it as ‘terrifying’ and causing them significant distress from seeing their body cut open, leading to regular nightmares and post-traumatic stress disorder.
But patients do not experience pain, reports suggest, with their nerves still remaining numbed.
Dr Sood shared the advice online in a clip on TikTok that has gone viral and received 2.1million views and more than 185,000 likes.
It showed the Maryland physician with the phrase across the top of the video: ‘Did you know if you do cannabis long-term you will require a higher dose of anesthesia to achieve the same effect?
‘Make sure you tell your anesthesiologist if you smoke or consume cannabis.’
Patients were quick to respond to the post, with many praising the doctor for raising awareness and some self-described marijuana smokers saying they had woken up during surgery.
One patient wrote, ‘Yup, woke up during my colonoscopy [due to this]. Horrible feeling.’
Doctors said edibles posed the greatest risk to patients because their effects are longer lasting (stock image)
Several also said they had woken up during wisdom teeth removals, which they thought was due to their cannabis use.
Some patients also said they had told their doctor about their marijuana use but had been told ‘not to worry’.
One wrote: ‘I told them that before surgery and they said that’s not real’, while a second said, ‘I asked my anesthesiologist before my surgery. He told me I watch too much TV and to not be worried’.
Dr Kunal Sood, pictured, raised awareness over the complication
Studies suggest that edibles have the greatest effect on anesthetics because these are longer-lasting and can be released from the intestines for hours after consumption.
The effect of marijuana that is smoked or vaped typically lasts just one to three hours.
Patients are also advised to tell doctors the strength of the marijuana’s THC, the ingredient in the drug that produces the high.
Physicians will not judge patients for cannabis use, the society said, and will not share the information outside of their medical team. It will only be used to ensure a patient receives the right amount of anesthetics.
Alerting doctors to this would ensure patients avoid unintended hospital admissions after surgery, longer hospital stays or readmissions.
It is not clear how many patients wake up during surgery in the US due to marijuana, but it may be in the thousands, with between 40 and 50million surgeries completed in the country every year. And 17.7million Americans describe themselves as habitual pot users.
A 2020 study suggested that people who used marijuana before surgery required 50 percent more anesthetic than those who did not use the drug.
While other studies have even suggested marijuana users may need up to 10 times more anesthetics than other patients.
The above graph shows how cannabis use has risen among 19-to-30-year-olds and older adults as more states have legalized the drug
Dr Jiff Zafar, an anesthesiologist at Yale, said previously on the Yale University website: ‘We want patients to tell us what form of marijuana, and how much, they are using, so we can understand the potency.
‘This is important because it can affect how well the anesthesia works. You may actually have more of a tolerance to anesthesia, which means you need more of it.’
The American Society of Anesthesiologists tells people to avoid marijuana from midnight the day before surgery.
They warn the drug can raise heart rate and blood pressure, putting further strain onto the cardiovascular system alongside anesthetics that can cause a surgery-related heart attack.
After surgery, the experts also recommended that people avoid the drug to ensure they recover correctly.
