Cannabis Hyperemesis Syndrome Support Thread

[danlemon]

Hi, thank you to everyone who has posted on this thread.

I started presenting with symptoms of nausea, stomach discomfort and anxiety (a stong sense of impending doom) the other day. I felt extreemily faint and ended up going to see the doctor, who didn't seem to think much of it.

As a very heavy cannabis smoker for the last 14 years, I am concerned that I may be experiencing the prodromal phase of CHS. It has now been three days and I continue to experience mild nausea, anxiety, a pronounced lack of appetite, and during the first two days smoking cannabis did not help or make me feel good in any way really (it increased my stomach discomfort and nausea).

My guts have been uncomfortable ever since this started three days ago, I still can't eat.

Now at this point I don't have the key symptoms of vomiting and severe pain or hot showering, but all my reading suggests that if I do have CHS then these more severe symptoms would come later.

I am quite scared from what I have read and I am very keen to avoid the hyperemetic stage if at all possible, which leads me to my question:

It's now day 3 of what feels like the prodromal stage of CHS, and as of today I have completely stopped smoking cannabis, and I do not intend to do so again while I feel this way. Is there any chance that by stopping smoking now I will be able to avoid the hyperemetic stage? I have read that symtoms improve upon cessation of cannabis, but I am not clear as to whether I can stop this before it gets bad? or whether, I should expect to experience the hyperemetic phase at some point soon, regardless of cessation at this point?

Thanks for any help.

I'm terrified.

 

[firebellys]

Does anyone know yet if this is caused by cannabis SMOKE, or some chemical in cannabis itself?

Pretty sure it's the cannabinoids themselves. So edibles will do it too. Dabs, oils, crumbles, waxes and shatters will also be even worse in some. I am also highly allergic to the plants, so I get a double whammy of near anaphylaxis and the stomach issues.

 

[firebellys]

Hi all. New to the site. I am a 29 year old pot loving female. Smoking daily since my early teens. I have been sick off and on since age 20. Newly diagnosed with CHS. At first I thought my docs were just trying to get me to quit, but after doing some research I can't argue. I 100% believe this is what has been wrong with me all these years. Marijuana is a huge part of my life and I can't believe I have to give it up. Wondering if anyone out there also diagnosed has found a stoner loophole? A way to continue my love affair with Mary Jane while avoiding the cyclic vomiting?

From what I've read, there are two types of folks, those who develop a life long reaction to it, and if consumed ever again, symptoms repeat and persist until all cannabinoids are broken down. I have also see some folks talk about how they just have to space it out a few months and the body recovers enough to do a little here and there. All anecdotal. I feel you though. Especially where I live, most people I know use it often. The thought of giving it up sucks.

 

[garysfriend]

So here is my story and thoughts. Been smoking for 15ish years, vaping 95% of the time for the past 8 years. Most days it was <0.1g, just in the evenings. Daily but not heavy. In November 2015 one night I went a little over the top and in the middle of the night woke up very nauseous. Continued to smoke for a few days and started to get bad upper stomach pain and nausea that would wake me up every morning between 3 and 4am. I then noticed if i took a two week break, I'd be good smoking for about a day, but if I did 2/3 days in a row problems would come back. I never vomited but felt awful. At its worst it would go away by 4/5pm. I knew I should stop based on what I believed would start happening soon... Vomiting.

So I'm about 5 weeks into a 2 month break. My theory is one (or a combination) of the following:

-CB receptors get overloaded and desensitized in some way over time. Your body doesn't know what to do with the excess external cannabinoids and trys to flush itself. I've started to take omega 3s and reduce omega 6 foods as much as possible in order to make my CB receptors plentiful and healthy again. I have no idea if this thinking is correct or will work, but from what I've researched online I'm giving it a shot.

-anxiety. I've been reading about this chs for several months leading up to my problems... Could it all be in my/our heads and caused simply by an overly anxious mind?? Not sure but it's a thought. I'd say most of us agree that after years of daily use, smoking is not the same super giddy happy fun time high that we got in our early years. At least for me as time went on, anxiety would creep in more and more and the ridiculous levels of euphoria became less and less. Don't get me wrong, I still loved the feeling but it was not the same as it was years ago.

-other changes in brain chemistry (that are hopefully reversible) my thinking is that with constant use, and with age, our bodies change and become deficient in certain vitamins and nutrients. I guess this also ties into causes of anxiety. I think an imbalance of nutrients/chemicals/hormones are what causes anxiety and other illnesses. I've read a few things about how it's possible cannabis depleted you of magnesium. Could it be reducing other nutrients too? I don't think many people know because it just hasn't been studied (thx govt). I also read somewhere that cannabis changes your brain waves. Could this overtime cause chs symptoms? Again no idea but just thoughts I have.

Solutions: I've read all sorts of posts from people who somehow know that once this occurs you can never smoke again, to watching a medical seminar from a doctor stating all you need to do is take a break, and reduce your amount... And everything in between. I'm determined to find a solution because I do not want to stop permanently. I refuse to think we've caused permanent irreversible damage. I think this is something that could be cured by a detox, healthy eating and living, and taking supplements that maybe our body have become deficient in due to years of use.

So I'm taking the "whole kitchen sink" approach along with my 2 month break. I'm taking omega 3 fish oil pills, vitamin b complex, magnesium citrate, vitamin d3, l theanine, coq10, and I'm also doing a parasite and candida cleanse. (Reason for the cleanse is that im still suffering some minor digestive issues and I also read that cannabis could aggravate parasites and candida causing ill effects).

Besides the minor digestive issues that really only appear when I eat garbage, I feel good. I should state that I'd say both during my use and this break I eat rather healthy and try to ride my bike as much as possible. I'm not overweight and have no other issues except the anxiety that would pop up here and there. I hope that others are as interested as I am in curing this. I would compare it to other syndromes that I truly think can be cured by diets, cleanses and supplements (think ibs). People shouldn't just accept this and give up. Another thing I think about is has this ever happened to anyone in Jamaica? I think they smoke ridiculous amounts but are not subjected to the disgusting pesticide filled, gmo, disgusting chemical filled foods that Americans eat and are slowly dying from.

So these are my thoughts. I've been researching this nearly every night for the past two months and while I can't site anything directly, you could find the same info on medical research websites, Reddit, other forums, and nutrition blogs. I'm not a doctor and can't back up anything I've stated with hard evidence.. They are just my opinions. I bet if we all keep researching and experimenting, we'll figure something out. I hope I can encourage all of you to try.

I look forward to participating more here and will update with my progress when I try smoking again in a few weeks.

 

[RhythmSpring]

I'm sure glad my a̶d̶d̶i̶c̶t̶i̶o̶n̶ love affair doesn't cause ME severe vomiting.


That's got to be hell for someone who loves it so much.

w01fg4ng, if you want to help, maybe you should first remove your pretentious attitude.

 

[w01fg4ng]

w01fg4ng, if you want to help, maybe you should first remove your pretentious attitude.

I suppose you think vomiting is fun then?

wtf?

 

[RhythmSpring]

wtf?

I guess I should have been more specific as to what else qualified you as pretentious:

The amount of greenlighters in this thread is

too damn high.

...these kind of cry baby threads.

Get help.

(said in a thread where people are seeking and receiving help)

Multiple people in this thread have told you to back off. I'll echo another person's question: Why are you here? You're only making people feel bad about themselves; you're not offering any real help.

 

[w01fg4ng]

Why are you here?

Because I can relate to the issues people are going through in this thread.


Why are you here?

 

[Thomas Davie]

@w01fg4ng

Here's the problem I've got with someone (anyone) criticizing an MJ user sticking with the drug when they end up vomiting a lot of the time; I'm a medical user (and would rather met be) who gets high as fuck (I wouldn't rather get high just to deal with my symptoms), but it comes with the territory; if I eat, vape or smoke I get high. I've been using MJ medically since ~October/2009 with physician knowledge. So, 6 years and a bit. I've been living with kidney failure and decreasing kidney function for ~14.5 years, I out up with all kinds of pain for 8 years or so because I'm not allowed medically to use common painkillers. I assume you can dig that, no?

And just through happenstance, I found that MJ reduces inflammation and pain and dramatically improves joint mobility - so I became a pot user. And I live in fear constantly of acquiring CHS. If that happens before I retire, I'm fucked. If that happens after I retire, I'll deal with it.

But using/not using MJ is not a binary choice for many people. And you, my friend seem to lack compassion and empathy - at least that's how I see it.

Tom

 

[w01fg4ng]

And I live in fear constantly of acquiring CHS. If that happens before I retire, I'm fucked.

This is a hypothetical situation and you sound like you have an irrational fear.

CHS is extremely uncommon. You'll be fine, bro. Just chill out.

 

[CortClick]

I need some help.

Hi this is my first post ever on this website, it seems very helpful and that's what I really need right now. I'm 18 and have been smoking marijuana for many years now. I love it, it's a beautiful plant. It keeps me away from harder drugs and even alcohol. I'd rather sit around and smoke some weed and laugh than get drunk as fuck do something stupid and feel bad and hungover the next day. So when a doctor says that I may have a syndrome that could take this beautiful plant out of my life, I got very worried. I was in the hospital for a few days because of this and after lots of research and testing of my own I've concluded that I do have this syndrome. Weed helps me through so much and it would suck to have it taken away. My question is; will I be able to go back to smoking if I stop for a while. I have no problem stopping for a while as I feel I'm not "addicted", however it would be a major let down to have something that I enjoy so much taken out of my life forever. Also I noticed that after the symptoms went away for a few days, and I smoked a bowl, they didn't return. But the next day I smoked dabs and the symptoms returned. Is there any way it could just be dabs, and I'd be safe with smoking weed? Any help and advice would be much appreciated.
Thanks,
Cort

 

[CortClick]

Too add on to my previous post. I found it odd that most cases of CHS come from people who have been HEAVY smokers for YEARS. I've smoked for 3 years at the most now, and it was about every day o was smoking, but not to the point I would call my consumption "heavy" or "chronic". The only time I would smoke more than a blunt would be on weekends, at party's and such. Weekdays would only be a bowl or two with the exception of dabs. The only time I would consume more than usual on weekdays would be if my friend had dabs and we would use his rig after school. Another reason to suspect dabs to be the cause of my illness. Please if anyone has any knowledge about this, or any thoughts at all, let me know.

Cort.

 

[La La]

 

[TheMagicCoder]

Thanks for posting that Venrak.

That is interesting about the bath not providing relief from your symptoms as my observations echo your experience. The only place I have read that a bath or shower reduces symptoms is on Wikipedia and in media articles on Hyperemesis like the Aussie one where patients where demanding to use the shower in accident and emergency.

Hot bath and hot water bottle is definately helping.

 

[garysfriend]

Quick update:

I went to Jamaica recently and had no issues there. This was after following my plan that I outlined a few posts back. I've consumed a bit since my return, and still have no real issues. I think it comes down to diet and anxiety, at least for me. Or that the Jamaican strains are not as strong, naturally grown and balanced in terms of thc/cbd. One theory I have as to why this is developing is the way it is grown.

Anyway, things seem to be ok for me at the moment. Could of been all in my head, or could be something else.

 

[Longtimeuser]

Same Same

My case is very typical. 42 year old. Smoked for 20 years. 1-2 grams daily. Diagnosed with CHS two years ago in September of 2013. This took the normal course of multiple emergency room visits, misdiagnosis and tests galore and even a couple of hospital admittances until a clever ER doctor enlightened me about CHS. Successfully quit smoking for 4 months. Hated life without my meds and got back into smoking in January of 2014. I literally felt like I was dead inside. Here is the kicker: I did fine until Nov of 2015. So much so that I started doubting the realness of CHS. Maybe all the naysayers online were right? Maybe somehow I can foretell when episodes would strike and cut back in time? But alas, no. The disease came back with a revenge. Previous episodes would last anywhere from 1-4 days. This time I'm on day 10 and still suffering. Apparently, I had spent so much time immersed in a hot bath that I had dehydrated my body to the extent that my kidneys were shutting down. Kidney creatine numbers at > 2.5 when 1 should be normal. It took about 8 litters of IVF + KCL (potassium chloride electrolytes) to get my kidney numbers back to normal. Dramatic weight loss of 20 lbs in a week. Forget about the nausea. That wasn't even the priority for the doctors this time around. Not that anything they have could help me. Zofran, Reglan, Compozine - none of them would do a thing. Did you know that you sweat through out your whole body when immersed in a hot bath? Seems obvious in hindsight. But I didn't know that my only source of relief was actually dehydrating me more. For some people, the showers seem to work. I'm too sick and tired to stand up. I need to be lying in a bath. But still there is no other relief so I'm still a prisoner to the bath tub. I'm going to try the Capsaicin cream today. I'll report how that goes.

P.S. I tried to ask for the 5 mg of Haldol with 5 mg of Benedryl that was suggested in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-02YgBbiDU. I get laughed at by the doctors.
Even giving them pubmed publications like http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23583118 and http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25393073 wouldn't make the doctors budge.
And God forbid, you have the really painful stomach pains and you need opiates. You get another funny look.

TLDR: Diagnosed with CHS. Quit for 4 month. Smoked successfully without problems for 2 years!!! AND IT CAME BACK WORSE than ever before. Damn near put me on dialysis.

Dehydration is a very big issue. Every time I was hospitalized it wasn't because I couldn't stop vomiting or was in acute pain. It was because I was dehydrated and my electrolyte levels were off.

I also think my episodes are longer in duration. Up to 10 days. I try enduring the episodes at home with constant showers and a combination of Benedryl . benzos Zofran and Phenergan.

 

[Longtimeuser]

Hi, thank you to everyone who has posted on this thread.

I started presenting with symptoms of nausea, stomach discomfort and anxiety (a stong sense of impending doom) the other day. I felt extreemily faint and ended up going to see the doctor, who didn't seem to think much of it.

As a very heavy cannabis smoker for the last 14 years, I am concerned that I may be experiencing the prodromal phase of CHS. It has now been three days and I continue to experience mild nausea, anxiety, a pronounced lack of appetite, and during the first two days smoking cannabis did not help or make me feel good in any way really (it increased my stomach discomfort and nausea).

My guts have been uncomfortable ever since this started three days ago, I still can't eat.

Now at this point I don't have the key symptoms of vomiting and severe pain or hot showering, but all my reading suggests that if I do have CHS then these more severe symptoms would come later.

I am quite scared from what I have read and I am very keen to avoid the hyperemetic stage if at all possible, which leads me to my question:

It's now day 3 of what feels like the prodromal stage of CHS, and as of today I have completely stopped smoking cannabis, and I do not intend to do so again while I feel this way. Is there any chance that by stopping smoking now I will be able to avoid the hyperemetic stage? I have read that symtoms improve upon cessation of cannabis, but I am not clear as to whether I can stop this before it gets bad? or whether, I should expect to experience the hyperemetic phase at some point soon, regardless of cessation at this point?

Thanks for any help.

I'm terrified.

You may be worrying too much. From what you said you have all of the symptoms except the severe vomiting that will not stop happening every 15 to 20 minutes for an entire day or two. Depending how healthy you are you may still feel symptoms for one or two weeks after the initial 20 minute cycles.
I always feel that I will be able to accurately diagnose the impending hyperemesis stage in time to abstain from smoking and avoid the vomiting, but no.
The last episode I had I stopped using for 5 days after sensing the symptoms that usually warn me it's coming. I still wound up having a full blown episode that lasted several days.

It is hard to believe that cannabis usage is the only factor contributing to CHS. I use daily several times each day. My usage doesn't vary much from day to day. I can go 6 or 7 months without a CHS episode or only 2-3 months. So what makes it unpredictable? If the usage is predictable why doesn't the cycle repeat predictably?

 

[Dabordie]

Yikes this thread seriously has freaked me out. I have noticed in the mornings I wake up and kind of feel sick for 5-10 min sometimes nearly throw up but I never actually do...? I've been using concentrates pretty regularly for the past 7-8 months. Are these early warning signs? Should I start limiting my intake of bho? If so how much do y'all think is relatively healthy?

 

[Longtimeuser]

Relax

Yikes this thread seriously has freaked me out. I have noticed in the mornings I wake up and kind of feel sick for 5-10 min sometimes nearly throw up but I never actually do...? I've been using concentrates pretty regularly for the past 7-8 months. Are these early warning signs? Should I start limiting my intake of bho? If so how much do y'all think is relatively healthy?

If you are not continuously vomiting every 1-15 minutes you don't have CHS.
Smoke until you puke.

 

[Strthistle]

Help

I'm a 32 year old woman, I get migraines, and have since I was about 7 years old. I get ocular, complex, cluster, run of the mill- anything from a list of migraine symptoms I've dealt with. Sometimes they last 2 minutes, and sometimes a month. I haven't found any medication that is actually effective, before cannabis.
When I was in my twenties I smoked pot. A fair amount. What my doctor now would classify as chronic heavy use. Maybe 7 grams a week. No health problems, and I attributed the fewer migraines to going on birth control ( which I've discovered really is helpful for me, just not as helpful as I once thought.)

Then I realized I didn't want to be high anymore, and stayed away from cannabis for years. During a really difficult migraine about 7 months ago a friend insisted I at least try CBD, and I felt better in 15 minutes. I've been using CBD as a preventive since. Low doses, and occasionally smoking a high CBD strain I recently found at a local dispensary ( I got through less than 3 grams a month.) Now comes the question of CHS- about three months ago after a particularly bad complex migraine with aphasia I began to feel nauseous- constantly. I put it down to the migraine. Then I began vomiting, losing weight, and had no appetite. Still- could have been the migraine. A month ago I finally went to the doctor and they've found nothing. They're blaming cannabis. I don't match the general criteria for CHS ( light user for less than 6 months, hot showers are terrible and I just retch through them, it's almost never in the morning, and after I stopped smoking three weeks ago on doctor advice I got so much worse) but I don't know how to convince any of the doctors to take this seriously. I'm still overweight by about 5 pounds, but I've lost 10% of my body weight in the last two months. I've only had maybe five puke free days in the last three months. I'm barely keeping myself going with a mix of electrolyte drinks and meal replacement drinks.

And the only thing that was helping with anxiety, nausea, and migraines is being blamed by the doctors.
I'm at my wits end.