(CNN) — If you think smoking or ingesting weed helps control pain of all types, think again.
Using marijuana before entering the hospital for a surgical procedure can make your pain during recovery significantly worse, according to research presented Monday.
“There is some evidence that cannabis may be beneficial for chronic and nerve pain. However, early research suggests that this is not the case for acute pain such as for surgery of a broken leg,” said lead author Dr. Ian Holmen, an anesthesiology resident at the University of Colorado Hospital in Aurora, in a statement.
Besides an increase in acute pain, people who used weed before surgery also needed more anesthesia during surgery — undergoing anesthesia can be risky for some people, such as the elderly or those with chronic illnesses such as diabetes — and used more opioids during recovery.
“This study shows that it is important for patients to tell their physician anesthesiologist if they have used cannabis…
