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(WHTM) — Marijuana has been available for medical and recreational use in Colorado for quite some time. Now, those who use it can download a new app from Penn State Health to see how their cannabis interacts with any medications they may be on.
The web-based app is called CANN-DIR. Researchers created it after seeing a rise in marijuana use and CBD products.
Anyone can check over-the-counter medications against cannabis or CBD products to look for potential drug interactions. Researchers say people may not realize that THC and CBD products have the ability to change the way other drugs are metabolized.
CANN-DIR can offer useful information for health care providers when prescribing medications to their patients. For example, drugs like Warfarin often used to prevent blood clots are very sensitive to being interfered with by other compounds like cannabis and cannabinoids.
“It turns out, the same enzymes, the same part of our body that takes care of our prescription drugs also takes care of cannabis and cannabis products. So, when the two are in there at the same time, they can interfere with each other,” Dr. Kent Vrana, the chair of the Department of Pharmacology at the Penn State College of Medicine, said.
Vrana says it’s important to consult with your doctor if you’re taking any cannabis products.
The web-based app is free to use. To use the app, you can click here.
