Do not smoke marijuana in excess, It can cause cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome

I think most problems can be solved with diet. Eating healthy and truly healthy is important, and drinking water only, also the benefit of natural teas and none of these un natural products, could solve a lot of emotional, physical, and mental problems alone, just in my honest opinion though.

Hey there, I have been smoking for about 9 years and have had hyperemesis for about 5. Did not get diagnosed til about two years ago when the doctor twigged to the hot baths compulsion. Bouts tend to come every few months or so while smoking, but also occur much much worse when trying to abstain. Can not even keep water or gastrolyte down, although miniscule amounts of ice blocks can be consumed.
A major danger is the dehydration. On three occasions that I have been hospitalised, I have been told that the risk of needing to be on dialysis was high.
You did not mention a major compulsion for hot bathing? If that is present, you almost certainly have it. If not, almost certainly not.
From what Ive read, cannabinoid hyperemesis has only been recognised since 2005 or so, and affects 1% of chronic smokers. many doctors I have seen have never heard of it.

CHS? said:

I'll continue to keep y'all updated on my progress, but for now I'd say that CHS is a real issue. I don't know exactly why some people develop it and others don't, but I'm pretty damn sure I had it. What else could it be? The only thing I've changed is cutting out pot.

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I think CHS is kind of like gluten intolerance. The first time we hear someone complain about gluten intolerance, we think "Bread makes you sick? Are you fucking retarded?" But of course it does, and eating a sandwich can ruin their entire day.

99% of people can eat sandwiches all their life; 1% might have a horrible reaction. 99% of people can smoke weed all their life; 1% might have a horrible reaction.

But it really doesn't help to deny the existence of the syndrome. I have a friend with CHS and it's become life-threatening several times - largely because his smoker friends refused to let him believe that weed could possibly be harmful to anyone.

Hi there, I thought I could be of some help to you.

I've smoked weed chronically for the last three years (rarely going a day without smoking) and over the last year or so I've had episodes of recurrent sickness, which are usually triggered when I drink alcohol or exercise vigorously (I'm so unhealthy). If I drink, the next morning I'm sick and the sickness usually occurs every 40 mins and lasts for about a week (although it varies), lessening as time passes. When I'm ill the only thing that relieves my symptoms by halting the sickness and soothing the agonizing heartburn is a roasting hot bath - I usually run a new bath every hour or so until I feel better (which uses A LOT of water and people complain because they can't use the bathroom but I'm too ill to care).

I usually smoke more weed when I'm ill (which doesn't help) although sometimes it can help me to sleep as I usually don't until the sickness subsides. I was ill about a week ago and didn't sleep for five nights because I couldn't - I was in too much pain and was wide awake, making it all the harder to deal with with so much time on my hands. I've been to hospital on multiple occasions and have been put on a drip for dehydration because I'm unable to even sip water when I'm ill. I've been given anti-sickness injections as opposed to tablets - which I can't swallow without being sick. The intense nausea is present until I feel better. I am very selfish when I'm in this state, considering the bath to be my "property" and asking my boyfriend to drive around getting me all sorts of things to help me feel better - he does so much for me and I feel guilty. I'm not usually a selfish person but I have to be - I think it's my survival instinct kicking in. Throughout my sickness I often experience what I consider to be "periods of relief" whereby I feel better for a few hours and then the nausea and sickness return. This drives me insane.

A week ago I was given anti-acid tablets which I couldn't keep down. The pain was so bad and each time I'm sick I know I've got about another 6 days of this hell to go. I go into panic mode and honestly hope to have some sort of violent accident just so the pain will stop. I can't eat and when I was ill recently I went from seven and a half stone (which is about right a female of 5'0) to six stone and was pale and drawn and my skin was dry from all the hot baths. I experience these symptoms roughly every six months, sometimes more frequently and they are the worst times of my life. I suffer from anxiety usually and during these times I don't even have the energy to worry, instead my brain seems to focus only on my body. Painful memories seem trivial.

The recovery process is long and drawn-out mainly due to exhaustion and lethargy and I often miss long periods of time at college (meaning I have to catch up on large amounts of course-work) and also work (causing me anxiety about job-security). My doctor isn't aware of my cannabis use - I'm too ashamed to tell him that it's self-inflicted. It's certainly starting to seem like the only way this will stop is if I quit smoking which is inevitable anyway but in the mean time I've stopped drinking (not that I really drank much in the first place).

Also, I get weird cravings for things - and not necessarily food! I think of the juiciness and refreshment of a tropical island, for example and I also remembered going on holiday and the hotel had a cold pool which I craved the coolness of when I came out the hot bath. I don't know if this is just because I'm dehydrated or maybe it has something to do with the weed.

Hope I was of some help.

Maybe you have AIDs, or you are just getting old.

I know people who smoke an ounce per week and have done so for 40+ years, they are healthy.
I am almost 40 and I have smoked about 1 ounce per week (vaporized, concentrate, and joints) for 20 years. I kick ass..


All the nay-say`ers to cannabis, you are dumb and I don't believe your lies. If you have a problem, maybe you should get a second opinion, DUH.

First let me say I AM NOT CRAZY. I am a 29 year old female in semi good health with no prior medical issues before this. For the past 10 years doctors have been telling me this was all in my head so when my brother came across CHS(cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome) I wanted to cry and send copies to all the doctors who have ever told me my vomiting abdominal pain and the OCD hot showering was all in my head.

Let's start from the beginning. I started smoking pot when i was 18 years old. For the first year I was a pretty light smoker and after that it became a daily habit sometimes smoking up to a quarter ounce a day(yes extremely heavy smoker). I smoked like that for about 3 years when one morning I woke up very nauseous and experiencing abdominal pain and figured I needed to smoke to get rid of it seeing as this had always worked in the past. Halfway through my joint I needed to throw up and this continued for about 4 days with the vomiting and abdominal pain finally having to go to the ER for fluids, pain medication and antiemetics. The following two years I had 52 trips to the ER for unexplained nausea vomiting stomach pain and an uncontrollable OCD for hot showers and baths. And when I say OCD about hot showers and baths I mean severely OCD it was the ONLY thing that would make the symptoms go away. I would rent hotel rooms for days at a time just to utilize their endless supply of hot water to feel some kind of relief. After running out of pot and being too sick to leave to get more after a few days my symptoms went away and I was able to function once again. Now before people start throwing disorders out there let me say they've done every test they could going as far as performing a very unnecessary surgery called laparotomy essentially going through my intestines by hand(yes I had a colonoscopy prior with no abnormalities as well as a smaller exploratory surgery that only required 2 small incisions((laparoscopic)) with no abnormalities as well) and they found nothing once again. The only thing I had was elevated WBC. After all these tests coming up negative they referred me to a psychiatrist telling me I had cyclic vomiting syndrome and that my symptoms were being made up in my head(being told it a conversion disorder). The entire time the only drug/medication I was on was marijuana. No OTC meds no prescription medicine just marijuana. Every time I would get sick it would be the same thing, abdominal pain vomiting accompanied by the OCD hot showers and after being sober for 3-7 days the symptoms would magically disappear and I could go back to living normally only to think "Hey I feel better lets light up the sticky icky and mellow out" and BOOM back in the ER. At one point and time since I was diagnosed with cyclic vomiting my doctor decided it would be in my best interest to prescribe me a medical marijuana card making it legal for me to consume marijuana seeing as though the antiemetic effects of marijuana have been so valuable to so many people. Of course i was stoked, who wouldnt be? This only led to further complications more ER visits more doctors and no results. My family was convinced by my psychiatrist that I was bipolar and I was having attacks of PTSD and that every time I had an episode it was in my best interest to be hospitalized in a psychiatric facility. They were happy to oblige seeing as I was becoming more of a pain in the ass with the OCD hot showering and endless vomiting and I was becoming a strain on them emotionally and financially. After 3-5 days in each psychiatric facility and of course not smoking pot I returned to my normal self again. The doctors attributed this to of course the intense regiment of antipsychotics antidepressants and antianxiety drugs they shoveled down my throat. I have been to psychiatric hospitals 10+ times. I’m not full of shit I have piles of medical records as proof. It wasnt until I turned 28 and became pregnant that I knew I had to sober up for my little one. My pregnancy was hell but i stayed sober having no further episodes of my vomiting. There was complications after I gave birth (to a healthy baby boy) and i got MRSA having to have a picc line inserted and IV antibiotics 3 times daily. I am extremely allergic to the medication they use for MRSA and was sick to my stomach 24/7 so for the first time since I had found out I was pregnant I bought a bag and smoked away the nausea. It had been over a year since I had used and like clockwork I went back to smoking an insane amount of marijuana and after a month of intense smoking back came the vomiting abdominal pain and the OCD for hot showers to relieve my symptoms. I literally had to lock myself in the bathroom for 3 days staying sober those 3 days and on the fourth day I felt fine and was able to continue living normally. Less than a week after my latest episode my brother found the information on cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome. I have since remained sober with no further episodes of vomiting abdominal pain or my OCD hot showering. And in case youre wondering i stopped ALL psychiatric medications the only prescription medication I take now is a sleeping medication and I feel better than I have in years. If anyone had told me marijuana was the cause of my symptoms I would have laughed in their face and called them crazy. I know I’m not the only one out there with this problem. I’ve read everything I can find on CHS and it is the ONLY thing that describes what I was going through. Please please please if there’s anyone else out there that has experienced this respond to this post I know I’m not alone. And NO I am not against marijuana now that i cant partake I am still very PRO on the issue but just like some people cant drink alcohol I cannot smoke marijuana. I just want people to know that this is a very real syndrome. I havent had time to read every post on this topic and I know how skeptical people can be when it comes to this issue having spoke to many users about whats happened with me. If I am “one in a million” fine great good. I’m just putting my story out there hoping it may help someone else not waste years on a diagnosis OR being misdiagnosed like I was for so many years. Skip the nasty comments or stories about how you've smoked "your whole life and never had an issue" good for you I'm happy if not even jealous of you for being able to smoke! but just like any other medication SOME people be it rare or not have reactions.
Looking forward to responses, many thanks.

I have a lot of GI problems and smoke weed regularly. My intestines would inflame regularly and cause me a lot of pain. I finally got help when I had an ulcer.

I don't think its the weed though, I think its what I consume. I was drinking 4-6 energy drinks a day at work, along with coffee and eating complete crap that was cheap and quick so I could get back to working. On top of that I was drinking liquor heavily and for a while there I felt like I needed alcohol.

Now that I cut down the coffee, cut out energy drinks, and quit drinking I am doing a lot better. I take my own food to work a lot now so I don't eat junk. I still eat excess calories, I know this, but the food I eat is much easier on my digestive system and much healthier. Greasier foods like meat seem to cause a lot of pain. I need antacid pills to eat them.

You should really try changing up your diet and see how it helps you. I don't think weed is your problem, but I personally don't know you so I can't prove this. Just eat yogurt if you get the munchies and see how it helps.

jessicaarmfield said:

First let me say I AM NOT CRAZY. I am a 29 year old female in semi good health with no prior medical issues before this. For the past 10 years doctors have been telling me this was all in my head so when my brother came across CHS(cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome) I wanted to cry and send copies to all the doctors who have ever told me my vomiting abdominal pain and the OCD hot showering was all in my head.

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As an EMT, I would declare you 5150. Your post does not make any sense and is riddled with conflicting statements and invalid points. I think you have lost grasp of reality and you could be a danger to yourself and your surroundings..

Judging by your post, YOU ARE OBSESSIVE AND COMPULSIVE. You need psychological therapy and medication in hope you never hurt anyone with your intensive motivation to free your OCD habit and let it be imposed on others.

I've seen lots of these types of posts in the past few months. I think It is a farce :ie a way for anti cannabis types to have a reason to continue to make marijuana a "devils" smoke , A way for doctors to still reject to FACT that it is THE MOST non toxic and Valuable single "drug" in existence , And a way for hypochondriac types to place blame on something in an effort to mask the real reasoning your having stomach issues or to be able to say " Oh guess what , I now have CHS . At the very minimum I could possibly see you having an issue if you were eating marijuana that was laced with other drugs OR if it was very very heavily fertilized with chemical nutrients and you had some sort of allergic reaction or sever sensitivity , Your body would of course try to expel it by vomiting. You said your were smoking it though.....

Budget Buds said:

I've seen lots of these types of posts in the past few months. I think It is a farce :ie a way for anti cannabis types to have a reason to continue to make marijuana a "devils" smoke , A way for doctors to still reject to FACT that it is THE MOST non toxic and Valuable single "drug" in existence , And a way for hypochondriac types to place blame on something in an effort to mask the real reasoning your having stomach issues or to be able to say " Oh guess what , I now have CHS . At the very minimum I could possibly see you having an issue if you were eating marijuana that was laced with other drugs OR if it was very very heavily fertilized with chemical nutrients and you had some sort of allergic reaction or sever sensitivity , Your body would of course try to expel it by vomiting. You said your were smoking it though.....

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I agree, bratha.. The mods should lock this bullshit thread as they once did. I`m not sure why it was unlocked again but reading bullshit like this makes me and other members want to leave this website. Imagine if RollItUp.org started letting in any child who makes constant posts demonizing cannabis, I know I would be the fuck out of here. We come to cannabis forums for reprieve of judgement and to associate with people like us, intelligent, passionate, and cannabis using.

Instead we are home to a group of kids and liars with a personal agenda. I have smoked 100s of pounds of cannabis in my life, my lungs are clean, my body is chiseled like a Greek God, I am stoned to the bone - right now, I am receiving a 4.0 GPA, I made $250k on real estate before I was 30 years old, I have a new born baby girl who is delivered with the most wonderful hope I could ever imagine.. hmmm If I said more, you would all be jealous, Cannabis is a blessing.


My regards, I don't come to RIU to read bullshit like this thread and it is an insult to the community to leave it up here as "information".

Slipon said:

hmmm .. I have smoked Hash for +25 years 20 of them on daily base and most of the time up to 3 grams a day (on a bong) and never had any problems of that kind, but I have also seen people who smoked very little got all sorts of problems, most common is physiological, my believe is that if you got a "itch" smokeing can make it worse or provoke it, so to speak ..

dunno if that is the same with your problem tho, but if something do certain things to people one would think it was the same for everybody

only thing I notice over the years is that if I smoke right before I go to sleep, its harder to get up in the morning (snooze a lot more) and my memory is`t the best (that could also be ages related tho)

[video=youtube;8zgqq_TLxnw]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zgqq_TLxnw[/video]

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Very good video. Need more like this to be played on more venues

All of these,new accounts popping up and claiming chs is so see-through. You guys are inventing a condition that doesnt exsist. If your waking up in the morning feeling nausous, you have anxiety. Your telling your body that you have this "chs'' and your brain is going ''ok I guess we,have chs,now''. Your anxious about getting sick and thats why you feel like you can eat and feel like throwing up. I've lived with anxiety for years and could,make myself throw,up just by thinking about it. Your,brain is amazingly powerful. You guys sound like anti-mj lobby group.

Just say no! If you can't handle it. If it doesn't kill you it makes you stronger(so they say). Marijuana is not for every one. I have reactions to percs, so I can't take them. They caused more pain than what I had.

Are you an alcoholic? That may be the problem, make sure you arent drinking excessively.

Do you know the source of your marijuana? Do YOU?!?!? Are you absolutely 100% sure they arent spraying your shit with things they dont understand!?

If you still have symptoms after carefully reviewing these, maybe you just cant handle the smoke. Not a bad thing, just switch to edibles. If you still have symptoms after switching from smoking you have some other shit the doctor doesnt know about.

My theory on this, it occurs because the air in our world has become so shit, that your body only wants to breathe cannabis smoke and nothing else, ever.

Ignorance is bliss

I am an advocate for marijuana as I have been smoking since I was 13 years old. Started smoking piff around 1997. Before that it was all Mexican brick weed where you had more seeds then flowers lol. I suffer from Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome, and didn't want to believe it.. Mary Jane has been my true love but she has turned on me.. No bullshit. This is a real thing people. And although I wish it wasnt, facts are facts.. Some people can go a lifetime without any negative effects from Mary Jane like just about EVERY BODY I know. But for some of us our bodies get tired of the thc and it starts to fuck with our stomach's. . I grow and sell to dispensaries so the last thing I would ever want is to not be able to taste my own product.. But after years of tests (Endoscopies, Colonoscopies, gastric stomach emptying tests, gallbladder tests, exploratory surgery, cat scans, MR I'M etc) and hospitalizations I met with a toxicologist who explained how the thc can effect the receptors in your stomach the same as it effects the brain... Even after him telling me this and all the tests, I was in denial...I stayed smoking until I was in so much pain and discomfort that my life was not worth living. I was so ignorant and thought never could my precious Mary Jane be doing this to me especially when I tell people to eat edibles for headaches, and smoke for nausea. . But our bodies change and we might not be allergic to something this year but might be next year this is the same.. I am 33 years old and the only time I didn't smoke between age 13 and 33 was when I went to jail.. Bur after everything I had been thru I had to at least give it a shot. I quit for 5 months, and after about weeks all the symptoms started to go away.. by month 5 my life was back to normal.. so just like any body that loves Mary I started smoking again. Within a month my stomach was fucking with me again.. now I've been smoking again for 6 months and sure enough I need up back in the hospital.. Anybody suffering from this just know your not alone.. It's definitely a real thing, and anybody who says different is ignorant to human physiology. If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it's a fucking duck.. Now once my system recovers I will try smoking one joint on the weekend or at least every time I crop out. Hoping moderation instead of all day everyday will allow me to have my cake and eat it too. I dealt with this shit for 10 years before meeting with the toxicologist so believe me I tried everything.. Anybody with this feel free to hit me up.. And anybody who doubts it I'm glad it hasn't effected you.. because for those of us who love Mary it truly sucks!!

You aren't smoking the Mexican crap weed are you?

h2alo1 said:

I have been plagued by gi problems for the past couple years. I went to the er at least 5 times. The doctors ran every test in the book, and couldn't find anything wrong with me. It turns out i went to the er yesterday with the same problem. They ran every test, and couldn't find anything. The doctor then came in and asked me if i smoked marijuana. I told the doctor i smoke marijuana frequently. The doctor told me that in the states where marijuana is legalized for medical use, more people are getting diagnosed with cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome, which is what i was diagnosed with. The symptoms are generally being sick in the morning such as throwing up and abdominal pain. The symptoms usually come in cycles. The theory is that chronic, heavy smokers build up a toxic level of cannabinoids. Has anyone heard of this?

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I've been smoking everyday recently and I don't have any physical problems from it. In fact, I feel better, more calm and relaxed and clear headed than I have in years.

I have posted in a few of these threads.. As someone who has suffered greatly and been thru tons of GI procedures, taken tons and tons of all sorts of prescribed narcotics for years and have heard this bullshit from a few doctors recently mostly in ER's... any real specialist is ignoring these low documented low research studies.. Its a ploy as far as im concerned a reason not to make it legal.. have to make up something...

I did quit smoking pot for about a year, i quit gluten for 2 years, i dont mess with any dairy im doing all i can for a long time now.. This last week I heard a story similar to mine from a doctor my wife was seeing and the next day made an appt with an allergen specialist, a solid lead at last maybe... I have an allergen that is showing no external signs during pollen seasons but possibly tons of internal ones that tend to keep me down about 6 months of the year..

My advice if you want try to quit smoking pot... take your health seriously.. but its more than likely a complete crock of shit.. and misinformation being spread..propaganda to use in anti pot sentiments... old stereotypes are dying hard with real info available to the masses so they need to come up with something that is more than because we say so..and the GI tract is so hard to diagnose it is perfect disease really...

njb19 said:

Hi there, I thought I could be of some help to you.

I've smoked weed chronically for the last three years (rarely going a day without smoking) and over the last year or so I've had episodes of recurrent sickness, which are usually triggered when I drink alcohol or exercise vigorously (I'm so unhealthy). If I drink, the next morning I'm sick and the sickness usually occurs every 40 mins and lasts for about a week (although it varies), lessening as time passes. When I'm ill the only thing that relieves my symptoms by halting the sickness and soothing the agonizing heartburn is a roasting hot bath - I usually run a new bath every hour or so until I feel better (which uses A LOT of water and people complain because they can't use the bathroom but I'm too ill to care).

I usually smoke more weed when I'm ill (which doesn't help) although sometimes it can help me to sleep as I usually don't until the sickness subsides. I was ill about a week ago and didn't sleep for five nights because I couldn't - I was in too much pain and was wide awake, making it all the harder to deal with with so much time on my hands. I've been to hospital on multiple occasions and have been put on a drip for dehydration because I'm unable to even sip water when I'm ill. I've been given anti-sickness injections as opposed to tablets - which I can't swallow without being sick. The intense nausea is present until I feel better. I am very selfish when I'm in this state, considering the bath to be my "property" and asking my boyfriend to drive around getting me all sorts of things to help me feel better - he does so much for me and I feel guilty. I'm not usually a selfish person but I have to be - I think it's my survival instinct kicking in. Throughout my sickness I often experience what I consider to be "periods of relief" whereby I feel better for a few hours and then the nausea and sickness return. This drives me insane.

A week ago I was given anti-acid tablets which I couldn't keep down. The pain was so bad and each time I'm sick I know I've got about another 6 days of this hell to go. I go into panic mode and honestly hope to have some sort of violent accident just so the pain will stop. I can't eat and when I was ill recently I went from seven and a half stone (which is about right a female of 5'0) to six stone and was pale and drawn and my skin was dry from all the hot baths. I experience these symptoms roughly every six months, sometimes more frequently and they are the worst times of my life. I suffer from anxiety usually and during these times I don't even have the energy to worry, instead my brain seems to focus only on my body. Painful memories seem trivial.

The recovery process is long and drawn-out mainly due to exhaustion and lethargy and I often miss long periods of time at college (meaning I have to catch up on large amounts of course-work) and also work (causing me anxiety about job-security). My doctor isn't aware of my cannabis use - I'm too ashamed to tell him that it's self-inflicted. It's certainly starting to seem like the only way this will stop is if I quit smoking which is inevitable anyway but in the mean time I've stopped drinking (not that I really drank much in the first place).

Also, I get weird cravings for things - and not necessarily food! I think of the juiciness and refreshment of a tropical island, for example and I also remembered going on holiday and the hotel had a cold pool which I craved the coolness of when I came out the hot bath. I don't know if this is just because I'm dehydrated or maybe it has something to do with the weed.

Hope I was of some help.

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Try tums! Way better than anti acid pills!

https://www.rollitup.org/grow-journals/801482-first-grow-indoor-t5-cfl-11.html