Treatment options right now are most often centered around things like binge use. Binge use is when you are using a lot of a substance, especially in a short period of time. Studies show that withdrawal from marijuana is possible and it can lead to an increase in the side effects and symptoms we listed above. Aside from these two main pieces, the treatment also often tries to help with the feelings of preoccupation with using.
- It appears from the current literature that the prevalence of cannabis hyperemesis syndrome (CHS) is higher in the US compared to Canada and the United Kingdom, although the prevalence of cannabis use is similar in these countries 7,8.
- Full recovery, marked by the complete absence of CHS symptoms, can take several weeks or even months after stopping cannabis use.
Substance Abuse Treatment Programs
While the evidence supporting their efficacy is limited, these options could be considered in specific scenarios where conventional treatments prove inadequate. If you feel that any of our content is inaccurate, out-of-date, or otherwise questionable, please contact at We have strict sourcing guidelines and Halfway house only link to reputable media sites, academic research institutions and, whenever possible, medically peer reviewed studies. Prolonged dehydration, which can be caused by repeated bouts of vomiting, can lead to urinary tract infections and kidney failure. However, complications can arise from it that can be harmful, namely dehydration and electrolyte depletion requiring IV fluids.
Differentiating Cyclic Vomiting, PV, and CHS
- 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.
- Marijuana has a lot of active chemical compounds called cannabinoids.
- Symptoms are most common in early middle-aged adults who have used cannabis regularly since adolescence.
- While patients benefit from rehydration and other forms of supportive care, the only effective treatment for CHS is marijuana cessation.
- Aside from these two main pieces, the treatment also often tries to help with the feelings of preoccupation with using.
- It is typical that CHS symptoms resolve in a matter of days once marijuana is stopped; in some case reports, symptoms resolved in hours.
This antagonism might theoretically reverse the antiemetic effects of low doses of CBD at the serotonin receptor 38. Thus, it is possible that the severe nausea and intractable vomiting of CHS might be due to the combined proemetic effects of high-dose CBD coupled with CBG’s antagonism at the serotonin receptors 13. Cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome (CHS) is a very unpleasant — and potentially dangerous — complication of long-term marijuana use. Because of this possible complication, it’s important to use caution with marijuana and other cannabis products. If you think you have CHS or cannabis use disorder, talk to a healthcare provider.
Treatment Of Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome
- 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.
- We have strict sourcing guidelines and only link to reputable media sites, academic research institutions and, whenever possible, medically peer reviewed studies.
- The prodromal phase can last for months, or even years in some cases.
- An 18-year-old patient diagnosed with CHS refused to stop using marijuana and was treated in-clinic with haloperidol followed by outpatient 5 mg haloperidol which relieved her symptoms of nausea and vomiting.
- CHS produces repeated cyclical vomiting in some people who have a history of long-term marijuana use.
Three out of 4 patients resumed marijuana use and presented at the hospital again. One of the patients, a 27-year-old chs symptoms and signs man, said he understood the cause of his symptoms but was “unable” to stop smoking marijuana. Another patient in the series, a 31-year-old man, discontinued marijuana for a short time, then resumed and periodically visits the ED to manage symptoms 102.
Case Series and Case Studies
Stopping cannabis use is an important part of your treatment plan, and your doctor will suggest that you stop using marijuana immediately. Doctors recently discovered cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome and plenty of studies are underway to determine why it happens. A picture is becoming clear, and it could be alarming to anyone with a long history of marijuana use. If you use cannabis often and frequently experience vomiting and nausea, you should tell a healthcare professional. The key risk factors are long-term, frequent and heavy marijuana use.
- Medications are sometimes used to manage symptoms, but they aren’t always fully effective in controlling severe vomiting.
- One of the 4 who recovered went back to using marijuana and the vomiting resumed.
- Reports of severe volume depletion resulting in acute kidney injury and severe electrolyte disturbances with rhabdomyolysis have been reported in the literature 49.
- He says more research is needed to understand why some people suffer from the condition after prolonged cannabis exposure and others do not.
“People should not be using it when they’re young and their brains are still developing,” Andrews said. But he was sympathetic to Canadian policymakers, who feared the black-market realities of trying to enforce prohibition until a later age. “We found that CBD actually did the opposite to THC,” she said.
Nowadays, it is becoming more and more common to see the substance be decriminalized and in some cases, legalized for medicinal or recreational uses. There is also some evidence that types with higher THC content were created for the psychoactive effects for use in religious ceremonies. Other information suggests that the common use of marijuana even with higher THC concentrations were only medicinal.
