Cancer patients who use cannabis can experience a variety of adverse events, from the common and short-lived to the less common and dangerous, says Mayo Clinic gastrointestinal oncology pharmacist. BCOP's Dr. Marie Parrish explained. However, she noted that products formulated with cannabidiol (CBD) can counteract the psychoactive effects of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and improve patient function.
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What are the common and less common adverse effects of cannabis in cancer patients and what is important to know about how to manage them?
There are some of the more common side effects, but the good thing about them is that they are usually short-lived and fairly temporary. There is dizziness, drowsiness, and classic euphoria. If you consume too much THC, you may experience rebound anxiety. Ingesting too much THC can cause a long-lasting headache.
Additionally, there are some that are less common but perhaps a little more dangerous. Things like rebound media and depression occur when chronic users suddenly stop using. Also, people who do it as well have almost cyclical vomiting syndrome. They use it fairly chronically and then suddenly stop. I've seen people go to the emergency room for that. That's why I'm careful about things like that.
Of interest to patients is that when a product is co-formulated with CBD, the psychoactive effects of THC are attenuated to some extent, but the clinical benefits are not compromised. If I have a patient who is interested in pain relief or help with sleep, but doesn't want to feel high all the time, I recommend products with CBD. Day-to-day functionality is much better. We suggest this as a means to alleviate some of the less desirable side effects.
What do you think chronic cannabis use is?
Typically, doses of 5 milligrams or more are used daily. When you're talking about inhaled products, it's a little harder to quantify doses in milligrams, but with edible products, it's becoming easier to quantify how much people are using. So this is what is traditionally considered chronic use.
