Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome CHS: Causes, Symptoms, Treatment

The very thing that’s supposed to bring relief becomes the source of unbearable discomfort. It’s a bit like developing an allergy to your favorite food – devastating and confusing all at once. The pain is usually around the belly button and can get better with hot shower/baths. Some patients use hot water bags across the center of their belly and can burn the skin if done a lot. The best way to prevent it is to monitor your cannabis use, limit high-THC products, and stop using cannabis if symptoms such as recurring nausea or vomiting appear.

I changed my diet to hopefully heal the irritated lining, but again, no change. „We don’t have any treatment for cannabis use disorder. Neither the psychological treatments nor the pharmacological treatments seem to be that effective,“ he said. 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.

History taking should include an inquiry about the patient’s past and present medical illness, medication use, illicit drug use, and therapeutic or recreational use of cannabis. Denial of cannabis use by the patient is typically the biggest stumbling block for clinicians in making a proper diagnosis of CHS. https://ecosoberhouse.com/ A urine drug screen should be ordered if the patient presents with the typical symptoms of CHS, there is no noted other organic cause, and the patient denies cannabis use. Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome typically progresses through distinct phases, with the hyperemetic phase being the most recognized.

Can you have Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome (CHS) without vomiting?

I’m now going to try a month or more in hopes that there’s a change. I feel like I’ve read this subreddit twice over and am finally posting because I don’t have clarity on my diagnosis. „It’s the best medication that helps her sleep for the last five years. So why would I stop that medication? She has no adverse effects, there’s no complications,“ he said. Symptoms of withdrawal can include disrupted sleep, increased heart rate, sweating, irritability and mood swings, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. „It may be that the cannabinoid is only sort of one aspect of the way the patient is hurting that needs to be addressed to really get them to heal,“ he said.

Why Professional Treatment Works

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. After you quit, you may still have symptoms and side effects for a few days to a few weeks.

Hyperemetic phase

Cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome is a relatively newly-defined condition. Australian physician, James Allen, first described it in 2004, one year after Ackersviller’s initial episode. Ackersviller said hospital staff couldn’t figure out what was chs wrong with him and assumed he was sick from a night of drinking. So, they gave him intravenous fluids, anti-nausea pills and painkillers before discharging him.

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Here is the timeline, I had to pull an all-nighter on Friday to be at a film shoot at 7am, but started dry heaving all morning, and eventually vomited one time. Since then I stopped smoking on the 21st, and have been dry-heaving every morning since, except today. I am unsure if this is actually the hyperemesis stage, or if it is just a flare up of the pronominal phase due to only actually vomiting once. I have also experienced slight insomnia, night-sweats, and definitely an anxiety flare up. I would like to note too that I have not experienced the hyperemesis stage since September 21′, and this is no where near as bad. But when it does, it represents a potentially serious health condition.

Treatment Challenges

• It’s not something to ignore – if it’s happening, stopping cannabis and getting medical help is the safest way to protect your health.
• If you think you have CHS or cannabis use disorder, talk to a healthcare provider.

The prodromal phase can last for months, or even years in some cases. Symptoms are most common in early middle-aged adults who have used cannabis regularly since adolescence. Research suggests that CHS is a permanent condition that can only be effectively treated by quitting cannabis. Continuing to use cannabis despite CHS can lead to potentially life threatening complications. Armentano agreed, adding that toxicology tests of the marijuana patients used before developing CHS would be helpful in understanding a more direct cause. But marijuana advocates like Paul Armentano, deputy director of cannabis reform organization NORML, say CHS is actually „very rare,“ and a lack of research on the syndrome is mudding the understanding of its cause.

While more people are becoming aware of the condition, there are several factors that can delay diagnosis and treatment. For one thing, it is often misdiagnosed as other conditions, delaying treatment and recommendations for cannabis abstinence. This can be a costly process, with one study suggesting costs as high $95,000 in 2012 to go through all the medical visits and testing that happened prior to the diagnosis. However, as we mentioned earlier, traditional antiemetics often don’t work well for CHS.

Cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome (CHS)

If you have CHS and don’t drug addiction stop using, your symptoms like nausea and vomiting are likely to come back. If you have symptoms, your doctor will do a physical exam and ask for your detailed medical history. Let your doctor know how much marijuana you use and how often you use it. Some people who use marijuana heavily get CHS while others don’t. Researchers aren’t sure exactly why weed causes CHS symptoms only in some people.

But remember, folks, your doctor isn’t there to judge you – they’re there to help. It’s like confessing to your hairdresser that you tried to cut your own bangs – embarrassing, maybe, but necessary for fixing the problem. Medical tests and examinations are often used to rule out other potential causes. These might include blood tests, imaging studies like CT scans or ultrasounds, and sometimes even endoscopies. It’s like going through a full-body car wash, but for your insides.