She is a communications expert working with Dr. Green Relief, specializing in creating engaging content that promotes holistic health and well-being. Olivia is interested in the intersection of mental health, mindfulness, and alternative therapies, which she explores through her writing. It blocks NK1 and inhibits the binding of substance P, thereby preventing receptor activation and reducing nausea sensation in the brainstem 85. Aprepitant can be considered as third-line management when Lorazepam or Haloperidol fails, owing to its efficacy in treating moderate to severe CVS.
Emetic Phase
It’s a serious medical problem that can cause major health issues if you leave it untreated. If you have any symptoms of severe dehydration, like dizziness, confusion and a rapid heartbeat, call 911 right away. The last factor to consider is the legality of medical marijuana for IBS as most, if not all, state laws have not yet necessarily included IBS as a specified allowed condition. Many of these potential negative effects hold true for the synthetic forms of medical marijuana.
Navigating the Intricacies of Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome (CHS): Understanding the Unseen Challenges
While cannabis is often thought of as a remedy for nausea, CHS flips that script and leads to severe vomiting after chronic use. 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.
Causes and Risk Factors
Recent research noted that type 1 cannabinoid receptors in the intestinal nerve plexus exhibit an inhibitory effect on gastrointestinal motility. At the same time, the thermoregulatory function of endocannabinoids might explain compulsive hot bathing in CHS patients. The prevalence of cannabis CHS is expected drug addiction to rise as legal restrictions on its recreational use decrease in several states.
When should I call my healthcare provider?
Although cannabis typically reduces nausea, in CHS, it has the opposite effect, causing symptoms to worsen. Certain therapies, such as taking hot showers or using prescription medications, may help relieve symptoms. Cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome (CHS) is a condition that you might get if you’ve regularly smoked weed or used marijuana in some other form for a long time.
While marijuana seems to bring on nausea in the stomach, in the brain it usually has opposite effect. When cannabinoids bind with brain receptors, they tend to prevent nausea and vomiting. When you use marijuana for many years, it can start to slowly change how the receptors in your body respond to the cannabinoid chemicals. For example, the drug affects the receptors in the esophageal sphincter, the tight band of muscle that opens and closes to let food go from your throat to your stomach. If this flap doesn’t work properly, your stomach acids might flow upward and cause you to have nausea and vomiting.
Ceasing and abstaining from the use of cannabis is the only treatment that relieves and prevents symptoms of CHS, according to a systematic review on CHS management. THC and other chemicals in cannabis also bind to molecules in your digestive tract. These chemicals can change the time it takes your stomach to empty food.
- Significant improvements in nausea and vomiting, as well as shorter length of hospital stay, were noted in patients treated with 0.075% topical capsaicin applied to the abdominal region 62.
- Cannabis hyperemesis syndrome (CHS) is a form of functional gut-brain axis disorder characterized by bouts of episodic nausea and vomiting worsened by cannabis intake.
- This approach is often enhanced by personalized feedback and education regarding the treatment seeker’s patterns of cannabis use, becoming motivational enhancement therapy.
- Interestingly, patients dealing with Cyclical Vomiting Syndrome (CVS) also frequently mention this behavior.
Through a holistic and individualized treatment regimen, healthcare providers can navigate the challenges of CHS, offering hope and relief to those affected by this puzzling condition. Hot showers have emerged as an intriguing phenomenon in assuaging the symptoms of Cannabis Hyperemesis Syndrome (CHS), offering a peculiar yet effective avenue for relief. While the precise physiological mechanisms underpinning this phenomenon continue to be explored, several theories shed light on why hot showers might hold therapeutic value for CHS patients. To diagnose CHS, a healthcare professional will study your symptoms and ask you questions. They’ll also examine your abdomen and may order tests to rule out other causes of vomiting.
History
- However, this proposed mechanism has not been empirically validated 59.
- Since CHS is a condition directly linked to cannabis use, stopping cannabis is the most effective approach.
- These foods/beverages are mostly acidic, but relationships between them and CHS have not been studied scientifically, although the co-use of weed and alcohol is well-known, the study authors said.
- And although there are some prescription medications for the disorder and its symptoms, the relief from these treatments is often incomplete and unsatisfying.
- Cannabis can both induce and subdue vomiting, a paradox doctors don’t fully understand, Camilleri said.
It’s possible that with lower amounts or lower frequency, patients might be able to use cannabis again, but the science is unclear. 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. Doctors at the hospital ran tests and ordered scans but could not name the source of her unrelenting nausea and vomiting. It was so bad she thought it might be a recurrence of her severe pancreatitis, the illness for which she once had been chs syndrome hospitalized and put on life support. While symptoms begin as mild, they can intensify and increase your risk of severe problems.
Cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome (CHS) happens when you have cycles of nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain after using cannabis (marijuana) for a long time. People with CHS often find temporary relief from these symptoms by taking hot baths and showers. Capsaicin, a topical agent with an active compound derived from chili peppers, interacts with transient receptor potential vanilloid-1 (TRPV1) receptors 86. TRPV1 receptors are involved in the modulation of transmitting pain signals and altering pain perception 87. These TRPV1 receptors are present throughout the gastrointestinal (G.I.) tract and the medullary vomiting center.