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Marijuana---> Adverse Effects On Your Gallbladder/Liver?

Discussion in 'Medical Marijuana Usage and Applications' started by qwerty man, Oct 25, 2011.

  1. I've had a gallbladder attack once or twice in the past, and I remember smoking weed to help alleviate the pain, but it always seemed to make it worse. The symptoms would get sharper, although I didn't mind because being high dulled the feeling.

    My buddy has been a smoker/drinker for a while and a couple days ago we got together to burn and he told me he's been having some abdominal pain. We went halfway through a joint and he started looking kinda uncomfortable, but he said it was fine and we finished. Couple minutes later he was looking pretty bad, so I was like shit, and we went to his girlfriend's uncle, who's a GP.

    Turns out he has a gallstone, and the doc said smoking MJ will inflame your gallbladder, because the lower valve of the right lung opens to release toxins through the liver, and naturally, they will reach the gallbladder.

    Consuming is even worse because it puts undue stress on the the liver to create bile and and digest fatty acids and cannabinoids.

    I'm at a predisposition for gallbladder problems, so I'm treading extra carefully. I've done some research, there is really no solid conclusion on the matter, just different experiences for each person.

    Can anyone shed some light on this?
     
  2. Someone needs to get Granny in here! :hello:
     

  3. That Dr is full of shit...a quack of the highest order.

    Lungs do not have a lower valve to the liver...basic anatomy

    MJ doesn't cause the gallbladder to inflame...basic fact, mj acts as an anti-inflammatory.



    I have to say, your post reeks of troll droppings.:devious:
     
  4. cball, I think you've seen enough of my posts in politics to know I don't troll :confused::confused:

    I have no idea if the doc is full of shit, that's simply what he told my friend.
    He makes good money, drives a Vanquish S, I'd like to think he knows a little about medicine.

    Point is, long term MJ use can affect the liver and gallbladder

     
  5. As cball mentioned there is no "lower valve of the right lung", so anything based on that assumption is inaccurate.

    Also the information you presented was about endocannabinoids. These are not the same as the cannabinoids found in cannabis. You have to be very careful about making assumptions regarding the effects of cannabis based on the behavior of non-cannabis derived cannabinoids (either synthetic or endogenous).

    The assumption that "long term MJ use can affect the liver and gallbladder" is simply not proven by the information you quoted.
     

  6. No offense, but do you have any idea what you're talking about or are you just posting for fun?

    The endocannabanoid system includes:

    -The cannabinoid receptors CB1 and CB2, two G protein-coupled receptors that are located in the central and peripheral nervous systems, respectively.

    -Various lipids/ligands such as AEA and 2-AG (which the article refers to)

    -Enzymes that create and destroy endocannabanoids


    So, smoking marijuana obviously activates your CB1 and CB2 receptors which are part of your endocannabanoid system. This leads to the negative effects on the liver the article was talking about.

    The second point is vasodilation. Your blood vessels (especially in the digestive system) become larger, allowing for increased blood flow, which is normally ok. But for people with gallbladder/liver problems, this means immediate inflammation, despite any "anti-inflammatory" effects cannabis may have.

    I've felt it, my friend has felt it. We are not crazy. For some people it DOES affect liver and gallbladder function.

    I'm hoping someone who has done more research on the effects of cannabis (Storm Crow, perhaps) will provide some insight.


    good day
     
  7. I can shed light on this !

    Recently Ive been feeling that my piss valve (forget what its called) has been acting up, like I dont get the same confirmation from my body that I need to take a piss compared to when there was no doubt when I needed a piss it just dosent seem as natural now.

    I get the strangest feeling its caused by holding in a piss for too long when I laze about after waking because I'm still pretty high from the night before and I feel great just lying there.

    In all honestly though my opinion is this, I dont think weed can directly effect your bladder in any negative way, but it may hinder piss patterns.

    Hmmmm .... to the bat cave ! dadaddadaddadadada
     
  8. I am familiar with the endocannabinoid system.

    Your statement was "long term MJ use can affect the liver and gallbladder". You then presented "evidence" based on endocannabinoids and not phytocannabinoids. My response to your statement was that it was not supported by the information that you quoted.

    Cannabis may cause the issues that you and your friend have experienced (I never said you were crazy). However this is simply not proven by the information that you provided.

    Unless you have clear scientific proof of your statement then you can expect it to be treated as mere conjecture.

    Keep in mind that this is the same tactic that prohibitionists use every day to deny the potential medical benefits of cannabis and to thwart legalization efforts. They make false associations and present theories that have not been proven (or worse yet theories that have been disproven).
     
  9. If you're worried about causing harm to your body for smoking the herb, maybe stop? Or use edibles as your alternative method. You went to a doctor that knows jack.
     
  10. #11 Husky42, Oct 25, 2011
    Last edited by a moderator: Oct 25, 2011
    My mom is a head charge nurse/Operating Room Nurse.. I showed her this post.. she laughed her ass off and said she'd never visit that doctor again.. just saying..oh and before you go, she's just a nurse not a doctor..

    Nurses save doctors asses every day, the doc may know how to write a prescription and diagnose better in some cases, but the nurse is the one making sure the doctor gets all the RIGHT information in the charts, she's the one giving you your meds, sticking your arm, measuring dose and assisting during operation.

    She's the one there before you go to surgery, during surgery, after surgery and through out recovery.. the doc does not put the care into you/the patient that a nurse will... Nurses do so much more than they ever get credit for (again just sayin)
     
  11. At one point, smoking weed made me feel like I had the syptoms of pancreatis. I would smoke and then get super sharp pains in my abdomen. So yes I believe you're telling the truth.

    I put into perspective though cause the other doctors would rather have me on adderall which drains and permenantely damames the lining of my dopamine duct/gland :( To say cannabis has no ill effects is just plain stupid because there is no monitored dosage/method of ingestion and no doctor monitoring your reaction/progress with the drug. Thats not to say it should be shouldnt be legal but it will undoubtedly carry negative effects for a small # of people due to the nature of CBD + THC effect along with combusted vegtable matter.
     
  12. #13 Scars, Oct 26, 2011
    Last edited by a moderator: Oct 26, 2011
    You know, I'm very glad i ran across this thread.

    I remember about 1 year ago, I had one of the biggest scares of my life. I went to the docs for a routine checkup because i wanted to get a fasting blood glucose test. Two days later all my test came back negative for everything including diabetes...except for the fact that my Liver Enzymes were through the roof. My AST and *** levels were 4-5 times the normal amount. The doctors ran like 10 different blood test checking for autoimmune disorders, liver disease, hepatites A/B/C, cancer, gallstones, bile duct issues, kidney issues, gall bladder issues...the list goes on. I even had an ultra sound done and everything kept coming back clingly clean (thank God) and in great condition...

    So i along with my doctors were really puzzled as to what the hell is going on with my liver and why my enzymes are out of whack...I was especially scared because my father had recently passed 3 years earlier due to, of all things...liver cancer. I was freaking out hardcore...

    After 6 long months of no answers, no conclusions, and doctors giving me the "idunno" look, I stopped going to the doctors just because i was sick of all the needles/test/dead end answers, basically i got frustrated and figured,"Meh, i feel fine, fuck it, if its my time to due i will die...". i was actually making myself more sick just thinking about dying. I actually started to feel like i was dying...i know, real mellow dramatic...

    Pretty stupid...then one night thinking in bed it hit me...WEED! I started wondering if weed may have caused something and did a quick google search and came across numerous ppl with the same exact issue. Tokers with high liver enzymes...

    I did a little bit of research and learned that THC is a lipid and that it is stored my livers fat cells. Upon further reading, i read that the liver has a hard time breaking down THC lipids causing the liver to release more enzymes to combat the issue. I dont know if thats true or not but its just something i was reading...

    So i was pretty bummed that i cant smoke weed anymore because ill fuck up my liver and die like my dad did if i do so. Really heartbreaking...

    Then i started thinking and thinking some more...i used to always smoke out of a metal/glass pipe and as any smoker would know, WE ALL sometimes inhale ash, benzene, and all the other crap that we DONT want inside our liver... we dont smoke weed with filter like cagarette smokers so we have a higher risk of inhaling carcoginic matter more than other just because we dont have that "screen/filter of protection". Im starting to think that ppl who end up inhaling all kind of ash and other crap (im suck my pipe hard...no homo, lol) have a higher change of having liver/gallbladder/kidney issues than others...

    To the OP, the gallbladder works hand in hand with the liver so i might start there to see if your AST/*** levels are in check. If your liver is working too hard to clean/detox itself, then maybe its putting alot of pressure on your bile duct also...just a thought. Im no doctor, so dont take my word for it, just trying to help.

    I know im rambling but this thread reminded me of my situation and thought id share as maybe it may shed some light on what the hell is really going on with our bodies. Just to re-iterate, i dont think weed is the culprit, but the other negative by-products/crap that we unintensionally/accidently inhale along with gods green herb.

    BTW, i took 3 months off from toking and my liver enzymes were back down to normal, i started hitting the bongs (no ash, benzene, etc), still my levels are normal. I think im on the right track.

    -Alter
     
  13. You're right OP, marijuana is destructive to the liver

    Just drink beer, that wont hurt your liver
     
  14. My buddy got his removed, and he barely ever smokes weed. I can imagine if you have gallbladder problems, smoking anything in general isn't the greatest, because your lungs release toxins through your liver, but if you're consistently having gallbladder problems, ask your doc for ways to solve the problem. I wouldn't stop smoking, myself.
     
  15. i second this
     
  16. Hey, thanks for sharing. I had blood tests done earlier this week and I'm still waiting for the results. I expect my AST/*** levels to be pretty high, I've been having abdominal pain recently and I suspect it's the liver..plus I've been taking some ADHD meds which are definitely not helping the situation.

    I have a bad family history, but I don't understand because I have such a good diet. I cut out fast food, soda, pretty much all processed sugars, etc. and I've been eating tons of veggies, seafood and nuts.

    Hopefully it's just a temporary gallstone that'll resolve itself, but for the time being I'm trying not to smoke till I know what it is.

    I made a firecracker today and the high was nice but I still felt some pain.

    sorry to hear about your dad, btw...there was no possibility of a transplant?
     
  17. OK, here is my own anecdotal account.
    I had my gall bladder out due to gall stones. I had not touched marijuana for 12 years at the time. When they take it out, they tell you not to eat fatty foods, as you no longer have your gall bladder as a "filter" for the bile created.

    A year later, I was diagnosed with Crohn's disease and started using MJ for that.

    Now, OP, by your logic, if I consume cannabis, things should REALLY start to race through my GI tract like no one's business given what you were told by this "doctor."
    Couple that with the fact that Crohn's generally speeds things through you even more. So if this were true, I should be on the can 24/7. I am NOT, I can assure you. The only thing cannabis does is slow my gut motility for me so that I DON'T have to go as often.

    There are so many potential causes, such as one's DIET and genetics.

    So what kind of drug pusher is he? The RIGHT kind... ;)
     
  18. Found this through Google and had to dig it up with a response, given my own personal experiences: overall this is a misleading thread. Liver/galbladder problems are extremely common, and probably have very little to do with smoking cannabis, even if this irritates the underlying problem. Vaporizing or ingesting the same cannabis that you would have smoked would not contribute at all to galbladder/liver issues. If you do have a liver/galbladder function issue, just be mindful of your method.

    Try taking gluten out of your diet, and removing processed foodcrap. Like floating_by said: all marijuana will do is slow down your gastric motility. Just don't be sucking down joints all day if your concern is with toxins. But THC does not contribute to liver/galbladder failure. This is absurd.

    Smoking anything is not ideal, but relative to toxins present in other things we consume, including our city air, taking 10-20 hits of weed in any given day is probably pretty low-risk for any damage to lungs or internal organs whatsoever for most human beings. If it's cooked into something wholesome, it will be healthier for you than any other food you eat.
     
  19. Well, I just found this thread after googling if taking cannabis oil (CBD) has any effect on gall bladder issues...because I've been taking the oil (I do not smoke) for a week and experiencing a nearly immediate flare-up of gall bladder pain.  Gall bladder issues can be caused by fatty intake, and obviously the oil is a fat.  Also experiencing a 'sluggishness' in digestive tract, almost like the bile is having a difficult time moving.  I suppose if one is predisposed to gall bladder issues, no matter how 'anti-inflammatory' Cannabis is supposed to be, it can indeed be a problem, at least in my experience.  BTW, I am a healthy, whole foods eater that is trying the Cannabis Oil as a way to deal with Lyme Disease issues.
     

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