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Does Smoking Marijuana Affect The Effectiveness Of Birth Control Pills?

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Posted on Tue, 24 Apr 2018
Question: Does weed effect birth control pills? (weed brownies)
doctor
Answered by Dr. Dr. Rakhi Tayal (1 hour later)
Brief Answer:
Detail below.

Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Thanks for trusting us with your health concern.
You pose an important and challenging question. Research shows smoking marijuana affects the cardiovascular system in similar ways as smoking tobacco. And, research suggests that smoking tobacco while on hormonal birth control ups the risk of cardiovascular problems. Based on this logic it might be reasonable to predict that smoking marijuana while on the pill would increase cardiac risks as well.

Yet, this line of reasoning isn't confirmed by data. Marijuana research is tightly regulated, because it is an illegal drug, meaning that due to the lack of research there isn't a solid answer to your question about the effects of smoking marijuana when combined with birth control pills. However, it may be useful to look at the similarities between marijuana and cigarettes a little further.

The short-term effects of both substances include increased blood pressure and heart rate. Although sporadic marijuana use hasn't been linked with negative long-term effects in young, healthy users, long-term outcomes in chronic heavy users may be similar to effects of tobacco smoking. These long-term effects include increased risk for stroke, heart attack, and cancer. Also, marijuana and tobacco smokers tend to have a lower tolerance for exercise than non-smokers. Neither tobacco nor marijuana is associated with decreased effectiveness of birth control pills.

As your question suggested, smoking tobacco while on a birth control pill is not recommended. The World Health Organization estimates that women who smoke tobacco while on the pill are twenty times more likely to develop heart disease than non-smokers. Risk of coronary heart disease and stroke increases with age and amount of tobacco smoked.

More research would be helpful to aid women who are on the pill in their decisions about smoking marijuana. In the meantime, you may wish to consider the similarities between the effects of smoking marijuana and tobacco on the cardiovascular system along with what is known about the dangers of mixing tobacco with the pill.
Alice!
Please feel free to discuss further. I will be glad to answer the follow up queries that you have.
Wishing you good health.
Regards.
Dr. Rakhi Tayal.
For future query, you can directly approach me through my profile URL http://bit.ly/Dr-Rakhi-Tayal

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Vaishalee Punj
doctor
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Follow up: Dr. Dr. Rakhi Tayal (12 minutes later)
Does Marijuana effect birth control pill? Are birth control pill still efficient? Is there any drug interactions?
doctor
Answered by Dr. Dr. Rakhi Tayal (6 minutes later)
Brief Answer:
Yes.

Detailed Answer:
Hello.
Thanks for writing again.
Yes it reduced the effects of pills,but pill are still effective.It has no drug interaction.
Hope my answer is helpful.
Do accept my answer in case there are no further queries.
Regards.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Nagamani Ng
doctor
Answered by
Dr.
Dr. Dr. Rakhi Tayal

OBGYN

Practicing since :2001

Answered : 14047 Questions

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Does Smoking Marijuana Affect The Effectiveness Of Birth Control Pills?

Brief Answer: Detail below. Detailed Answer: Hello, Thanks for trusting us with your health concern. You pose an important and challenging question. Research shows smoking marijuana affects the cardiovascular system in similar ways as smoking tobacco. And, research suggests that smoking tobacco while on hormonal birth control ups the risk of cardiovascular problems. Based on this logic it might be reasonable to predict that smoking marijuana while on the pill would increase cardiac risks as well. Yet, this line of reasoning isn't confirmed by data. Marijuana research is tightly regulated, because it is an illegal drug, meaning that due to the lack of research there isn't a solid answer to your question about the effects of smoking marijuana when combined with birth control pills. However, it may be useful to look at the similarities between marijuana and cigarettes a little further. The short-term effects of both substances include increased blood pressure and heart rate. Although sporadic marijuana use hasn't been linked with negative long-term effects in young, healthy users, long-term outcomes in chronic heavy users may be similar to effects of tobacco smoking. These long-term effects include increased risk for stroke, heart attack, and cancer. Also, marijuana and tobacco smokers tend to have a lower tolerance for exercise than non-smokers. Neither tobacco nor marijuana is associated with decreased effectiveness of birth control pills. As your question suggested, smoking tobacco while on a birth control pill is not recommended. The World Health Organization estimates that women who smoke tobacco while on the pill are twenty times more likely to develop heart disease than non-smokers. Risk of coronary heart disease and stroke increases with age and amount of tobacco smoked. More research would be helpful to aid women who are on the pill in their decisions about smoking marijuana. In the meantime, you may wish to consider the similarities between the effects of smoking marijuana and tobacco on the cardiovascular system along with what is known about the dangers of mixing tobacco with the pill. Alice! Please feel free to discuss further. I will be glad to answer the follow up queries that you have. Wishing you good health. Regards. Dr. Rakhi Tayal. For future query, you can directly approach me through my profile URL http://bit.ly/Dr-Rakhi-Tayal