Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome CHS: Causes, Symptoms & Treatment
However, health professionals warn that given the recurrent nature of CHS, even moderate cannabis use may trigger a relapse, leading to the return of debilitating symptoms. No clinical studies have shown a successful alternative to complete abstinence for permanent relief from cannabis hyperemesis syndrome. None of the above methods can give permanent relief to the patient. The permanent solution for cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome is complete abstinence from cannabis and its by-products.
Treatment of THC-Induced Hyperemesis (Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome)
It tends to affect people who use cannabis at least once a week and happens more often in adults who’ve been using cannabis since their adolescent years. This word is a combination of “screaming” and “vomiting.” You’re in so much pain that you’re screaming while you’re vomiting.
CHS Phases
- The only known permanent cure for Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome (CHS) is complete abstinence from cannabis.
- But too many of them may increase your risk for dehydration due to sweating.
- To fully recover from CHS, a patient will need to stop consuming cannabis altogether.
The best known include THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol) and CBD (Cannabidiol). These chemical Sober living house properties bind to neuroreceptors throughout the brain and body. They account for most of the expected cannabis experiences for medicinal or recreational aims. Following the hyperemetic phase is the recovery phase, in which patients resume normal eating patterns and symptoms begin to improve.
What are the possible complications of cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome?
People suffering CHS often self-medicate with over-the-counter antacids, but some increase their cannabis use, thinking it will remedy the problem. Others soak in hot tubs or take frequent hot showers to reduce the cramps and pain. However, as the vomiting accelerates and increases, they seek professional medical advice, fearing riskier health problems. Cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome (CHS), https://ecosoberhouse.com/ or cannabis hyperemesis syndrome, is caused by long-term cannabis (marijuana) use. People who have CHS experience repeated and severe bouts of nausea, vomiting, dehydration and stomach pain. Typically, the hyperemetic phase of CHS—when symptoms are at their strongest—lasts for about hours.
Is there a permanent cure, or is CHS a recurring condition?
In the meantime, hot showers or hot bathing may offer short-term relief. Cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome (CHS) is a condition that you might get if you’ve regularly smoked weed or used marijuana in some other form for a long time. CHS causes you to have repeated episodes of vomiting, severe nausea, stomach pain, and dehydration. You’re more likely to get CHS if you use marijuana at least once a week and have been doing so since you were a teenager.
Acute Emergency Department Management
Once your body has developed the CHS reaction pattern due to chronic heavy cannabis use, it doesn’t seem to forget. Even after a long period of abstinence and feeling completely recovered, reintroducing cannabis often triggers a CHS relapse. The only proven way to prevent cannabis hyperemesis syndrome is to avoid cannabis chs (marijuana). It’s important to be honest about your marijuana use if you have symptoms of CHS.
Milestones in Recovery and Treatment Guidelines
It’s possible that what looks like a rise in cases could actually just be a rise in people seeking help and/or a rise in people admitting to their cannabis use. While we don’t definitively know the precise mechanism by which CHS occurs, we have a general idea of what’s happening. The information contained in this site is provided for informational purposes only, and should not be construed as medical or legal advice. The good news is that you can live a healthy, symptom-free life after CHS.
This level of overstimulation may occur as a result of prolonged, chronic cannabis use. The good news is the recovery process from CHS begins when cannabis use ceases, but it’s not an overnight cure. Every person will have their own experience, but the process typically follows a standard timeline.
When should I go to the ER for cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome?
- Another temporary source of relief is the application of capsaicin cream on the skin.
- The self-reported nature of the patients’ cannabis use is also problematic from a research perspective.
- Cannabis users who experience persistent nausea and vomiting should consider seeking a diagnosis to find out if they have CHS.
- Symptoms of CHS typically come on several years after the start of chronic marijuana use.
- However, the shadows lingering over cannabis use for a century or more have radically limited the research necessary to understand cannabis composition and effects fully.
As many other health problems could lead to repeated vomiting, it’s important to discuss your complete health history, including your cannabis use, with any provider you see for your symptoms. Ultimately, a lot of questions about cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome remain unanswered as scientists continue to research the condition. The human body responds to the endocannabinoids in cannabis because of the endocannabinoid receptors we have throughout the body. Endocannabinoid receptors are especially concentrated in the brain and digestive system. It’s why cannabis is an effective treatment for nausea and low appetite (and also why you sometimes get the munchies after consuming cannabis).
Not easily diagnosed
“Saying people shouldn’t use cannabis because someone came into the ER with CHS is like a doctor telling someone don’t eat a Snickers bar, because I just chopped off a diabetic foot,” she says. “A lot of times qualitative information like where they procured the marijuana, the strain, the frequency of their use isn’t even in the record,” she explains. The self-reported nature of the patients’ cannabis use is also problematic from a research perspective.
Many people with CHS will compulsively shower or bathe — often for hours every day — to relieve CHS symptoms. Dr. Russo with the support of Endocanna Health, a cannabis genetics testing company, is conducting the first and largest study focused on cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome. But when it does, it represents a potentially serious health condition. If you identify among those who have been using cannabis at least once a day for ten years or more, you are at risk. If this use began in your early adolescence, the risk increases. We do know that the cannabis plant contains scores of identified cannabinoids.