The CHS group achieved a 70% improvement, and the CVS group achieved an 80% improvement following the treatment with amitriptyline 5. Cannabis users who experience persistent nausea and vomiting should consider seeking a diagnosis to find out if they have CHS. In the meantime, hot showers or hot bathing may offer short-term relief. Cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome (CHS), or cannabis hyperemesis syndrome, is caused by long-term cannabis (marijuana) use.
Cannabis Allergy: Symptoms, Relief and Prevention (The Complete Guide)
Symptoms, patients often eat well, maintain weight, and remain functional at work. The patients continue using cannabis in this phase, believing in its anti-nausea effects. Cannabinoids have a strong affinity for fat and accumulate in cerebral fat, acting as a reservoir of THC in adipose tissue. The sympathetic nervous system becomes activated during starvation or heightened physical stress. This results in elevated adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) action on adipocyte receptors, causing lipolysis to meet bodily demands 50. Lipolysis from elevated ACTH triggers the release of THC from fat cells.
The Prodromal Phase:
That said, “most people who smoke cannabis daily don’t get this,” says Christopher N. Andrews, a clinical professor of gastroenterology at the University of Calgary. “If it continued indefinitely, that would force a person to stop” using cannabis. Still “why some people seem to be vulnerable to this and not others really seems to be a mystery,” says D’Souza. Here’s what researchers are unraveling about this curious condition. Despite the condition being medically recognized for the last 20 years, it’s still somewhat of a mystery to the medical community.
What Are Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome Treatment Options?
Endocannabinoids are thought to act as either neuromodulators or neurotransmitters 11. Anandamide and 2-AG possess similar biochemical structures, but each has a distinct pathway for biosynthesis and degradation. Anandamide is synthesized from the precursor N-arachidonoyl phosphatidylethanolamine, while 2-AG is produced from an inositol-1,2-diacylglycerol precursor 8,16,17.
It is crucial to exclude other entities such as Addison’s disease, migraines, hyperemesis gravidarum, bulimia, and psychogenic vomiting, which can mimic CHS symptoms and may also occur alongside it. A thorough medical history, complete physical examination, and focused diagnostic testing help differentiate from these other differential conditions. CHS is classified as a type of functional gut–brain disorder and a variant of cyclic vomiting syndrome (CVS) per the Rome IV structured framework.
A sympathetic overactivity during this phase results in symptoms such as tachycardia, hypertension, hot flashes, sweating, and trembling 42. Due to excessive nausea and vomiting, patients are often found to have hypokalemia, volume depletion, acute renal failure, hypophosphatemia, and mild reactive leukocytosis 55,56,57. Multiple and forceful vomiting events can cause Mallory–Weiss tears with hematemesis and rarely lead to pneumomediastinum or Boerhaave’s syndrome 58. Clinicians should consider other causes of abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting to avoid misdiagnosis. The primary treatment of cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome is the cessation of cannabis use, as there are no consistently effective alternative treatments. Traditional anti-nausea medications are usually ineffective for CHS-related nausea.
Soothe your stomach
- If you have intense abdominal pain with vomiting, you could have pancreatitis, a gall bladder infection, an obstruction in the bowels, a kidney stone or another severe condition, in which emergency care is warranted.
- Seven foreign tourists who were hospitalized in Fiji after drinking cocktails at a resort bar were not poisoned by alcohol or illicit drugs, officials said Wednesday following a toxicology report.
- These episodes of vomiting are often separated by weeks or months, and there is a return to baseline between episodes.
- D’Souza speculates that it may have to do with some people’s endocannabinoid systems.
In patients treated at home, recommendations are emphasized to consume fluids containing glucose and electrolytes between vomiting episodes to ensure adequate Sober living house hydration. CHS patients generally do not experience significant weight loss, as periods of regular oral intake often compensate for the days of vomiting. During this phase, patients may experience morning nausea, abdominal discomfort, or anxiety about vomiting.
- It’s important to be honest about your marijuana use if you have symptoms of CHS.
- It’s important to note that there are very few epidemiological studies regarding the prevalence of CHS.
- For example, if you smoke weed, eat edibles, use tinctures, or dab or vape THC, tell your doctor about any or all of them.
- CBD is not thought to interact the same way as THC to cause a CHS episode, and many consumers find symptom relief when using CBD.
Many researchers feel that CHS is underrecognized and underdiagnosed. Symptoms of CHS can resemble those of other conditions, such as cyclic vomiting syndrome. Many people who have been diagnosed with CHS report that they got symptomatic relief from hot showers or hot baths. One of the ironies of CHS is that its https://ecosoberhouse.com/ symptoms are centered around the digestive tract.
- Despite the syndrome’s increasing prevalence, many physicians are unfamiliar with its diagnosis and treatment.
- Lipolysis from elevated ACTH triggers the release of THC from fat cells.
- While the benefits aren’t clear, you can try it to help you feel better.
- Policy emphasizing mandatory labeling of high-potency cannabis products with information on their risk, including CHS, will benefit chronic users.
At low how long does it take to recover from cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome doses, the effect of cannabis on your brain can have an antiemetic effect that suppresses nausea and vomiting. However, with repeated use in some people, it can have the opposite effect on the digestive tract. This results in the persistent vomiting and nausea characteristic of CHS. Since there are so many active chemicals in cannabis, the exact cause of cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome is unknown.
