Symptoms are typically mild during the first stage of the condition. Another reason is that CHS symptoms and stages are quite similar to those of other conditions, such as cyclical vomiting syndrome. CHS is a condition that involves cyclic nausea and vomiting in people who generally have a long history of cannabis use. The final stage begins when symptoms subside once cannabis use is stopped, though this phase can take a few days to several months, depending on how much cannabis was consumed and how long the individual has been using it. After recovery, any resumption what are the 3 stages of chs of cannabis use can quickly trigger a return of symptoms.
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THC is what’s responsible for the “high” most people feel when they use marijuana. Call your healthcare provider if you have had severe vomiting for a day or more. 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 https://ecosoberhouse.com/ caution with marijuana and other cannabis products.
- Not surprisingly, the early identification of patients with CHS leads to a reduction in morbidity and costs 6.
- To accurately diagnose CHS, doctors may order blood, electrolyte, urine, and enzyme tests to determine if the person has an infection, is anemic, or severely dehydrated.
- For people who regularly use cannabis, particularly in higher doses, CHS can cause severe nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain, often leading to multiple trips to the emergency room.
- Hot bathing has been shown to relieve abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting in people with cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome.
Can You Treat CHS Symptoms at Home?
Furthermore, some authors have reported referring patients to drug rehabilitation programs in an attempt to raise the likelihood of long-term cannabis cessation 54,71. Studies have demonstrated the Alcoholics Anonymous efficacy of outpatient treatment options such as cognitive behavioral therapy and motivational enhancement therapy for marijuana dependence 73. During this phase, all the symptoms will go away, and the person will go back to the standard eating patterns.
Causes of Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome
Unless a person with CHS can stop using cannabis, they may risk suffering severe adverse effects of prolonged dehydration and extreme weight loss. Dehydration and electrolyte imbalance can cause muscle tremors, heart arrhythmia, seizures, and kidney failure. More rarely, swelling of the brain can happen if dehydration happens rapidly and is not reversed as quickly as possible. All the information available on AskGrowers is only for educational purposes. We do not grow, sell or promote canna products nor propagate consumption or distribution of cannabis. The data about strains, products and their effects, contained on the website is based on the consumer reviews.
A doctor may refer you to an addiction treatment specialist to help you live life in sobriety to avoid future symptoms. To alleviate symptoms, patients may start hot bathing—i.e., remaining in a hot bath or shower for hours.11 This is a self-learned behavior that becomes compulsive once the patient realizes the benefit. Patients typically discontinue hot bathing when symptoms are not present and begin it again once nausea and vomiting recur after future cannabis use. The next phase is the most intense, with individuals experiencing severe vomiting episodes.
Diagnosis can be challenging, and CHS may be misdiagnosed as many other disorders, including cyclic vomiting syndrome (CVS). Although some patients who use marijuana present with CVS, there are several differentiating factors between CVS and CHS. Cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome (CHS) is a condition that occurs after chronic cannabis use causing cyclic episodes of nausea and vomiting and frequent hot bathing. This syndrome is typically rare and only occurs in individuals that are daily long-term users of the drug.
- Cannabidiol (CBD) and cannabigerol (CBG) are two additional cannabinoids found in cannabis that appear to modulate the anti-emetic properties of THC.
- In the gastrointestinal system, CB1 receptors are found on both intrinsic and extrinsic neurons, with the enteric nervous system serving as the major site of action 9.
- While any amount of long-term cannabis use can lead to CHS, daily cannabis use seems to be more likely to cause CHS than using it less often.
- In this article, we describe CHS and discuss the causes, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment of the condition.
- CannaMD is committed to providing compassionate care to Florida patients through evidence-based application of medical cannabis research.
What You Need to Know About Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome (CHS)
If you think you have CHS or cannabis use disorder, talk to a healthcare provider. While stress and anxiety are common occurrences for many people, there are clear relationships between stress, anxiety, and several nausea and vomiting disorders. The direction and causality of these correlations have yet to be established and need to be investigated to understand how this might contribute to the development CHS in certain individuals. Yet, the information is not available to discern if CVS patients concurrently use cannabis to relieve emetic symptoms or if these are individuals with CHS. These supportive treatments can help people during the hyperemesis stage of the condition, but recovery depends on the person stopping their use of marijuana.
- The 18–25 year old age group has the highest prevalence of marijuana use 1.
- The two major metabolites found in humans are 11-hydroxy-Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (11-OH-THC) and 11-nor-9-carboxy-THC- Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC-COOH) 20.
- Doctors also noticed that individuals with CHS would take frequent hot showers and baths.
- In addition, if the condition is not treated, some other complications may arise, such as weakness, muscle spasms, shock, to name a few.
- Smoking extra marijuana won’t help your nausea but will make it worse.
Along with the discovery of the CB1 and CB2 receptors has been the identification of endogenous arachidonic acid derivatives that bind to these receptors (Figure 1). These compounds are referred to as endogenous cannabinoids, or endocannabinoids. The best characterized endocannabinoids are anandamide and 2-arachidonylglycerol (2-AG) 9.
Hyperemetic Phase
We strongly advise consult with your physician before consuming any products displayed on this website. Relying on the information from this website is strictly at your discretion. You must take responsibility for abiding the law of the city, country or the jurisdiction where you are located. CHS is a rare condition that may result from long-term cannabis use.
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The most effective treatment during the hyperemetic phase of CHS is the use of hot showers by patients. The effects of this learned behavior are temperature-dependent 6, fast acting 6, but short-lived 6,56,62. Hot showers improve symptoms of nausea and vomiting 6,52–56,60,62,68,71, abdominal pain 6,56,71, and decreased appetite 68 during the hyperemetic phase. The precise mechanism by which hot bathing produces a rapid reduction in the symptoms of CHS is unknown. It has been proposed that hot bathing may act by correcting the cannabis-induced disequilibrium of the thermoregulatory system of the hypothalamus 6. Darmani has suggested that cannabis increases the core body temperature while concomitantly decreasing skin temperature thus increasing blood flow to the skin and dissipating excess core body heat 72.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mohit Khera, MD, MBA, MPH, is the Professor of Urology and Director of the Laboratory for Andrology Research at the McNair Medical Institute at Baylor College of Medicine. He is also the Medical Director of the Executive Health Program at Baylor. Dr. Khera earned his undergraduate degree at Vanderbilt University. He subsequently earned his Masters in Business Administration and his Masters in Public Health from Boston University. He received his MD from The University of Texas Medical School at San Antonio and completed his residency training in the Scott Department of Urology at Baylor College of Medicine. He then went on to complete a one-year Fellowship in Male Reproductive Medicine and Surgery with Dr. Larry I. Lipshultz, also at Baylor.
Dr. Khera specializes in male infertility, male and female sexual dysfunction, and declining testosterone levels in aging men. Dr. Khera’s research focuses on the efficacy of botulinum toxin type A in treating Peyronie’s disease, as well as genetic and epigenetic studies on post-finasteride syndrome patients and testosterone replacement therapy.
Dr. Khera is a widely published writer. He has co-authored numerous book chapters, including those for the acclaimed Campbell-Walsh Urology textbook, for Clinical Gynecology, and for the fourth edition of Infertility in the Male. He also co-edited the third edition of the popular book Urology and the Primary Care Practitioner. In 2014, he published his second book Recoupling: A Couple’s 4 Step Guide to Greater Intimacy and Better Sex. Dr. Khera has published over 90 articles in scientific journals and has given numerous lectures throughout the world on testosterone replacement therapy and sexual dysfunction. He is a member of the Sexual Medicine Society of North America, the American Urological Association, and the American Medical Association, among others.
