Cannabis Hyperemesis Syndrome: Causes, Treatment, and More

Your doctor probably should send you to see a stomach doctor, who knows more about your problem and can help you feel better. Most people end up having an abdominal ultrasound, upper scope, and a test to see how fast stuff gets out of the stomach before we figure out that their problem is CVS or CHS. 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.

Main characteristics of patients with cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome(adapted from Sorensen et al

Some people with CHS may compulsively bathe in hot water for hours a day to find relief. When you use marijuana for many years, it can start to slowly change how the receptors in your body respond to the cannabinoid chemicals. For example, the drug affects the receptors in the esophageal sphincter, the tight band of muscle that opens and closes to let food go from your throat to your stomach. If this flap doesn’t work properly, your stomach acids might flow upward and cause you to have nausea and vomiting. Severe nausea, vomiting, and stomach pain are the hallmark symptoms of cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome (CHS). The word “cannabinoid” refers to compounds uniquely found in cannabis, and “hyperemesis” means severe vomiting.

History and Physical

• This could be a sign of a small bowel obstruction, which requires immediate medical attention.
• There’s a powerful story behind every headline at Ohio State Health & Discovery.
• The true elimination plasma half-life of THC has been difficult to calculate, but several studies have estimated it to be in the range of 20–30 hours 20.
• Serotonin antagonism in the gastrointestinal tract from medications such as ondansetron, dolasetron, and granisetron likewise have varying levels of efficacy.
• The evidence supporting these theories is lacking, though, and further study is necessary to confirm the cause of CHS.
• One theory behind CHS is that chronic overstimulation of the body’s endocannabinoid receptors leads to your body not being able to control nausea and vomiting.
• When people with CHS stop using marijuana, their symptoms of nausea and vomiting usually disappear.

Technically, it’s not possible to choose to vomit or not — vomiting is a reflexive mechanism. But I don’t recommend trying to hold it in if you’re in a safe place to vomit. And it’s true that if you’re vomiting because of nausea, you may feel better cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome afterward.

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While warm salt water has historically been used as a home remedy to induce vomiting, most doctors don’t recommend it. However, inducing vomiting (causing yourself to throw up on purpose) is typically a bad idea. If you don’t actually have to vomit, you’re inviting some of the side effects that can come along with vomiting.

• Although it was considered to be rare, the number of cases has increased with the legalization of marijuana in many places and the opening of retail stores to easily get it.
• Researchers are still trying to figure out exactly what causes CHS in some people who regularly use cannabis but not others.
• In clinical practice CHS is most often confused with cyclic vomiting syndrome (CVS).
• Other known complications of forceful and uncontrolled vomiting include aspiration and subsequent pneumonitis or aspiration pneumonia as well as injury to the esophageal wall such as Boerhaave’s syndrome.
• You can consume it in the form of ginger tea, ginger ale (with real ginger), or small amounts of crystallized ginger.
• Working with a counselor and taking a tricyclic antidepressant (such as amitriptyline) “can help with marijuana cessation,” Angulo says.

Once you can tolerate fluids without vomiting, you can gradually introduce bland, easy-to-digest foods. This will help avoid further irritation to your stomach and allows your body to regain strength. Allergic reactions to certain foods (e.g., shellfish, peanuts) can also lead to vomiting and are often accompanied by other symptoms like hives, swelling or difficulty breathing. So, it is important to identify your specific triggers and avoid consuming the foods you’re allergic to. You can consume it in the form of ginger tea, ginger ale (with real ginger), or small amounts of crystallized ginger. While the benefits aren’t clear, you can try it to help you feel better.

PATHOPHYSIOLOGY OF CHS

• People in the hyperemetic phase can take up to 12 hot showers or baths during the day to relieve symptoms.
• Chronic cannabis use is the primary risk factor for developing CHS.
• Taking too many hot baths can increase dehydration due to sweating.
• It is often described as a syndrome that affects only a small portion of people who are heavy, chronic cannabis users.
• Doctors at the hospital ran tests and ordered scans but could not name the source of her unrelenting nausea and vomiting.
• The incidence of cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome in patients presenting to U.S. emergency departments is increasing.

This is more common in men than women and usually starts around 35 years old. These =https://ecosoberhouse.com/ two conditions are hard to distinguish between and the main difference is CHS happens with using a lot of marijuana. People with CHS also tend to have a strong urge to take very hot showers or baths.

What is the treatment for cannabinoid hyperemesis treatment?

• Indeed, with any syndrome that results in frequent vomiting, there is a concern for a disorder of electrolytes and fluid balance in the body.
• Further research is required to investigate the gastrointestinal physiology in these patients during both the acute attacks of hyperemesis and between episodes.
• The initial symptoms include nausea, belly pain and persistent vomiting.
• If you experience chronic or intermittent vomiting, you likely know the pattern of symptoms.
• CB2 receptors are likely involved in the inhibition of inflammation, visceral pain, and intestinal motility in the inflamed gut 9,14.

In this article, we describe CHS and discuss the causes, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment of the condition. Cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome (CHS) is a somewhat rare problem that involves severe bouts of vomiting. As more states make recreational use of cannabis legal, it is thought that this problem will become more common.

Cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome

In cyclic vomiting syndrome and migraine, vomiting happens in cycles every few months with warning symptoms like lightheadedness, nausea, fatigue and blurred vision. Since 2004, doctors have identified key symptoms and characteristics of the condition that can help speed up diagnosis. However, researchers have yet to determine the cause of CHS since it does not affect all users of marijuana. CHS is also underdiagnosed because people sometimes use marijuana to suppress nausea and vomiting. Doctors currently lack knowledge of the condition, and there are no clinical guidelines for its treatment and management. To make a diagnosis, Sober living home your healthcare provider will conduct a thorough physical examination and ask you about your past health and current symptoms.