Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome
Please be aware that the use of marijuana “shatter” or heavy marijuana use can cause a disease known as “Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome”. If you find yourself vomiting uncontrollably for weeks and only a hot shower temporarily stops the nausea you probably have the condition. Shatter is the most likely candidate but heavy “bud” smoking can cause it too!
I am an old hippie who smoked marijuana for 50 years … I am NOT anti marijuana. But this is a real problem for very heavy pot users. Hospital Emergency room workers see this effect often enough to recognize it these days. There is no known antidote to stop the vomiting. You just have to wait for 3 weeks of suffering.
I do bodywork healing and have encountered two clients with this syndrome. Both clients had thrown up continuously for weeks, unable to hold down any food. Paradoxically the effects are the reverse of the usual anti-emetic effects that medical users rely on.
If anyone out there is suffering in Victoria, I am experimenting with bodywork to break the cycle.
I will do free sessions of massage and Trager bodywork blended together that I call Harmonic Resonance. It is purely experimental and I welcome sufferers to give my experiment a try.
Read about this newly discovered disease induced by heavy marijuana use below. Dicontinuation of marijuana works eventually but the continuous vomiting can last for almost a month in severe cases!
MEDICAL PUBLICATION BELOW:
Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome
Jonathan A. Galli, MD, Ronald Andari Sawaya, MD, and Frank K. Friedenberg, MD
Additional article information
Abstract
Coinciding with the increasing rates of cannabis abuse has been the recognition of a new clinical condition known as Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome. Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome is characterized by chronic cannabis use, cyclic episodes of nausea and vomiting, and frequent hot bathing. Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome occurs by an unknown mechanism. Despite the well-established anti-emetic properties of marijuana, there is increasing evidence of its paradoxical effects on the gastrointestinal tract and CNS. Tetrahydrocannabinol, cannabidiol, and cannabigerol are three cannabinoids found in the cannabis plant with opposing effects on the emesis response. The clinical course of Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome may be divided into three phases: prodromal, hyperemetic, and recovery phase. The hyperemetic phase usually ceases within 48 hours, and treatment involves supportive therapy with fluid resuscitation and anti-emetic medications. Patients often demonstrate the learned behavior of frequent hot bathing, which produces temporary cessation of nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. The broad differential diagnosis of nausea and vomiting often leads to delay in the diagnosis of Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome. Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome shares several similarities with CHS and the two conditions are often confused. Knowledge of the epidemiology, pathophysiology, and natural course of Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome is limited and requires further investigation.
Keywords: Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome, Cannabis, Marijuana, Nausea, Vomiting