Can You Take CBD Before Or After Surgery?

The main reasons that cannabidiol (CBD) is used so frequently are its anti-inflammatory and anti-anxiety effects. In order to prevent disease, many people even take it as a daily supplement.

But if you're having surgery soon, can you still take it? Perhaps you had surgery just recently. Can you take CBD immediately after surgery? The answer isn't clearly yes or no, so let's delve deeper into the details, so you have the information you need to make an informed choice. Continue reading to learn more about surgery than you may have thought.

Tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, is the main component in marijuana that causes users to feel "high," while CBD, a less well-known sibling of THC, is the cannabis Sativa plant's other child. The plant, which has roots in Central Asia, is thought to have been used for rituals or as medicine for the first time around 750 B.C., though there are other estimates as well.6

THC and CBD are just two of the plant's more than 100 cannabinoids. CBD may or may not be psychoactive, whereas THC is. It is unknown whether CBD has any effect, if any, on reducing anxiety, whereas THC can make it worse. CBD is being researched to assist those in recovery; THC can cause addiction and cravings.

CBD has previously made headlines as a potential epilepsy treatment,  though research is still in its infancy. Researchers are examining the safety of CBD as well as how much it can lessen the frequency of seizures in people with epilepsy. According to the American Epilepsy Society, studies are currently being conducted to better understand safe use and offer hope for seizure disorders.1

In a study conducted in 2016 with 214 epileptics, the study subjects supplemented their daily doses of anti-epileptic drugs with oral doses of 2 to 5 mg of CBD.2 The participants were observed by the study's researchers for a period of 12 weeks, during which time they noted any adverse effects and assessed the frequency of their seizures. 

Participants reduced their monthly seizure frequency by 36.5 percent overall. However, 13% of the participants reported experiencing serious negative effects.

The effects of CBD on immune system receptors may contribute to a decrease in the body's overall inflammatory response. In turn, CBD oil might be advantageous for treating acne. 

According to a human study, the CBD oil stopped sebaceous gland activity.5 Sebum, a natural oily substance that hydrates the skin, is produced by these glands. But acne can develop when there is too much sebum.

It's important to talk to your dermatologist before using CBD oil to treat acne. More research on humans is required to assess the potential advantages of CBD for acne.

Several studies have looked into how CBD might stop the growth of cancer cells, but further study is still needed. According to the National Cancer Institute (NCI), CBD may help with cancer symptoms and side effects from cancer treatments.3 The NCI does not, however, fully support the use of cannabis as a cancer treatment in any form. 

CBD's potential for treating cancer stems from its capacity to reduce inflammation and alter how cells reproduce. CBD decreases some types of tumor cells' capacity to proliferate.

You might be able to manage pain thanks to how CBD oil affects the receptors in your brain. When used after chemotherapy treatments, cannabis has been shown in studies to have some advantages. The National Institutes of Health (NIH)-sponsored pre-clinical research is also examining how cannabis can help with symptoms related to arthritis, chronic pain, M.S. pain, muscle pain, and spinal cord injuries.

The FDA determined liver damage to be a side effect of CBD during Epidiolex drug trials. Blood tests that were used to identify the early stages of liver problems revealed signs of liver damage. By only taking CBD under your doctor's guidance, you can reduce this risk.

Your doctor may need to reevaluate your dose if you're taking other medications because CBD may affect how well they work. CBD may have unwanted effects when combined with other medications.

It is best to consult your doctor before taking CBD if you are taking other medications because there isn't enough research on how it interacts with both prescription medications and typical over-the-counter supplements.

There are no particular dosages that are advised for CBD because the FDA currently does not regulate it. Most clinical trials have used daily doses between 100 and 800 milligrams.

You should consult your doctor before using any CBD products to determine a safe dosage that is suitable for you. Along with your symptoms, this plan should consider any additional medications or dietary supplements you might be taking.

Many patients ask if they can vape CBD before or during their surgical procedures because it is mostly used for the self-management of pain and anxiety. 

Due to the anticoagulant effect of CBD products, which can put a patient's life at risk with excessive bleeding during and after surgery, patients should refrain from ingesting/using CBD (and other cannabis based products) for a few days prior to and following surgery. 

In order to correct excessive bleeding, asymmetry, and tissue death after surgery, excessive bleeding may require an additional surgery step.

To make sure the patient does not experience issues with anesthesia, some doctors advise patients to stop taking herbal supplements, vitamins, or nicotine. 

Consuming CBD may also cause strong interactions with liver enzymes that block the effects of the medication. For a safe surgical procedure, the appropriate precautions must be taken because the ideal CBD dosage is not known.

Smoking any drug, including marijuana or cigarettes, can cause respiratory distress, pneumonia risks, and interference with anesthesia, which can result in airway emergencies after surgery. Marijuana also causes your surgical sites to scar poorly. 

Edibles are the best method for consuming CBD. Foods can solve respiratory issues and speed up the healing process. However, it is advised against taking it after the permitted window of time prior to surgery.

Marijuana use during surgery has the potential to have significant effects. While some patients use CBD to try to unwind, this idea can have serious negative effects. CBD consumption causes a phenomenon known as vasodilation, which relaxes the blood vessels. 

A failure in blood pressure and an increase in heart rate can result from relaxing the body's blood vessels. Additionally, cannabis contains carbon monoxide, which slows down the body's oxygen flow and lessens the healing process. When CBD is consumed after surgery, it takes longer to remove a patient from the ventilator.

You will eventually need to stop using CBD due to the potential negative effects it may have on surgical patients and healthy individuals, but it can be difficult to determine an exact timeframe. You should probably continue taking CBD for as long as you can if you use it as a medication, such as to treat anxiety or chronic pain.

Some doctors advise taking CBD the day before surgery as long as you are not taking blood thinners, while another hospital states that you can take CBD up to four hours before your procedure.

Studies have shown that CBD products have a half-life of one to two days, so if you really want to be cautious, you can always stop using or taking CBD a few days before.4 This will guarantee that it has completely left your body before your hospital procedure.

It's typical to feel pain in the areas that underwent surgery after you leave the hospital. To hasten recovery and lessen pain, doctors will usually give you some sort of prescription medication at the conclusion of surgery. Since CBD has potent anti-inflammatory properties, it is frequently chosen as a pain reliever, including after surgery.

It is safe to take CBD to help manage post-operative pain, but make sure to check for any interactions with other medications you are already taking after surgery. Headaches, arthritis, muscle pains, and other secondary symptoms of post-surgery pain can all be treated with CBD in a variety of ways. It also does a great job of reducing joint and muscle pain and enhancing sleep, both of which are essential for a speedy recovery following surgery.

Yes, CBD can help with surgery recovery. For recovery from surgery, CBD products come in a variety of forms. Gummies, oils, and topical creams for the skin are three of the most widely used forms.

The majority of CBD edibles are small candies or gummies that range in dosage from 8 mg to 25 mg per gummy. They frequently have lots of delicious, fruity flavors. One dose typically consists of one or two gummies; we advise patients to start out small and gauge their reactions before consuming more gummies. 

CBD gummies typically take between 20 and 60 minutes to begin acting on the body. Given that many CBD products are unregulated, it is crucial to buy them from reputable manufacturers. Visit our online store for quality and effective CBD gummies.

Similar to edible gummies, CBD oil is intended for oral consumption. Before increasing your dosage, start out small by using just one or two drops. Because CBD oil metabolizes more quickly in the body than CBD gummies, you might experience its effects more quickly. Buying CBD oil has the advantage that, in addition to being consumed orally, it can also be applied topically to the skin to provide additional pain relief. 

A topical cream is the other widely used option for CBD post-surgery. While CBD cream typically does not have any calming effects, it is an excellent way to attack pain or irritations right where it originates. 

Additionally, shea and coconut butter, which help to hydrate skin, are included in the formulation of CBD cream. However, please discuss with your doctor first if this is a useful option for you. 

Despite estimates for when it is safe for patients and people to stop or resume using CBD oil, there are too many factors at play for patients and people to make a choice on their own. In the end, you'll need to consult your doctor to determine the precise time you should stop taking it.

Your doctor might be open to working with patients or people who heavily rely on CBD products for pain, anxiety, or insomnia. They might just change some of the medications you take during or after surgery rather than requiring you to stop using CBD oil for pain. Or, rather than completely stopping CBD oil, they might just ask you to reduce your dose.

Patients should bring up the subject with their doctors as soon as they learn they will need surgery or at a pre-op appointment. It might be too late if you wait to tell your doctor or anesthesiologist that you use cannabis or CBD products until the day of your procedure or while you are in the hospital.

Even if it's emergency surgery, some patients or people might not always have the option to notify their doctor in advance, so you should try to do so as soon as you can.

Surgery is a highly invasive medical procedure, but it is occasionally the only option left to save lives. After surgery, recovery may take weeks or months to complete, and there may be a number of unfavorable side effects, including high levels of stress, apathy, physical discomfort, swelling, irritation, and irregular sleep cycles.

If you buy CBD oils from a reliable vendor who posts recent lab reports on their potency and purity, they are typically secure. Before using CBD oil before and after surgery, you should always consult your doctor and anesthesiologist because cannabis can make traditional anesthesia less effective.

Sources

1. News from the American Epilepsy Society annual meeting:... : Neurology Today. LWW. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://journals.lww.com/neurotodayonline/Fulltext/2017/01190/News_from_the_American_Epilepsy_Society_Annual.2.aspx 
2. Devinsky, O., Marsh, E., Friedman, D., Thiele, E., Laux, L., Sullivan, J., Miller, I., Flamini, R., Wilfong, A., Filloux, F., Wong, M., Tilton, N., Bruno, P., Bluvstein, J., Hedlund, J., Kamens, R., Maclean, J., Nangia, S., Singhal, N. S., … Cilio, M. R. (2015, December 23). Cannabidiol in patients with treatment-resistant epilepsy: An open-label Interventional Trial. The Lancet Neurology. Retrieved from https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laneur/article/PIIS1474-4422(15)00379-8/fulltext 
3. Cannabis and cannabinoids (PDQ®)–patient version. National Cancer Institute. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/cam/patient/cannabis-pdq#link/_76 
4. Welty TE, Luebke A, Gidal BE. Cannabidiol: promise and pitfalls. Epilepsy Curr. 2014 Sep;14(5):250-2. doi: 10.5698/1535-7597-14.5.250. PMID: 25346628; PMCID: PMC4189631.
5. Baswan SM, Klosner AE, Glynn K, Rajgopal A, Malik K, Yim S, Stern N. Therapeutic Potential of Cannabidiol (CBD) for Skin Health and Disorders. Clin Cosmet Investig Dermatol. 2020 Dec 8;13:927-942. doi: 10.2147/CCID.S286411. PMID: 33335413; PMCID: PMC7736837.
6. Mackeen, D. (2019, October 16). What are the benefits of CBD? The New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/16/style/self-care/cbd-oil-benefits.html 

Even though there is no longer a chance that CBD will interfere with your anesthesia, patients shouldn't immediately start taking it again after the procedure or while they are still in the hospital. Depending on the procedure you had, you might still be concerned about blood loss increasing, and your doctor might advise waiting a few days or weeks before taking CBD or cannabis again.

Not to mention that many post-operative patients take prescription painkillers or antibiotics for a few days (or weeks), which may interact with CBD oil and cannabis.

The use of CBD for the side effects of chemotherapy and other aggressive treatments is supported by a growing body of scientific research. Even when it's harmed by the aforementioned factors, CBD has the power to influence the endocannabinoid system to return to its balanced state and support homeostasis throughout other systems in your body.

Patients typically undergo at least one Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) before a doctor suggests surgery to check for any patterns in the brainwaves that could increase the risk of surgical complications.

One of the most frequent side effects of MRI is seizures. Despite the fact that the studies used Epidiolex, a purified, synthetic form of CBD approved by the FDA to treat certain types of childhood epilepsy, the findings suggest CBD may help reduce seizure activity.