effects of smoking marijuana and being diabetic

[cheechee]

Hi
I am new here and i hope i am not breaking any rules but my question ia about what effects smoking pot (marijuana) will have on my son (20yrs old) who is diabetic. I am not 100% sure that he is doing this but am sure he has tried it at least once and i want to be able to give him all the correct information about the dangers he is putting himself in before i speak with him about this.
Of course there is the effects which will happen whether he had diabeties or not but i would be grateful for any advice which anyone may have on this subject.

[Jakben_Imbel]

I have had type 1 diabetes for 12 years now, and Ill be 24 this November. The first time I smoked was on my 16th birthday. I have been smoking ever since, except the year or 2 that I didnt for jobs and such. I have had no ill effects caused my smoking marijuana in my years of doing so,other than the occasional badly timed nap. There are some things to watch out for tho, such as themunchies, and he will have to keep a close eye on his bg and insulin intake. As long as he uses a little common sense and doesn't get arrested for pot, I dont see a problem with his smoking pot.

[Iluvweed]

I have had diabetes for 24 years i was born with it. I smoke all the time for the neuropathy. The way i see it is if you develop neuropathy in the lower extremities it is the worst pain ever. I have been shot and the neuropathy pain is far worse then having an open hole in ur body. If u do develop the neuropathy all the doctors will say is soak your legs in ice water and try to keep your sugars at a normal level. Sometimes it takes long hours to drop a sugar i had a blood sugar of 3731 and it took 6 days to bring it down to 104 luckily i was in a coma. Weed has no ill effect on diabetics and for the diabetics that smoke a crave sweets after it be careful you will lose that battle.

[d5852]

My son is 29 years old and has had type 1 diabetes nearly his entire life, (since the age of two).  He suffers from hypoglycemia unawareness which has led to many insulin seizures throughout his life time,  some of which nearly killed him. He was averaging 10 to 12 ambulance trips to the ER per year for insulin seizures.  However, 19 months ago,  he became a medical cannabis patient in the state of Montana,  and has had only 2 insulin seizures during these past 19 months,  and his A1c hemoglobin tests have dropped from 7.4 to 5.9.  Since becoming a cannabis patient,  his low blood sugar awareness has improved tremendously,  which has allowed him to run tighter blood sugar control,  which has improved his A1c's.    I am not sure why,  however,  it seems that cannabis has a c-peptide type of reaction in the body.  However it works,...it works,  and he is healthier.  Cannabis is Medicine.  

[nji749]

I have had Type 1 for the last 20 years and at 29 I have done some experimenting.  My first thought on the topic is that smoking and the mary and drinking are similar in that they alter your state of mind and various biochemical reactions in your body.  I recommend not "trying" but experimenting each on an individual basis with some measurement.  The first time you drink, test every 20 minutes for the first 4 hours, then once an hour after that.  Do this a couple of times with different alcohols to see what they will do to your sugars.  I can't imagine going to a party and drinking for the first time, giving into peer pressure, without knowing what it will do to my body.  
The same is true for marijuana.  Test and test often the first time you smoke.  Always try to be aware of what and how much you are eating.  Most people crave CARBS.. not veggies or anything healthy.. just carbs.  So make sure you are taking plenty of insulin to counteract what you are taking in.  
On a personal note, I have learned to abstain from eating and my blood sugar will still spike 150-200 points in the hour to 2 hours after I smoke.  I think this is probably different for everyone, and is related to how your liver releases glycogen under the influence of THC.  
At the end of the day this is an empirical question with easily measurable results. Smoke, test, answer the question for yourself in a safe controlled environment.

[darktard]

Why don't all you diabetics try my experiment -> Smoke till you get stoned and once achieving the mood for "having the munchies" go make yourself a nice salad or vegan smoothie and do that for 30 days consistent with this diet! Then email me at ***@**** and tell me if your raised blood sugars have lowered!

P.S: By the way keep your meat eating at a stable moderation. Such as 1-3 times per week. No junk food, no fried foods.. Don't be lazy and cook if you really care about your health =)

[XLord]

Hi

Before anything I want to say that this is my personal experience and that all of us are different.

I smoked marijuana for the first time when i was 21 and happily smoked for more than 23 years. not once, not twice but more than four times a day.

I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes about 10 years ago and I decided to stop smoking about three years ago because i disagree with all the violence involved in narcotraffic (I live in Mexico City) and because of the danger every time a went buying but most important because i want to experiment my diabetes without weed.

BIG MISTAKE, during those seven years living with no controlled diabetes and marijuana, besides living very happy :) I had little physical symptoms and rare illness, but since I stopped smoking my health problems begun; everything started to go bad, weakness, cramps, visual problems, bad skin, urge to urinate, severe weight loss, fungus problems, digestive problems, chronical flu, etc.

About six months ago I finally got over denial (hard thing to achieve) and started medical treatment, Metformin and Lantus, I experienced relief in many of my symptoms but I´ve developed neuropathic pain, hell of a curse it affects my life in all the ways. I can hardly think or work. I am taking carbamazepin, gabapentin and vitamin B to fight this but the pain is incredible mostly from my abdomen down. Tramadol has been a slightly help for pain, but I can hardly describe how I feel as the sun goes down.

I am aware that I am ill and have been since ten years ago, and that stupidity of not getting treatment before has got me were I am now. In the other hand I´ve been very, very lucky because after all that tome with no treatment and blood levels of over 400 at all times I am alive and with no further damage.

The thing is; I believe that marijuana helped me all this time to relief pain and in some way to retard or prevent damage to my body. My doctor says that all the things that are happening are "normal" ¿? That my body was asleep because of no treatment and it is reacting now ¿?, I don´t know for sure but what i do know is that I am going back to marijuana and try out again this illegal drug besides my legal medical treatment and find out what happens.

Best regards to everybody