In just the US thousands of people get strep throat every year. If you have heard of this condition, but do not actually know what it is, this is an infection that specifically targets your tonsils and your throat.
The group of bacteria that causes this condition is called the Streptococcus bacteria, and this is what the condition is named after.
One of the most common symptoms of this condition is having a sore throat, however, there are other signs like having a headache, a fever, or general nausea.
So, if you are suffering from strep throat, and you are a stoner, you might want to know how it will affect the condition.
You will hear some people say that smoking weed with this condition will either help or hurt you, so which is true?
If you want to know if smoking weed while having strep throat is a good idea, keep reading to get our full recommendation and advice.
Why Does Smoking Make Strep Throat Worse?
Turns out that smoking weed while having strep throat will actually worsen the condition.
There is not too much information on this specific relationship between strep throat and weed, however, we can make comparisons to very similar conditions that are related to weed.
If your throat and your lungs are already irritated like they would be if you have strep throat, then if you are smoking, you are just going to be making your pain and discomfort even worse.
This is not just smoking though, if you are vaping, or hitting a bong, then you will still be making the pain worse, so there is not really an easy work around.
It is also worth noting that it has been recorded that if you are ill, then your body is very likely to respond to cannabis differently. You could have more intense symptoms and this is something that you usually want to worry about.
However, one thing that is also worth taking into consideration is that if you smoke weed regularly already, then smoking it will not have as much of an impact, however, it will definitely not be helping either and will still increase irritation and potentially make it take longer for you to recover from the condition.
If you are a regular smoker, you do not want to experiment with new strains or dosage when you are ill since this will likely make the effects much worse.
But, if you have never smoked weed before, then we recommend avoiding the activity completely when you are ill or have strep throat since it will make you feel much worse.
Does Smoking Weed Help Strep Throat?
There are some urban legends on whether weed can help you have strep throat, however, none of these theories have actually been concretely proven.
There are some studies that show that weeds can aid with reducing inflammation, this reduction in inflammation is seen as a sign that smoking weed when you have strep throat could help aid with the inflammation you are experiencing (Also check out Can You Smoke Weed With Mono?)
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However, the hot smoke and the coughing you are likely to experience are going to do much more harm than the potential lowering of inflammation.
There are also studies showing that weed could aid with the pain we experience when having strep throat, and weed has commonly been used as a pain reliever when it comes to dealing with a variety of different conditions.
For example, if you have headaches or migraines, these are commonly treated with weed.
So, if you have a headache from your strep throat, then hypothetically, the weed could relieve the pain from this, but again, it will likely be making the inflammation in your throat and lungs a lot worse, so it does not really balance out.
Instead, if you want a much less risky and potentially painful method of recovering from strep throat, then we recommend simply getting the correct antibiotics prescribed from your doctor as these specifically aid with strep throat.
Can You Get Strep Throat From Smoking Weed?
As we mentioned in the introduction, strep throat is caused by bacteria, so unless you are specifically getting this bacteria from your weed somehow, you will not get strep throat from your weed directly.
The weed itself is not going to be causing strep throat, but there is a chance that you could pick up the bacteria from sharing a bong, a blunt, or just being close to someone who also has strep throat.
It is worth noting that strep throat is contagious, so you do not want to be sharing anything with people who have the condition.
So, while the weed itself might not be giving you the strep throat, the activity and the actions related to it might be spreading the bacteria, so keep this in mind.
Can Smoking Weed Cause Sore Throat?
While weed is not going to specifically cause getting strep throat, it could give you a sore throat. You will commonly find people saying that they have strep throat when they actually just have a sore throat.
A sore throat is a sign of strep throat, however, it is also a sign of a lot of other conditions, and a lot of these conditions can be exacerbated by smoking weed.
You can get a sore throat from many different sources like bacteria, but also dry air, viruses, and any other irritants that you could be inhaling. One of these irritants could be smoking weed.
There are many links between smoking weed and sore throats, like the breathing in the hot smoke, the compounds that can be found in weed, as well as cottonmouth.
This is why, if you are suffering from a sore throat, especially when you are smoking weed, then we recommend less irritating methods of consuming cannabis, like using edibles.
Can You Smoke Weed When Taking Medication For A Sore Throat?
If you have a sore throat, whether it is caused by strep throat or not, there is a good chance that you are going to use some over the counter medication to make yourself feel better when you are recovering.
Of course this depends a lot on the specific medication that you are using, but doctors have warned against mixing over the counter drugs with something like weed.
For example when mixing weed with flu or cold medication, there can be adverse effects. For example, you can suffer from very blurry vision due to reactions with the psychoactive components of marijuana.
We recommend researching the specific medication you are using since this tends to vary on a case by case basis.
Summary
Hopefully this guide has given you all the information you need when it comes to smoking weed when you have strep throat.
Generally speaking, we recommend against doing this since any of the benefits you might experience are offset by the amount and the intensity of the negatives you are likely to experience if you try this. If you really want to consume cannabis when you have strep throat.
Our top recommendation is to use edibles instead since these are much less likely to irritate your throat like smoke would.
You also might get some of the better pain relieving effects which might be helpful. However, make sure that the marijuana will not have any negative reactions with any medication you are taking since this can end up being pretty dangerous.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Helps With Strep Throat?
The best way to deal with strep throat is to talk to a medical professional and get a diagnosis of strep throat and then get the prescribed medication to help fight the bacteria that is causing the strep throat.
This is the most direct method and is likely to stop the condition the quickest.
However, if you want some methods to help deal with the sore throat since this tends to be the most painful symptom of strep throat and is why so many people assume a sore throat is strep throat, then we have some good solutions.
Some of the top methods of dealing with having a sore throat is gargling some warm saltwater, using over the counter medication, regularly consuming warm liquids to help soothe your throat, eating something colder to cool down your throat, or using a humidifier to add more moisture to your environment.
How Long After Having Strep Throat Can You Kiss?
You will still be passing on your strep throat to people until about 1 to 3 days after you have been taking your medication.
Because of this, we recommend waiting about 4 days after you have been taking medication, but we recommend being as cautious as possible to ensure that you are not passing on the condition since it is a pain to deal with.
How Long Does Strep Throat Last?
If your strep throat is not treated, then it will usually last between 3 and 5 days, however, this can vary based on how you act when you have the condition.
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