Sildenafil And Marijuana
Marijuana and sexual health
Marijuana is a psychoactive drug. It consists of the female inflorescences of the hemp plant and its effects are mainly due to the presence of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Used recreationally, marijuana increases libido; but does it improve erectile function? How safe is it to use sildenafil and cannabis at the same time?
No studies are confirming the therapeutic effects of marijuana on erectile function, and the eventual increase in libido is rather associated with the general relaxation that follows smoking weed. However, it was established that the use of marijuana is indirectly related to recreational use of sildenafil by men without confirmed ED.
Marijuana and sildenafil: is it safe to combine the two?
If you believe that using sildenafil alongside with marijuana is safe, since cannabis is all-herbal, you are very wrong. THC has various pharmacological properties. It is a powerful vasodilator, lowers intraocular pressure, fights nausea and vomiting induced by anticancer chemotherapy drugs, reduces muscle spasticity, has a certain analgesic action, and strong pain-relieving effects. It is used in many parts of the world on patients with chronic, depression, or terminal phase diseases to relieve pain and as an antiemetic.
Sildenafil is also a potent vasodilator – in fact, this is how its therapeutic effect is achieved. By providing a vasodilatory effect, it helps the smooth muscles in the penis become elastic and absorb the blood required for a hard and maintainable erection.
Sildenafil is incompatible with other substances that have a similar effect. Taken together with other vasodilatory agents like marijuana, it can cause an uncontrollable and sudden drop in blood pressure that can have fatal consequences.
Other effects of marijuana
Marijuana effects on the body are as follows:
- distortion of receptive skills
- hilarity and inebriation
- distorts cognitive perceptions
- increases sensory sensitivity (taste, smell, hearing) and some tactile and visual perceptions
- promotes talkativeness or psychophysical relaxation, a sense of well-being or sub-euphoric mood.
Marijuana can be particularly dangerous in adolescence. In subjects who have pathologies (full-blown or latent) such as schizophrenia or psychosis, the intake of Cannabis can accelerate the symptoms and aggravate the discomforts. Favoring, in fact, an amplification of the moods, lowering the psychological defenses and accentuating some perceptions that can lead to states of anxiety or paranoia, in young people with less structured personalities and the presence of the pathologies indicated above, the consumption of the substance can act from fuel and reveal the discomfort with serious risks to mental health.
The effect has a variable duration depending on the power, but in almost all cases it evaporates after about an hour. The presence of THC in the adipose tissue, however, leaves traces for weeks.
Marijuana is non-toxic and it has never been possible to establish a lethal dose nor has a single case of death been documented: as in case with tobacco, it carries carcinogenic substances resulting from combustion into the lungs. However, taken in combinations with certain other substances, it can be dangerous.
To sum it up, although marijuana is a herbal substance, its use can result in serious side effects, according to this study. The same study speaks about the drug interactions caused by cannabis. The general advice is, you should never mix sildenafil with any other substance unless approved by the prescriber; since recreational drugs are never on the list of doctor-approved substances, you should realize the severe health risks posed by such a combination.