A recent study published in The Journal of the American Osteopathic Association has found that individuals who regularly consume cannabis, large amounts of alcohol, or other psychoactive substances require up to 220% more anesthesia during medical procedures than those who rarely or never use drugs. This is due to the fact that the liver’s detoxification function works faster with frequent drug use, leading to a quicker breakdown of anesthesia. The study was conducted in Colorado, where cannabis has been legal since 2012, and involved 1,158 patients who were randomly selected for analysis.
The researchers found that patients who reported daily cannabis use required a 14% higher dose of the pain medication Fentanyl during procedures such as colonoscopies, while those who used benzodiazepines needed a 20% higher dose of the sedative Midazolam. The largest deviation from the average was seen with the anesthesia drug Propofol, which was 220% higher in individuals who consumed cannabis daily compared to those who rarely or never used it. Similar observations have been made in Germany, where the German Society for Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine has been asking patients about their drug use for the past decade.
According to experts, these findings are not surprising, as the liver’s detoxification function increases when it frequently breaks down cannabinoids or alcohol. As a result, anesthesia drugs are also broken down more quickly in individuals who consume large amounts of drugs or alcohol. Future studies will aim to determine the optimal anesthesia doses for sedation and anesthesia in individuals with different drug use patterns. It is important for medical professionals to be aware of these findings and adjust anesthesia doses accordingly to ensure safe and effective medical procedures for all patients.
