In addition to frequent and severe vomiting, patients may have difficulty eating and drinking, and only find (temporary) relief in hot showers and baths. Medications are sometimes used to manage symptoms, but they aren’t always fully effective in controlling severe vomiting. Doctors might try anti-nausea drugs or pain relievers, but real progress usually hinges on quitting cannabis. If vomiting is so frequent that you’re dangerously dehydrated, you might need hospital care. In that setting, medical staff can give you IV fluids, add electrolytes, and provide nutrition if you can’t keep food down.
Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome Complications
Camilleri also said that cannabis use is positively correlated with anxiety and depression, and noted that doctors should treat the whole patient and not just the disorder. Ultimately, the only way to guarantee health is by totally abstaining, he added. If the patient quits cannabis consumption, vomiting due to CHS largely subsides.
Stages of CHS
Not everyone with the condition seeks medical help or tells their provider that they use marijuana. When speaking to Page Six at the screening of “Riff Raff” at the Cinema Society Wednesday, Krumholtz told the outlet that he “almost died” after he experienced an extreme reaction to cannabis. The patient still uses a moderate cannabis dose for sleep and pain, a careful balance of THC and cannabidiol. But he is opiate-free, married with two children, and runs a business with 10 employees. Hurd also notes a Danish epidemiological study that showed a strong correlation between increased cannabis use and potency and rising schizophrenia rates.
Medical Marijuana Resources
- But Hurd is not only framing problems; she is also looking for solutions.
- Medical marijuana has long been prescribed for nausea and appetite loss for people with cancer and HIV/AIDS, and the Food and Drug Administration has approved drugs with synthetic THC for use by chemotherapy patients.
- Rates of cannabis use disorder have spiked in the past 40 to 50 years, D’Souza said, with some studies suggesting between 20 and 30 percent of marijuana users meeting the criteria for the disorder.
- “We allowed people to vote whether or not cannabis is a medicine,” noted Yasmin Hurd, a neurobiologist at the Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City.
- The institution notes that hot baths and showers “may temporarily relieve symptoms,” but wrote that “the only way to cure CHS is to stop using cannabis.”
The symptoms can be the same as other medical conditions, so it can be hard to diagnose. If you’re stuck in a pattern of marijuana use and suspect you have CHS, getting treatment for addiction could be your lifeline. At Hope Harbor Wellness, our outpatient programs focus on helping people break free from substance abuse while also supporting their mental health. We understand how painful and confusing it can be to battle repeated bouts of nausea and vomiting. When you stop using cannabis entirely, you can step into the recovery phase. Over days or sometimes months, the vomiting decreases, your nausea eases, and you can start eating normally again.
Researchers need to study CHS in more detail to make it easier for doctors to recognize and treat the condition. Further studies are also necessary to determine the causes of CHS and its risk factors. One possible treatment option involves the use of benzodiazepines, such as lorazepam, to control nausea and vomiting. Benzodiazepines are controlled substances that people must use with caution, particularly those with a history of drug use.
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Can CBD products without THC cause cannabis hyperemesis syndrome?
In addition to appropriate antiemetic therapy, fluid resuscitation, and management of the patient’s symptoms, patients must recognize behaviors and exposures that place them at risk for their pathology. For supportive care, a clinician should work together with the pharmacist to see if any medications could contribute to the patient’s presentation. If administering antiemetics, the nursing staff should be familiar with the adverse event profile so they can report any concerns that may arise.
Treatment
- This combination of screaming and vomiting is where the term comes from.
- However, Camilleri said that men are more likely to develop it, as are people who have used marijuana frequently and for many years.
- Instead, they could go for a long period with stomach discomfort and morning nausea without fully realizing what’s going on.
- Patients with CVS also have times where they are feeling sick to the stomach and can also throw up for between 12 hours to about a week.
- In serious cases, doctors might insert a nasogastric tube, which goes through your nose into your stomach.
These supportive treatments can help people during the hyperemesis stage of the condition, but recovery depends on the person stopping their use of marijuana. One doctor reported using injectable lorazepam to help control nausea and vomiting symptoms in an adult. Within 10 minutes, nausea and vomiting stopped, and chs symptoms and signs the person no longer felt abdominal pain. CHS is also underdiagnosed because people sometimes use marijuana to suppress nausea and vomiting.
One of the 4 who recovered went back to using marijuana and the vomiting resumed. As long as you don’t use marijuana, your symptoms shouldn’t return. If you need help quitting, ask your doctor whether a drug rehabilitation program is a good fit for you. If you’re interested, reach out to a mental health professional like a licensed psychologist or therapist. The only way to end CHS symptoms is to completely stop using all marijuana products.
- In addition, a 2022 U.S. national drug use survey found that more than 4.5 million 18- to 25-year-olds use the drug daily or near daily, with 81% meeting the criteria for cannabis-use disorder.
- Today, hospitals in her area around New Haven, Connecticut, see pediatric CHS cases nearly every day, she added.
- Further studies are also necessary to determine the causes of CHS and its risk factors.
Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome (CHS) is a condition that develops after prolonged, heavy marijuana use. It triggers intense, repeated vomiting episodes that can quickly disrupt your day-to-day life. People with CHS often find they can’t keep food down and may even risk dehydration because of how frequently they throw up. Treating CHS involves stopping all marijuana use and may require hospital-based care if someone becomes severely dehydrated.
