Allergic to Pot? – The Paper.

July 13, 2021 at 4:47 pm

Spring may be long gone, but the sneezing, crying, and roach season is still going strong for some people. An allergy to grass and pollen is bad enough, but what about the poor people with a cannabis allergy? It may surprise some readers, but a small segment of the population cannot consume cannabis without experiencing unpleasant allergic reactions to the plant. Fortunately, cannabinoid extractions allow many to reap the benefits of medical marijuana without the discomfort of a bad reaction.

The good news is that the number of people negatively affected by cannabis allergies appears to be very few. But now that cannabis is legal in New Mexico, new users are being drawn to the drug, and that number is likely to rise.

What are allergies?

We all know allergies. It’s the things that make people sneeze when the flowers are in bloom or swell when they get a bee sting.

However, the mechanism behind allergies is very strange. It is triggered when a foreign object enters the body and causes a negative reaction. This foreign body is known as an allergen. Allergens are actually harmless to most people and include pollen, dust, insects, food, and other sources. In some bodies, however, these allergens set off alarm bells in the immune system and trigger the release of histamines – chemicals that cause you to react in a way that expels the intruder. It is no accident that these chemicals make people sneeze, cough, and cry.

The problem is, the intruder does no harm – at least compared to what the histamine does.

The interesting thing about this topic is that there is evidence that cannabis can help curb the production of histamines, which means that it could potentially help fight allergic reactions (provided those reactions are to something other than the cannabis itself ).

Allergic reactions to grass

According to a 2015 paper published in Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, “Inhaling cannabis pollen has been found to cause symptoms of allergic rhinitis, conjunctivitis and asthma”.

But separating the symptoms of an allergic reaction to cannabis from the normal side effects of smoking can often be a chore. Unfortunately, allergic reactions such as coughing, red eyes, itchy throat, and nasal congestion are similar to the side effects most cannabis users experience when they smoke or vape the drug. Most users don’t need to worry when they experience these symptoms. The only problem is when they notice that symptoms get worse every time they use cannabis. Allergic reactions (including those associated with cannabis) may not be triggered the first time someone comes into contact with an allergen.

Those allergic to marijuana may also experience nausea, itchy eyes, runny nose, or sneezing after eating, smoking, or vaping. Touching the plant material can also cause skin reactions such as itching, dry or inflamed skin, and hives. These are not normal reactions to the drug and can be taken as a strong indication of the presence of an allergy.

Very rarely, cannabis use can actually cause some people to experience a severe allergic reaction known as anaphylaxis – a dangerous condition that can cause users to have difficulty breathing and even coma or death can. Anaphylactic reactions occur with all allergens – not just grass – in people who are susceptible to them. Anaphylactic fits can be treated with an adrenaline injection if given quickly enough.

In very rare cases, users may be concerned about cross-reactivity with other allergens. This happens when proteins from the cannabis plant resemble those of an allergen and trigger the same reaction in a victim as if the actual protein were present. This is reportedly found in people who are allergic to certain foods like almonds, chestnuts, hazelnuts, apples, bananas, eggplants, grapefruits, peaches, and tomatoes. Some people with hay fever may have problems with cannabis due to cross-reactions.

Testing

Many doctors can test cannabis sensitivity the same way they test other allergies. If you are concerned that you may have an allergy, you can ask your doctor if they offer skin prick tests or blood tests that will detect top case allergies.

In the skin prick test, the top layer of skin is pierced with a needle that carries various allergens. The skin is observed for allergic reactions. The needle barely penetrates the skin, so this type of test is pretty simple and not very painful.

Simple blood tests can also be used to detect allergies and may be even more accurate than the skin prick test. For this, a doctor will take a blood sample and examine it for antibodies against an allergen. If these antibodies are present in higher numbers than normal, it indicates that the patient is likely to have an allergy.

Treatment for a cannabis allergy is the same as for other allergies. The only way to really tone down the reaction is to break off contact with the plant. But antihistamines, intranasal corticosteroid sprays and ophthalmic antihistamine drops can also be used to relieve symptoms.

Symptoms but no allergy

And those patients who experience allergic reactions to cannabis but have tested negative for cannabinoid allergies are likely to have an allergic reaction to another compound in the flower that they buy that is not the plant itself. And the answer could be to switch to concentrates.

Alejandro Garcia, the local medical cannabis extraction expert and consultant, says he suffers from allergic reactions when smoking flowers. “One of the reasons I switched to concentrates was to avoid the pollen and environmental pollutants that are normally found in the plant,” he says. “And as much as manufacturers try to mitigate mold, powdery mildew, and other microscopic substances, there is always the possibility that some of them will be in full bloom. During extraction, these contaminants become trapped in the filters, making concentrates a cleaner product that only contains cannabinoids. As long as you are not allergic to the cannabinoids, you should be able to avoid this allergic reaction. “

connected