Question about medication and poker

Hey all just had a question on opinions about playing poker on medications. A few years ago I broke my neck and injured my back and have been on medications since. The doctor recently upped my dosage on my hydrocodone and added a muscle relaxer to my list of meds. Does anybody have any data on how that might affect play? Or if switching to medical marijuana might be less debilitating?

It is VERY individual. If you read about the side effects it would scare most people. But remember that they have a legal obligation to list almost all problems that have been reported. It is rare with really serious side effects in normal doses.

One of the most common things that can affect your cognitive ability is drowsiness.

But if you have severe pain problems that will probably be even worse for your concentration without medication.

When it comes to marijuana I can not give any advice but there is a lot of research going on (in addition th the usual medical marijuana)about different types of cannabinoids and other active substances from the plant that maybe can be effective and legal alternatives without any "negative" drug effects.

So if you have legal ways of testing it maybe do so. You can always switch back to your old medications if it doesn't work.

NOTE: I Am NOT a medical professional in any way.

I would not recommend switching off of prescriptions to medical marijuana simply because if your doctor thought the marijuana is what you needed then he would have put you on those instead. Always place your health above your poker career.

That being said, medications could potentially have a beneficial effect to your poker game. If you're someone who needs a calming effect to be able to play at an optimum level then maybe they will actually help improve your game. I'm personally on many medications for mental health issues and as crappy as I play I still would not give up my meds for the sake of a better poker career.

I'm not sure of the difference psychologically but medical marijuana should be better for you in the long run physically than the never ending cycle of opioids.

fishfood80 said:

Hey all just had a question on opinions about playing poker on medications. A few years ago I broke my neck and injured my back and have been on medications since. The doctor recently upped my dosage on my hydrocodone and added a muscle relaxer to my list of meds. Does anybody have any data on how that might affect play? Or if switching to medical marijuana might be less debilitating?

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Hey. I take strong drugs because I have severe Neuropathy in my feet, which is a nerve problem which is quite painful . The drugs don't really control the pain anymore for me. Also in the later stages my feet have begun to cramp in the arch as well. For that I take a muscle relaxer. It all makes me sooo drowsy. I can literally fall asleep anywhere I sit for longer than 15 minutes. It sucks and I want to get off the pain meds at least.

Because I have a heart condition as well, it precludes me from trying other newer medications. So I just got my medical marijuana card in NY state. I have yet to try it because it's not covered by insurance. But I will be buying one of the inhalers this month. In NY you can't smoke it, you have to use oils, inhalants, edibles etc.


I'm told when you first go, they take into consideration exactly what you are using it for and can offer you items that are either, THC heavy, CBD heavy or a combination of the 2. So before you try it, that is what I think you want to do. Find the right balance for your particular problem. Best of luck to you!

fishfood80 said:

Hey all just had a question on opinions about playing poker on medications. A few years ago I broke my neck and injured my back and have been on medications since. The doctor recently upped my dosage on my hydrocodone and added a muscle relaxer to my list of meds. Does anybody have any data on how that might affect play? Or if switching to medical marijuana might be less debilitating?

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try to use less of such funds during the game, it is better to focus on your game because such funds may not help you much in your games, I wish you a good recovery and good luck in your games

Thanks everybody for the feedback. Really appreciate the help from you guys.

I think the injury and Smoking marijuana, will not affect the quality of your game!

I would assume taking an even greater dose of a strong opioid (Hydrocodone) is going to objectively hurt your game.

I won't speak to the medical effects of long-term Hydrocodone usage but I would ask my doctor about that.

I think it hurts yes because you will not focus on the game because you will be in pain, about medical marijuana if she had no plate is worth gl on the tables

I´m not a med professional but I can say drug intake affects people on a per individual basis. you have to be aware how it is affecting your game or if it is affecting it at all. If not, lucky you.

All the same, I wish you well and a good recovery!

I use a lot of different medications for my mind. I makes me sleepy. That's a problem with poker in the evenings. I try to use less, but it's hard. Feeling anxiety enz... For me is Marijuana the best medicine, and it makes me think twice before I place a bet or not. But that's me...

Consult your doctor.

While they may not know how it affect poker game they will know side effects better than anyone on here.

Instead of poker compare it to a sitting office job where you stare at a computer screen for how much hours you play normally.