Paracetamol and cannabis: Can you combine the two?
Do you use cannabis regularly? Then you’ve probably wondered if cannabis can also be used in combination with paracetamol. Perhaps when you suffered from a headache in the past you considered using paracetamol and cannabis at the same time.
But what are the facts about using paracetamol in combination with cannabis? Read more about the interaction of paracetamol and weed and whether it is advisable here.
Types of pain relief
Before we dive deeper into the effects of paracetamol and the influence of cannabis on the painkiller, it is important to distinguish between the two main groups of painkillers used.
- Available without a prescription. These include milder painkillers, such as paracetamol and anti-inflammatories. These reduce mild pain and lower fever.
- Opiates available by prescription only. Opiates are stronger painkillers that can control severe pain. Examples include morphine and codeine.
Paracetamol
Developed in the late 19th century, paracetamol is one of the most widely used forms of pain medication in the Western world. Paracetamol is mainly used to treat acute and mild pain or fever.
This painkiller is effective in reducing headaches and acute pain but is not as strong as the widely used pain medication ibuprofen.
Still, one should be careful when using paracetamol. In fact, overdose poisoning from paracetamol is the number one cause of liver failure in western countries.
Can you combine medication with cannabis?
How dangerous it is to combine medication with cannabis depends greatly on the type of medication.
If you use opiates, we strongly advise against using cannabis. This is because the effect of opiates is altered by using cannabis. This can have serious consequences.
There is insufficient evidence on the effects of combined use of paracetamol and cannabis. Therefore, it is generally not recommended.
However, research has shown that anxiety is a symptom of cannabis and paracetamol use. There appears to be a correlation between paracetamol and cannabis and an increase in anxiety. This means that anxiety is seen more in people who take both cannabis and paracetamol. However, this did not prove that anxiety is caused by this combination. Thus, no causal effect has been confirmed by research.
What is the consequence of combining medication and cannabis?
Medication and drugs can either enhance or weaken each other’s effects. That means there is an interaction between the two substances.
Now what makes weed so dangerous when combined with medication is that cannabis can speed up the absorption of drugs into the blood. As a result, your body suddenly feels the effects of a large dose of medicine, which can cause you to suffer serious side effects. This is especially the case with opiates.
How exactly does this work? When looking at the effects of medication and cannabis, two organs are key:
- Since the medication and cannabinoids reach the brain simultaneously, it is possible that the effect is enhanced or weakened, depending on the receptors to which the drug binds.
- In the liver, toxins present in the body are broken down, including substances from medication and from cannabis. If you have taken both medication and cannabis, your liver may not be able to break them down at the same time, which means toxic substances remain in your body longer, and you feel the effects of these for longer.
Interaction of paracetamol and cannabis
How paracetamol and cannabis affect each other depends on the dose of paracetamol in relation to the dose of cannabis.
Although this has not been scientifically confirmed, it is likely that cannabis modifies the effectiveness of paracetamol. Paracetamol is said to work less effectively when combined with cannabis use. This is due to the fact that cannabis inhibits the metabolisation of paracetamol, which means the necessary substances do not reach your brain or reach it later to reduce pain.
Which medications can be combined?
Since existing research has not shown that any form of medication is safe to combine with cannabis, we at The Border advise against the simultaneous use of medications like paracetamol and cannabis. This is simply because there is no guarantee that there will be no consequences for your health, or that the effects will be mild.
If you do use cannabis in combination with medication, you are effectively your own guinea pig.
Our advice
Although effects can vary greatly from one individual to another (depending on age, gender, weight, etc.), we advise against combined use of paracetamol and cannabis.
The use of cannabis and paracetamol can reduce the effect of the paracetamol in addition to having health consequences. As a result, you may actually experience more pain.
If you use medication or occasionally take paracetamol, and you also use cannabis, you should contact your doctor for advice regarding your specific situation.
The Border
Instead of taking paracetamol, would you like to try another way of fighting pain? Then drop by The Border. We offer many kinds of cannabis that also have a painkilling effect. Read more about medicinal weed here!