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.

[manskei]

What a brilliant thread !!

Hi, I'm a 51 yr old male & was diagnosed 2 years ago as a Type 2.  I've smoked dope on & off since University & I can certainly endorse all the comments above that run along the lines of ...pot is NOT that bad, I just have to watch what I eat for munchies, I have not noticed any detriment effects of pot on my BG control etc etc

  I have never actually checked but will now do a personal "calibration check" with the BG over 24 hours.  Great idea guys, Thanks!

I've been lucky so far ... I do suffer night time leg pains & I can honestly say that they are less troublesome when I am gently stoned.

I found this thread after reading    http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20091114/ts_nm/us_oregon_potcafe    which states that the cafe has been opened to provide for medical Mary Jane-ers.  

As far as the fact that this is illegal?  It is not illegal to smoke but posession & dealing carry increasing penalties.  Anyhow, who of us can honestly say that they have never enjoyed the occasional extra mph on an empty motorway?  That also is illegal.

Another link that might be interesting (This is the Prof Nutt paper that caused sackings & resignations from the advisory panel here in the UK)... http://www.crimeandjustice.org.uk/estimatingdrugharms.html

At the end of the day it is all a personal choice as to whether you will or will not use the weed.  I am pro-and am very interested to hear whether anyone knows of specific medical evaluations ... both pro & con.

Hope it goes well for you all !!!
Keith

[redman50]

I am 59 yoa.  Been smoking pot over 40 yrs.  I used to smoke cigarettes too. I quit them 36 yrs ago with the help of marijuana.  When I 1st quit cigs i smoked more pot at first but after a few weeks went back smoking same amt as before I quit cigs. I was diagnosed type 2 2yrs ago.  Still smoking pot but it doesn't affect my BG either way.  I just have to watch what I eat for munchies.  No problem.  I practice self dicipline all the time.

[Blklablridr]

I'm 19 years old, in my second year of college and have been smoking pot since I was 14. I was diagnosed with Type 1 when I was 16 and personally I haven't found any problems with the marijuana itself raising or dropping my blood sugar levels; as most people say on here, it's the munchies that'll bite you in the butt. my a1c level is at a 7.2, so I can really say I've got things pretty well under control (although still not where I'd like to be). When I have a pretty bad case of the munchies and don't feel like going through giving myself a shot (because of the laziness pot enduces) I simply eat some veggies, peanuts or some sort of meat (I personally LOVE peppered beef jerkey). Although when there is a pizza sitting on the table, taunting me with its delicious smells, I'll just suck it up and have a few units of humalog lol.

I will agree with the folks on here stating that pot is NOT that bad. Diabetics should NOT drink alcohol under any circumstance! I advocate marijuana use for everybody if they choose to be intoxicated (let alone diabetics!!!)... people have been ingesting THC for thousands of years and they're not going to stop any time soon. Just because some politician on a stand in D.C. says that it's illegal doesn't mean that it's "bad". It's just his opinion, which unfortunately has power. Be free thinkers! ... and if you're worried about the smoke that causes lung damage, there's these things called vaporizors you can buy either online or in a head shop. If you have problems inhaling THC even at that point, make yourself a decent batch of sugar-free brownies or something.

Anyhow Cheechee, before I get on a rant, I don't believe there's a diabetic pot-smoker in existance who well say that the marijuana itself has a detrimental affect on their health... It's just the munchies, which is quite easily managed.

Thanks for the post!!! :):)

[je5]

To respond to your post, honestly I think that the only danger with marijuana is overeating due to the munchies(that term definitely survived long past the 1970's haha). Honestly though, I don't know if you have ever been high before, but it isn't usually like you can't do anything, in fact people can't always even notice when I am high. I am still able to test my blood sugar and accurately bolus for food that I eat on my insulin pump even when I'm stoned (and I can verify this accuracy later when sober, it has never failed me). Also, when smoked, you can "dose" yourself on how high you want to get, as the effects hit fairly quickly. While many people are scared of the fact that marijuana potency has increased it is actually healthier to smoke very potent marijuana. Like I said, you can "dose" yourself while smoking and think about it, is inhaling less smoke to get the same effect bad for you? No, quite the opposite actually. I would however tell him to steer clear of other drugs that are much more dangerous, but again, if he must he will probably do what hes going to do and should research anything extensively before trying it.

[david64]

i want to know more about inhaling the smoke and its affects on the blood vessels    what about the important things    like this?????

[elidabetez]

i have had diabetes since i was 3
i myself cant rememebr ever not having diabetes
i have a pretty controlled A1c at 7.4
to answer the question straight up
marajuana doesnt effect your blood sugar
although the munchies you may get after can
but to take care of that try to eat meat protein stuff without to much carbs or sugar (which yo hould be doing anyways)
if you do happen to stumble apon a reeses or some kind of candy
take a few units for it
make sure its the right dose!
and dont smoke alone if you get low
your gonna be to out of it to help yourself
i think personally smoking marajuana is better for diabetics than drinking
when drinking there is carbs and sugars that effect your blood sugar
and you have less control if you get drunk than high
i myself have experimented with both
when drinking my sugars went from 375 to 86 to 280
just terrible
smoking nothing just some much that i bolused for with my mini med pump
I also watched a show on marajuana use today on the national geographic channel and they talked briefly about how marajuana use has been studied with diabetes and it can help maintain bloodsugar
i myself play sports and choose not to smoke often for i need good lungs to run and i will probably never test this theory out
i dont recommend smoking marajuana much
one its illegal
and two its not good for your lungs
if ur diabetic you should definently do sum sort of fund raising thing for diabetes there are plenty out there
in your generation hopefully they find a cure, but your helping other generations of diabetics out!
well thats all i have to say