02-17-2017, 10:10 AM
Does Cannabis Interact with Antidepressants?
Jeremy Kossen
<p class="">Cannabis can make people feel more relaxed, less stressed, and, of course, happier. So predictably, people experiencing depression or anxiety are much more likely to use cannabis and more of it than people not suffering from these conditions.
<p class="">
<p class="">Of course, many people with these conditions also take prescription antidepressants. Consequently, its important for medical professionals and patients to be educated on potential interactions that could arise by combining the two.
<p class="">
<p class="">Remarkably, despite years of research investigating links between cannabis use and psychiatric disorders, few rigorous studies have been published that closely examine how cannabis and antidepressants may interact. Robust searches of <a data-ipb="nomediaparse" href="https://scholar.google.com/">Google Scholar</a> and the National Institutes of Health <a data-ipb="nomediaparse" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed">PubMed website</a> produced few relevant studies. Even the <a data-ipb="nomediaparse" href="https://www.drugabuse.gov/">National Institute on Drug Abuse</a> (NIDA) website carries very little information on this topic.
<p class="">
<p class="">Researchers from the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the University of Connecticut Health Center conducted an extensive review of the limited scientific literature and published a report, <a data-ipb="nomediaparse" href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3145318/"><i>Psychotropic Medications and Substances of Abuse Interactions in Youth</i></a><i>.</i> They noted and Im paraphrasing that while one might presume combining psychoactive drugs and psychotropic medications would increase the chances of patients experiencing adverse effects, there have been (astonishingly) few reports documenting adverse effects arising from interactions between the two.
<p class="">
<p class="">The University of Connecticut researchers explain why there may be so few reports: its possible adverse events are relatively rare or do not happen. Moreover, newer psychotropic medications have a relatively high therapeutic index as a class of drugs, they are less likely to produce adverse interactions. However, they also noted that lack of recognition or awareness could be to blame, and patients experiencing adverse effects may resist disclosing their cannabis use for fear of stigmatization.
<p class="">
<p class="">Nonetheless, its likely that newer antidepressants carry a low to moderate risk for interactions, while older antidepressants carry a higher risk. Characterizing the risk as moderate, RxList, an online index of drugs published by WebMD, <a data-ipb="nomediaparse" href="http://www.rxlist.com/marijuana-page3/supplements.htm">advises patients</a> who use cannabis to be cautious and talk with [their] health provider.
<p class="">
Risks of Drug InteractionsOne of the challenges facing physicians prescribing antidepressants to patients who also use cannabis (or any other substance, for that matter) is that it makes it more difficult to prescribe the most appropriate drug at the right dose, and co-occurring cannabis use can impede their ability to accurately assess efficacy of prescribed drugs.....
<a data-ipb="nomediaparse" href="https://www.leafly.com/news/health/cannabis-interact-antidepressants">https://www.leafly.com/news/health/cannabis-interact-antidepressants</a>
Jeremy Kossen
<p class="">Cannabis can make people feel more relaxed, less stressed, and, of course, happier. So predictably, people experiencing depression or anxiety are much more likely to use cannabis and more of it than people not suffering from these conditions.
<p class="">
<p class="">Of course, many people with these conditions also take prescription antidepressants. Consequently, its important for medical professionals and patients to be educated on potential interactions that could arise by combining the two.
<p class="">
<p class="">Remarkably, despite years of research investigating links between cannabis use and psychiatric disorders, few rigorous studies have been published that closely examine how cannabis and antidepressants may interact. Robust searches of <a data-ipb="nomediaparse" href="https://scholar.google.com/">Google Scholar</a> and the National Institutes of Health <a data-ipb="nomediaparse" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed">PubMed website</a> produced few relevant studies. Even the <a data-ipb="nomediaparse" href="https://www.drugabuse.gov/">National Institute on Drug Abuse</a> (NIDA) website carries very little information on this topic.
<p class="">
<p class="">Researchers from the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the University of Connecticut Health Center conducted an extensive review of the limited scientific literature and published a report, <a data-ipb="nomediaparse" href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3145318/"><i>Psychotropic Medications and Substances of Abuse Interactions in Youth</i></a><i>.</i> They noted and Im paraphrasing that while one might presume combining psychoactive drugs and psychotropic medications would increase the chances of patients experiencing adverse effects, there have been (astonishingly) few reports documenting adverse effects arising from interactions between the two.
<p class="">
<p class="">The University of Connecticut researchers explain why there may be so few reports: its possible adverse events are relatively rare or do not happen. Moreover, newer psychotropic medications have a relatively high therapeutic index as a class of drugs, they are less likely to produce adverse interactions. However, they also noted that lack of recognition or awareness could be to blame, and patients experiencing adverse effects may resist disclosing their cannabis use for fear of stigmatization.
<p class="">
<p class="">Nonetheless, its likely that newer antidepressants carry a low to moderate risk for interactions, while older antidepressants carry a higher risk. Characterizing the risk as moderate, RxList, an online index of drugs published by WebMD, <a data-ipb="nomediaparse" href="http://www.rxlist.com/marijuana-page3/supplements.htm">advises patients</a> who use cannabis to be cautious and talk with [their] health provider.
<p class="">
Risks of Drug InteractionsOne of the challenges facing physicians prescribing antidepressants to patients who also use cannabis (or any other substance, for that matter) is that it makes it more difficult to prescribe the most appropriate drug at the right dose, and co-occurring cannabis use can impede their ability to accurately assess efficacy of prescribed drugs.....
<a data-ipb="nomediaparse" href="https://www.leafly.com/news/health/cannabis-interact-antidepressants">https://www.leafly.com/news/health/cannabis-interact-antidepressants</a>