Can You Use Cannabinoids After Getting Surgery?

Do you have a surgical procedure coming up, and you’re wondering what that means for your cannabinoid routine? Perhaps you’re wondering if you can use a cannabinoid like CBD, CBN, Delta 8 THC, Delta 9 THC, THCA, THCP, HHC, or another you can find at The Calm Leaf in order to help ease the symptoms while you recover. Or, you simply want to know if you need to stop taking cannabinoids entirely leading up to the surgery to avoid anything going wrong. Either way, as you’re about to find out, cannabinoids may or may not impact your surgery experience.

What Can the Recovery Process Post-Surgery Actually Look Like?

Essentially, all surgical procedures come with some type of recovery stage while the body heals and restores itself. But, the nature of your downtime will depend on the type of surgical procedure you’re getting. For instance, getting a lipoma removed from your shoulder is a lot different from getting a full knee replacement, and the recovery time and symptoms will differ quite a bit.

All surgery does require that you rest to some extent, even if it means just avoiding using the area of the body that was treated. Some types of surgery can require bedrest for weeks, by contrast. And, the amount of pain you experience can vary depending on your pain tolerance, how quickly your body heals, what type of procedure you experienced and whether or not you’re resting enough, as well as the age of the patient.

What Role Then Might Cannabinoids Have in Post-Operative Recovery?

Cannabinoids, be it psychoactive or non-psychoactive all have the critical part of attaching to the body’s cannabinoid receptors to regulate all kinds of important processes that affect how we feel and function on a daily basis. These cannabinoids interact with our endocannabinoid system (ECS) – works hard to keep us in homeostasis through regulatory actions throughout all systems of the body.

That being said, cannabinoids can potentially aid in the recovery process in one way or another. Some cannabinoids have more scientific data behind them than others – mainly THC-P and delta 8 THC, both of which have been researched more closely. What we know about these cannabinoids and many others is that they may be able to help us in two ways: through their anxiolytic effects, and their effects related to physical discomfort.

Most cannabinoids that we have studied work with receptors in the immune and nervous systems. The role they can play in the immune system is regulating inflammation, which causes pain, swelling and tenderness, and is common among those who have just been operated on. Within the nervous system, cannabinoids can regulate our stress response to help us feel more at ease as we recover, and even help us get more sleep at night to allow the body to really rest. Simultaneously, the regulating of the nervous system can help balance the response of our pain receptors, to make us feel more comfortable from head to toe while we recover.

So, it’s not surprising that a lot of hemp enthusiasts reach for their favorite products following a surgical procedure. The natural, holistic nature of cannabinoids makes them feel “safe,” in that the patient can tolerate them daily without worrying about negative long-term consequences.

What About the Relationship Between Cannabinoids and Medications (Prescription and Non-Prescription)?

Now, all that being said, there’s something that you need to consider, which is medications you may be taking as part of your post-surgical protocol. How come? Well, because certain drugs, including ones commonly prescribed post-operatively, may have some level of interaction with the cannabinoids you’re taking.

We recognize that many cannabinoids suppress an enzyme in the body called, “CYP3A4”. This is the same enzyme that breaks down a lot of medications, including corticosteroids and opioids, which may be prescribed for pain following a procedure. Cannabinoids, especially in high dosage amounts, may prevent the body from producing enough of this enzyme to fully metabolize each dosage, causing the medication to instead accumulate in the blood, potentially resulting in toxicity and/or overdose if the user isn’t careful. One thing to know is that any drug that has a warning against consuming grapefruit on the label is a drug that is metabolized by CYP3A4.

Why You Should Always Talk to Your Doctor or Physician

The bottom line is that many people do take cannabinoids after having a surgical procedure done, but ultimately, how advisable it is simply depends mainly on whether or not you’re taking certain medications following the surgery. And, at the end of the day, if you’re hoping to use cannabinoids following surgery, either to maintain an existing routine or seek to address post-operative symptoms holistically, then you should talk to your doctor or physician. You see, only your doctor can take into consideration personal factors like medications you’re on and other medical history to help you decide whether or not cannabinoids, be it psychoactive or non-psychoactive, are advisable.

Keep in mind that there are many doctors out there who don’t know much about cannabinoids as there’s a lot of new info coming out. So, it might be helpful to refer them to current studies or data about how certain cannabinoids may be able to address things like pain, sleep, etc. The good news is, if your doctor advises you to do so, again, cannabinoids could potentially help you recover in a number of ways, while being a 100% natural option.