Mixing Weed + Albuterol

[Beaky]

Hey, I have asthma and I have a nebulizer to use whenever my asthma gets bad. There is liquid albuterol and it is transformed into a gas form and you inhale through a mouth piece. You inhale and exhale the albuterol for about 15 minutes. Anyways, a few months back, after smoking some reefer I was feeling a bit "weezy" so I did my nebulizer. After a few minutes of doing it I stopped... stared off for 5 seconds then I fell back onto my bed and it felt like I was vibrating. My eyes were closed and I saw a bunch of paterns that looked like sound waves of some sort. It was a pretty scary and fun experience at the same time. Does anyone know anymore about this; whether it is harmful or not mixing these 2 together? After that one time, I didn't ever do it again because I was unsure if it's bad for you or not. It was one of the most intense experiences I have had with weed or any drug for that matter. I guess I am finally getting around to asking this; been meaning to do so for a while. I tried searching the net quite a bit with no luck. Anyone know anything about this?

[yabatab]

I have no idea Beaky Im only making this post so it
goes back to the top of the forum, I hope someone
can help you with this. I know that the site I'll leave
below has some pharmacist that post on it about drugs
and there side effects maybe someone there can help
if you don't get any answers here.
http://drugs.com/

[Lethal G]

Beaky, I just thought I would let you know I also have asthma and am on albuterol, only in an inhaler form (I used to have a nebulizer though). I've never experienced something like what you have described though, even when at my highest and used my inhaler. Also, marijuana seems to have a good effect on my asthma. I notice after a smoking session that my lungs are clearer and I can take much deeper breaths. I guess it's different from person to person. How severe is your asthma anyway?

I do know albuterol has a history of causing a calcium depletion in the body, which could lead to osteoporosis. That's really the only harmful thing I know about it. I can do some research and let you know if I find anything out though. Take care!

[Faultydesign]

Well, then only thing that makes sense is the fact that ..."You inhale and exhale the albuterol for about 15 minutes" I'm just putting it in my perspective is doing that after a nice session would probably deplete the oxygen in my brain pretty nicely.

[Beaky]

My asthma is pretty bad. Weed wasn't what triggered me to used it. I was just running around particulary a lot that night and it got to me. Thanks for all your replies so far. Whenever you do it really gets your heart pumping. It pumps like 50%-100% faster and its really noticable. It really stimulates the body. I am concerned that I will be overworking my body wayyy tooo hard.. like too much shit going on. I don't think the albuterol itself is a bad mix because it essentially opens my throat and cleans my lungs. I think I may be over stimulating my body or something. And about inhalers, I don't get this effect from them. The nebulizer is for prevent asthma "attacks"; things you need to go to the hospital for a few days to treat. It's much more heavy duty.

[Tillianne]

I have Asthma, and use several different inhalers. One being, Albuterol. I have never had a problem using Albuterol with Cannabis. In fact, I can honestly say that Cannabis helps a lot because Albuterol causes my heart to race.

[birdgirl73]

Hey, Beaky, I have asthma and use an albuterol rescue inhaler and also a nebulizer when I need it, which is mostly when I get colds or bronchitis. Nebulizer treatments are exactly the same thing you'd get with a breathing treatment in the hospital or in an ambulance, only you can do the treatment at home and not have to make a trip. When breathing is bad, sometimes there's not time to make a trip, as you know.

Sounds like you just got a bit too much albuterol in your nebulizer solution, and that you also crossed it with the weed a little too closely. Do you use the premixed nebulizer solution or do you mix it yourself? Because if you mix it yourself and add your own broncho saline, it's easy to get just a drop or two too much albuterol, and sometimes that's too much.

Albuterol is a strong vaso-constrictor. Basically, it's just like epinephrine, which is a synthetic form of adrenaline. Albuterol, like epinephrine, shrinks blood vessels quickly, and that's how it stops inflammation in your airways and lungs, by shrinking back the inflamed, swollen passages. It works very fast. And when it does, it speeds up your heart rate, makes you get the shakes, makes you dizzy and woozy for a bit.

Grass, at least in the very early stages practically while you're still smoking it, has very fast initial vaso-constriction action, which is then followed by vaso-dilation, or relaxation, action. That's why after you've smoked grass, you're more relaxed and your blood pressure goes down and heart and vascular system relax a bit. But right at the very first as you're taking it in, just the opposite happens before the THC gets fully into your system.

To my way of thinking, a double-dose of vaso-constriction from both weed and albuterol is probably too much, which may have been why you experienced those noticeable symptoms. After you've entered the vaso-dilation stage, weed and albuterol basically work against each other, one trying to relax your airways (and possibly inflaming them further) and one trying to constrict the little capillaries in your airways and open up your airways. That's why I think it's probably not a great idea to mix them too closely.

If you find you need the assistance of albuterol the next time you smoke, use the inhaler rather than the nebulizer because the inhaler's not nearly as strong as a nebulizer treatment. And if you are one of those folks who mixes your own nebulizer solution, put in an extra squirt of broncho saline to dilute the solution a bit more so you won't get such strong side effects. Even if you use something like DuoNeb pre-mix solution, you can still get a bottle of broncho-saline at the drug store and water the pre-mixed solution down a bit more to help lessen the albuterol side effects a bit.

Weed and asthma are tricky together, as are weed and asthma medicine. Lots of people on here will swear that weed improves asthma, but that's not been the case for me. When I'm having a bad breathing day, it just gets worse when I smoke, so I only smoke on days when the breathing is easy and I know I won't need the assistance of albuterol.

[Beaky]

It's the premixed stuff, birdgirl73. Great response birdgirl73, thats what I been wanting to know! Thanks everyone for your help and contribution!

[beachguy in thongs]

I do know albuterol has a history of causing a calcium depletion in the body, which could lead to osteoporosis. That's really the only harmful thing I know about it. I can do some research and let you know if I find anything out though. Take care!

Scientists Develop Prototype Drug To Prevent Osteoporosis Based On Cannabinoids Produced By Body
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/01/060104232013.htm

Albuterol affects the Sympathetic Nervous System, which is involved in the fight of flight response. http://www.emc.maricopa.edu/faculty/farabee/BIOBK/BioBookNERV.html#Autonomic%20Nervous%20System

That sounds like Pot's effects, to me.

The contraindications/cautions, with using albuterol, that may mix adversely with Pot's effects are tachycardia (raised heartbeat) and nothing else. But, one of them looks like it could be helped with pot, and that is coronary insufficiency and COPD patients with degenerative heart disease.


Use cautiously with diabetes mellitus (large IV doses can aggravate diabetes and ketoacidosis); hyperthroidism; history of seizure disorders; psychoneurotic individuals; labor and delivery (oral use delatyed second stage of labor; parenteral use of B2-adrenergic agonists can accelerate fetal heart beat and cause hypoglycemia, hypokalemia, pulmonary edema in the mother and hypoglycemia in the neonate); lactation.

[Tillianne]

Wow!! This article about Osteosporosis really hits home with me since I have the disease.


This is great news! :)