Neurocardiogenic Syncope and MMJ

[Hydrogrown]

Well I popped over to this section of 420 to see if I could find any information on how my smoking habits effect this disease I was diagnosed with not long ago. FIrst, my story.

It started in my teen years, I would wake up on the floor and not remember "passing out" a minute or so before. To date I have had less than 15 episodes of "passing out"(quotes will be explain shortly), roughly 3 times a year.
I saw my family doctor, who referred me to a neurologist. The neurologist found no abnormalities in a cat scan or eeg, sleep deprived and non. It was not until I saw a cardiologist years later that I was diagnosed, and he knew right away. Neurocardiogenic syncope is a condition that, in a nutshell, causes hypotension. The "passing out" is actually the result of my heart stopping because of too little oxygen to my brain, to put it simply. This was confirmed by a tilt-table test at the hospital. As far as I know this was inherited from someone in my family, but I have not found anyone else except a great aunt who had fainting spells in her youth. I am on medicine now and am told to eat lots of salt (helps absorb water), drink plenty of water, watch out for vasodilators like caffeine and alcohol, and I basically can't take 75% of pharmaceuticals with my meds.

So in relation to MMJ, I began to seek whether it was having a negative effect on my condition. I was concerned because I knew that the herb can cause vasodilatation, lowering blood pressure. I ventured to this medical section to see if I could find anything new, and the scientific data caught my eye because I study biology and can understand some things in scholarly articles. I want to be clear though I am no where near fully comprehending the implications their research may have. That being said I have read that among other things MMJ can increase the work load of the heart, increase heart rate, increase cerebrospinal blood flow, and these things all seem to be good in my case. The times when it would happen, sometimes I was high and other times not. I know that MMJ alone will not aggravate my condition, but there are times when I've had coffee and/or alcohol, had relatively not much water, been really stoned, and I felt really light headed or passed out. I posted this here because have not talked to anyone else with this disease (despite it being the most common form of syncope, which is fainting) let alone someone else who burns. Another reason I posted this is because there weren't any other threads on this particular forum.

My hopes are that I can learn exactly how and if self-medicating is hurting me. Also, if this helps even one person understand their own body a little better than that is still great. I am currently in the process of moving to a new state, and hopefully I can find a doctor to help clear up the issue. If so I will definently update this thread.

MMJ helps me, and I just want to be informed about putting things into my body. Thanks for listening.

-HG

 

[bellasole27]

Well I popped over to this section of 420 to see if I could find any information on how my smoking habits effect this disease I was diagnosed with not long ago. FIrst, my story.

It started in my teen years, I would wake up on the floor and not remember "passing out" a minute or so before. To date I have had less than 15 episodes of "passing out"(quotes will be explain shortly), roughly 3 times a year.
I saw my family doctor, who referred me to a neurologist. The neurologist found no abnormalities in a cat scan or eeg, sleep deprived and non. It was not until I saw a cardiologist years later that I was diagnosed, and he knew right away. Neurocardiogenic syncope is a condition that, in a nutshell, causes hypotension. The "passing out" is actually the result of my heart stopping because of too little oxygen to my brain, to put it simply. This was confirmed by a tilt-table test at the hospital. As far as I know this was inherited from someone in my family, but I have not found anyone else except a great aunt who had fainting spells in her youth. I am on medicine now and am told to eat lots of salt (helps absorb water), drink plenty of water, watch out for vasodilators like caffeine and alcohol, and I basically can't take 75% of pharmaceuticals with my meds.

So in relation to MMJ, I began to seek whether it was having a negative effect on my condition. I was concerned because I knew that the herb can cause vasodilatation, lowering blood pressure. I ventured to this medical section to see if I could find anything new, and the scientific data caught my eye because I study biology and can understand some things in scholarly articles. I want to be clear though I am no where near fully comprehending the implications their research may have. That being said I have read that among other things MMJ can increase the work load of the heart, increase heart rate, increase cerebrospinal blood flow, and these things all seem to be good in my case. The times when it would happen, sometimes I was high and other times not. I know that MMJ alone will not aggravate my condition, but there are times when I've had coffee and/or alcohol, had relatively not much water, been really stoned, and I felt really light headed or passed out. I posted this here because have not talked to anyone else with this disease (despite it being the most common form of syncope, which is fainting) let alone someone else who burns. Another reason I posted this is because there weren't any other threads on this particular forum.

My hopes are that I can learn exactly how and if self-medicating is hurting me. Also, if this helps even one person understand their own body a little better than that is still great. I am currently in the process of moving to a new state, and hopefully I can find a doctor to help clear up the issue. If so I will definently update this thread.

MMJ helps me, and I just want to be informed about putting things into my body. Thanks for listening.

-HG

We should talk ... I have the condition as well. I was diagnosed at 14, and I'm now 33. I also smoke and was looking up the potential effects and also if its good for it. I'm moving to state where they about to pass a bill for medical marijuana purposes.
I was told as an adult by my cardiologist, a few years back that it was still under research, because while it may have some negative effects depending on the individual, it may have a more positive upside in those that have multiple triggers like myself. Stress and severe anxiety also plague me and is a trigger for the condition. If I get a panic attack or extremely upset, I can almost guarantee an episode. Additionally, my doctor advised me that I've grown out of the medication and can control my heat episodes with my salt intake and fluids. I take a 1mg sodium chloride tablet daily, and put salt on everything. Lol

 

[blacklabel821]

i would appreciate some feedback aswell. i was diagnosed at 19, i am 21 now. I have never passed out on my own except for when i was on the table tilt test. i am prescribed meds that increase my blood pressure over the period of the day, i also experience a constant chest pain whether minor or severe (mostly minor and not noticable). i have palputations aswell and i never experienced any of these things before making the worst decision to smoke spice and had what i think was a minor heart attack or stroke. this is what i believe caused everything that is wrong with me now. my heart rate is higher than the average and my chest is always tight but my cardiologist could not find any thing wrong with me and i was sent to an electrofisiologist who diagnosed me with neurocardiogenic syncope. i cant enjoy my favorite thing in the world next to sex and rock anymore because of this condition. every time i have tried to smoke weed i either ended up in the hospital due to increase in heart rate or had to take xanax to calm myself down. i NEVER had a panic attack on weed before this and have been smoking since i was 15 to 19 every day. i dont know what is causing all this because all the research i have done til now, everyone can smoke pot with this condition they just have to watch their lightheadedness, trust me i would give a kidney to make that happen. help with feedback and let me know if u have any of the symptoms i have listed. sorry for the horrible grammar i dont feel like correcting all this nonsense.

 

[Fuzzyboo]

I have this condition though I often prefer to just say I have dysautonomia because I'm also diagnosed with POTS and other autonomic abnormalities. The potential problem with cannabis in dysautonomia is due to the fact your nervous system already doesn't regulate itself properly. Many tend to run hypotensive with tachycardia (though some also get bradycardia or alternate between the two). Cannabis can exacerbate both of those things. It also can crash your blood sugar and this can set of syncope or near-syncope.

It sounds like if you have NCS what you are dealing with is more of a near-syncope reaction than a true panic attack. So it's more your nervous system is going haywire and that's making you feel panicked rather than having something actually upset you. The reason I got diagnosed was because I told my doctor I thought I was having panic attacks, but there was one thing that made these "panic attacks" a bit different from panic triggered by a known emotional stimulus. They only happened while I was standing still, often doing something trivial like brushing my teeth, doing the dishes, cooking. I'd suddenly feel as if I could throw up or pass out. I'd break out into a sweat and I'd go lie down on my bathroom floor because I really didn't know if either one was going to happen. My doc picked up my panic trigger was not emotional but rather positional and off she sent me for a tilt and it was positive.

You may still be able to enjoy cannabis, you just may have to change how you use it. Speaking with other users, including some who have dysautonomia, it does sound as though smoking may be one of the more triggering ways to use it if you are dealing with dysautonomia. I'm in a medical state and was not a recreational user beforehand so I do not smoke it. I've found vaporization at temps between about 330 and 360 to be the sweet spot for being able to feel it's benefits without too many adverse effects. I start at 330, gradually increase the temp as vapor production goes down. If I vape 370 plus, I'm more lightheaded, more tachy, more likely to need to just go lie down and wait for it to wear off.

I really very much wanted for it to work because I have other conditions like insomnia and fibromyalgia but I knew it might set off the dysautonomia. I'm including this info for people with dysautonomia who might be debating if it's right for them or are nervous about ending up "too stoned." Since I'm in a legal state I started introducing THC with low dose tinctures that allowed me to dose by the milligram, usually using about one to three milligrams as needed, based on my pain levels. Then before bed, I would take a 5mg edible, vape a couple of puffs and pass right out. I did this for a few weeks at first to allow myself to grow more tolerant before I started vaping during the day.

The positive impact it had on improving my sleep finally allowed me to get enough rest to be able to feel like I could exercise again. If you have dysautonomia you know exercise doesn't come easy but you also understand muscle tone is helpful for improving the body's ability to pump blood back up into the body. A bit over a year ago, I was on over 20 prescription medications. I had one little downturn in my health shortly after I first started, gut problems which were eventually narrowed down to an ingredient sensitivity. It took a few months to figure out what the trigger was. During that time, I lost all my muscle mass. I started recovering in spring of 2017. Around that time I was already beginning to wean some meds. Sleep meds, anxiety meds and pain meds were the first to go. By the summer I finally started exercising again. I was first diagnosed with dysautonomia in 2003, my health problems obviously becoming very chronic in 2002. That's also when the insomnia began and my insomnia was an absolute nightmare, the lack of sleep had me feeling as if I was coming down with the flu most of the time so I just never had enough energy to exercise.

Fast forward to today, I'm able to walk 8,000+ steps. I can lift 10lb weights. I either go walking or do a combo of yoga and light weights for an hour to 90 minutes. I have three medications left that I am currently using only as needed. So I'm a believer it can help dysautonomia, you just have to be careful how you use it.

Should also note I also do use CBD as well because I believe it's extra helpful with pain and inflammation. I typically use slightly more THC but I always mix the two. I just didn't include any info about introducing CBD, since it's non-psychoactive, there's not quite as much to worry about in terms of side effects. I've read CBD can mitigate some of the unwanted effects of THC like the paranoia and anxiety, so by itself it's a great option for those who don't want to get high at all, or blended together it can reduce the intensity of the high and that may be beneficial for people who are dealing with dysautonomia.

 

[Ocimo]

Well I popped over to this section of 420 to see if I could find any information on how my smoking habits effect this disease I was diagnosed with not long ago. FIrst, my story.

It started in my teen years, I would wake up on the floor and not remember "passing out" a minute or so before. To date I have had less than 15 episodes of "passing out"(quotes will be explain shortly), roughly 3 times a year.
I saw my family doctor, who referred me to a neurologist. The neurologist found no abnormalities in a cat scan or eeg, sleep deprived and non. It was not until I saw a cardiologist years later that I was diagnosed, and he knew right away. Neurocardiogenic syncope is a condition that, in a nutshell, causes hypotension. The "passing out" is actually the result of my heart stopping because of too little oxygen to my brain, to put it simply. This was confirmed by a tilt-table test at the hospital. As far as I know this was inherited from someone in my family, but I have not found anyone else except a great aunt who had fainting spells in her youth. I am on medicine now and am told to eat lots of salt (helps absorb water), drink plenty of water, watch out for vasodilators like caffeine and alcohol, and I basically can't take 75% of pharmaceuticals with my meds.

So in relation to MMJ, I began to seek whether it was having a negative effect on my condition. I was concerned because I knew that the herb can cause vasodilatation, lowering blood pressure. I ventured to this medical section to see if I could find anything new, and the scientific data caught my eye because I study biology and can understand some things in scholarly articles. I want to be clear though I am no where near fully comprehending the implications their research may have. That being said I have read that among other things MMJ can increase the work load of the heart, increase heart rate, increase cerebrospinal blood flow, and these things all seem to be good in my case. The times when it would happen, sometimes I was high and other times not. I know that MMJ alone will not aggravate my condition, but there are times when I've had coffee and/or alcohol, had relatively not much water, been really stoned, and I felt really light headed or passed out. I posted this here because have not talked to anyone else with this disease (despite it being the most common form of syncope, which is fainting) let alone someone else who burns. Another reason I posted this is because there weren't any other threads on this particular forum.

My hopes are that I can learn exactly how and if self-medicating is hurting me. Also, if this helps even one person understand their own body a little better than that is still great. I am currently in the process of moving to a new state, and hopefully I can find a doctor to help clear up the issue. If so I will definently update this thread.

MMJ helps me, and I just want to be informed about putting things into my body. Thanks for listening.

-HG

Hi. I have the same condition that you have. It started when I was 8 years of age. I have ask many Doctors about this and they say MMJ is bad. Lol. I had a pacemaker put in. It has stopped 90% of my blackouts. I use to have about 5 to 6 a day. They did the tilt test my hart stopped for 26 seconds. They gave me the pacemaker. It dose keep me from blacking out as much. But I still get dizzy about 30time a day. When I do not use MMJ. But when I do it has seemed to help me alot.
Last year I blacked out over 190 time with know MMJ. This year going back to a micro dose daily plus the pacemaker i have had only 5 episodes. Each one on days i had no MMJ. I wish there was a clinic trial. So I can be a part of it. 27 year no way to fix it. Us syncope people need to band together and make these doctors do more trials. With MMJ and other resources. I would do any test our treatment even if it killed me. Because i don't want any kid to go through what i have ever. So if it can help them i am game. Best of health my friend. O ya salt dose help but long term salt hurts the hart. Thickens the walls. If that happens the u have a episode there is a chance you get suddenly death. It increases the chance of SD by 30%. And 6.6% every year after the thickening.