Why Does Cannabis Make Me Faint?

Even with all of its perceived benefits, cannabis consumption has its drawbacks. And although they’re nothing to be particularly alarmed about, these aspects can dampen the recreational experience.

We all have that one friend who feels dizzy after eating edibles. They’re the same friend who collapses into the couch after a couple hits from a pipe or joint. So it makes you wonder: “What’s the deal here? Can weed make you pass out?”.

In this article, we’ll provide some answers to these questions. And later on, we’ll give you some tips on how to prevent that dizzy, uncomfortable feeling from arising in the first place.

Why Do We Get Dizzy?

Before we get into the meat of the topic, we’ll first address an important distinction between a fainting spell and blacking out. It’s understandable why people confuse the two, but they have their differences.

Difference Between Blacking Out, Near-Syncope, and Fainting.

Here’s a simple, clear-cut distinction: when you black out, you go through a brief period of memory loss that is not accompanied by muscle tone loss. This altered awake status can happen after a night of alcohol consumption, hence the term “blackout drunk”. According to experts, people usually black out once blood alcohol levels reach 0.16%

When you black out from drinking, your brain malfunctions momentarily and stops creating memories during those moments. But in most cases, memories return through certain cues and reminders.

Blackouts also happen from concussions.

Fainting, understood as a severe reduction of consciousness, accompanied generally by muscle tone loss, is sometimes the final stage of a preceding situation called near-syncope or presyncope. This last situation is compounded by a set of symptoms like dizziness, nausea, palpitations, paleness, or becoming suddenly sweaty. In this scenario, due to a drop in blood pressure (hypotension), there isn’t enough blood pumping through the brain. Hence, if this presyncopal situation is maintained, your body subsequently can shut off.

Certain other conditions, like epilepsy, internal bleeding, and heart conditions like arrhythmia, can also cause loss of consciousness. Likewise, it can happen from run-of-the-mill occurrences like standing up too quickly. In the latter situation, consciousness tends to return within 2–3 minutes.

Why Does Cannabis Make Us Feel Lightheaded?

This is where things become a bit more complex. Though we don't understand the relationship between cannabis and lightheadedness completely, it involves certain activities from within our circulatory system.

Cannabis and Blood Pressure

Veterans in the recreational cannabis game will remember their first few smoking experiences wherein they felt faint after imbibing. Experts have found a connection between cannabis and blood pressure rise, particularly during those first few hits. There’s also a potential increase in heart rate to consider^[1].

However, researchers are trying to determine if, once the body builds a tolerance to THC, cannabis may actually lower blood pressure^[2]. A 2018 study supports this hypothesis^[3], invoking cannabis' potential vasodilatory effects. In simpler terms, it causes a widening of blood vessels. It’s also the plausible reason cannabis users turn red-eyed after a period of smoking. But these aren’t definitive conclusions, and more research is needed.

How Common Is Fainting From Cannabis Use?

You may have heard numerous stories about people fainting from smoking weed, which sounds off some alarm bells. However, the straight answer is: fainting spells aren’t a common occurrence when smoking or eating edibles. Moreover, the fine line between fainting and being overwhelmingly stoned may cause some people to recount their experience as the former when it was really the latter.

Other Cannabis Side Effects

However, aside from fainting, there are other side effects to be aware of when choosing to partake in cannabis:

How To Prevent Dizziness From Cannabis Use

So, you’re one of those unfortunate souls who feels dizzy after smoking. Don’t worry, it’s not the end of the world. Here are some helpful tips to make these spells more manageable.

• Try a Different Strain

If you feel like fainting after smoking weed, you’re likely consuming too much THC.

If you experience dizziness from a certain strain, switch things up. Find ones that aren’t as potent. And as a pro-tip, go with strains that have a balanced THC to CBD ratio. Cannabidiol is known to mediate THC’s effects, which could help with your dizzy spells.

Moreover, in terms of fainting, you could prevent this uncomfortable situation by reducing the amount of cannabis in your joints, not smoking it up to the mouthpiece, or simply making your hits more spaced out.

• Eat Something Before You Smoke

Cannabis’ effects vary from one person to another. For some people, the hit feels much stronger on an empty stomach, similar to alcohol.

To be on the safe side, grab a bite before your smoking sessions. You don’t need to fill your stomach with food. However, eat enough to tide you over for the next few hours.

• Change Your Consumption Method

People tend to feel dizzy after eating edibles. This is unsurprising given the more potent and extended nature of the edibles high. It’s like being on a four-hour carnival ride that isn’t stopping anytime soon.

If edibles are causing your dizzy spells, you could find another consumption method that suits you better. Smoke a bowl, light up a joint, or do bong rips to see which you’re most comfortable with.

But if you’re loyal to your edibles, you could consider microdosing. Limit your intake to 2.5mg of THC to retain the desired effects without becoming overwhelmed.

• Go Slow and Steady

Sometimes, dizzy spells are caused by that sudden influx of THC into the body. Your system isn’t able to process it right away, and in turn, it elicits an unbalanced reaction.

Just like in the section about edibles, if you decide to consume cannabis, consider starting slow. Pace yourself. If you’re a rookie around veterans, you don’t need to catch up. Move at a speed you’re comfortable with. You’ll thank yourself later.

• Start Your Session Sitting Down

Especially if you’re a first-timer dealing with a foreign substance like THC, you’ll want to be in control of the situation as much as you can.

In this case, it’s better to start your smoking session sitting down. For one, you’re a lot more stable when plopped comfortably on a chair. And in case you do get dizzy, you lessen the risk of falling over and hurting yourself.

Cannabis and Dizziness: Should You Be Worried?

A little bit of dizziness is fairly common when smoking cannabis. Even the most experienced recreational users go through such spells from time to time. And as we’ve explained, cannabis affects everyone differently, so it’s about finding what works for you.

By following our aforementioned tips, you can prevent these episodes from occurring. But if cases are severe, you might want to look into other possible health issues at play.