He was a loyal friend, once giving up his bed so a buddy who was homeless had a place to sleep. As a teen, he split time between Denney’s home and that of his father. From the time he was a child, he suffered from acid reflux and often took medicine to ease the symptoms. The job provided enough money to support his marijuana habit, another reason Denney felt there was no reason for her to intervene. After all, many of Brian’s peers were using heroin or methamphetamine.

How is cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome diagnosed?

• CHS is a rare illness that comes as a result of chronic and prolonged usage of cannabis.
• In the limited subset of cases where data were available, it appeared that it took a mean of 2.6 years (range 1 day to 9 years) to get a CHS diagnosis.
• Furthermore, the role of cytochrome (CYP) P450 metabolism and genetic polymorphisms might play a role in terms of why certain individuals are susceptible to CHS.
• Symptoms of withdrawal can include disrupted sleep, increased heart rate, sweating, irritability and mood swings, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
• The memo also said sales of high-potency products more than doubled in four years, from less than 14% of the market in 2015 to 37% in 2019.

With cannabis use increasing throughout the world as the threshold for legalization becomes lower, its user numbers are expected to rise over time. Despite this trend, a strict criterion for the diagnosis of CHS is lacking. Early recognition of CHS is essential to prevent complications related to severe volume depletion.

Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome: Reports of Fatal Cases

But those advocates are fighting a multibillion-dollar cannabis industry resistant to what is chs any form of regulation and a public largely convinced marijuana is harmless. The emotional and physical toll of CHS has been devastating to some, as many sufferers were misdiagnosed and made many visits to the emergency room as a result. Through the creation of the Facebook page and the news coverage that I received, I have been able to reach many people. In October 2018, Brian began vomiting again, and I decided to take him to the ER. I told the doctors about the CHS diagnosis, and tests revealed that his kidneys were shutting down once more.

Boy, 17, died from health condition linked to marijuana that causes severe vomiting

ER doctor Sam Torbati said CHS is a ‘relatively unique condition that we see with patients who use relatively large amounts of marijuana – at least 20 times in a month. Severe and uncontrollable vomiting increases the risk of dehydration and electrolyte imbalances, and in rare cases, patients can experience esophageal tears, Camenga said. Doctors often treat CHS patients who seek help at hospitals with fluids.

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• The approximate consumption of THC per day was a mean of 70.3 ± 40.8 mg.
• Venkatesan et al have proposed a new criterion for CHS with the use of clinical features, cannabis use patterns including duration and frequency, and symptoms resolution after at least 6 months of cessation 48.
• The clinical effects of volume depletion dominate complications related to CHS.
• Chalfonte LeNee Queen is still struggling to completely quit marijuana, but her symptoms are down to a dull stomachache.
• Five patients agreed to work with the addiction team and discontinued the use of marijuana, but 2 patients refused and resisted the notion that they should give up marijuana 130.
• Yet CHS is a very real condition, and while it may only affect a small percentage of people, it can be deadly.
• The recent body of research recognizes that patients with CHS impose a burden on the healthcare systems.

Endocannabinoids are present in the CNS and enteric nervous systems and are released locally on demand by neuronal signaling; they are released in small amounts and become rapidly inactivated 28. Queen is back to a healthy weight and hasn’t been to the hospital in a year. She said she wouldn’t want to discourage anybody from smoking weed; she just wants people to know heavy use can bring them some serious misery. Although there’s still no magic cure for a patient’s marijuana-related hyperemesis, Moulin and other doctors say they’re getting better at treating the symptoms, using old antipsychotic medications and cream for muscle aches. “Who wants to be told you can’t smoke marijuana, when you think marijuana can help?

Cannabis hyperemesis syndrome: an update on the pathophysiology and management

Thus, severe symptoms may not be sufficient to compel an individual to discontinue marijuana or cannabis may have an adverse effect on the individual’s ability to make sound decisions 129. Immersing oneself in very hot water relieves vomiting symptoms in CHS patients but has no antiemetic effect on patients with other types of CVS or PV. Thus, learned behavior of bathing in hot water may be used to help diagnose CHS and differentiate it from other CVS 93.

Pregnant women may not be forthcoming about their marijuana use, which can complicate diagnosis 121. Maternal cannabinoid use alone does not necessarily mean that hyperemesis is CHS. With the liberalization of marijuana laws since 2009, investigators retrospectively evaluated 2,574 ED visits in Colorado and identified 36 patients diagnosed with cyclic vomiting; this occurred in 128 visits. Episodes of cyclic vomiting nearly doubled in prevalence, increasing from 41 per 113,262 ED visits/year to 87 per 125,095 ED visits per year after marijuana laws were liberalized 74. Finally, there have been anecdotal reports that changing the variety or strain of botanical marijuana can mitigate or even alleviate CHS. It has been suggested that CHS may − in whole or in part − be the result of pesticides, toxins, or other substances accumulated on the plants during growth and harvest 67.

Meanwhile, an increasing number of studies have linked high-potency THC to psychosis. A Danish study found that 20% of schizophrenia cases might be prevented if young men (ages 16 to 25) did not develop cannabis use disorder, or CUD. The likelihood of developing CUD is significantly higher when people use high-potency concentrates, according to that 2023 study. The report concludes that “THC content of cannabis products contributes to adverse health effects in a dose-response heroin addiction manner.” In other words, the higher the potency, the more likely users are to get sick from or addicted to weed.