What Most Doctors Don’t Know and You Should: Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome
Cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome (CHS) causes recurrent and debilitating vomiting. It is often mistaken with cyclical vomiting syndrome. It is said to affect only 5% of heavy smokers. I want to share the story of my four-month journey having this syndrome.
Now my case was a particularly interesting case. I actually did not smoke marijuana for five and a half years. Before this time I was a heavy smoker and I made a goal to quit smoking for five years. I chose the goal of five years because I realized I was smoking for almost half my life. I figured it would take at least five years to reclaim my identity apart from being a stoner. I also remembered one of my friends from high school did a paper on the effects of smoking. He told me that after five years there would be no evidence of smoking in the lungs. So five years it was. I'm happy to say I achieved my goal without one slip-up.
Halfway through 2015, my girlfriend was 3 months pregnant. I decided I wanted to try smoking a few bowls to see how I felt before I had the responsibility of a child. A few weeks later is where my story begins.
One night in mid-November of 2015 I woke up out of my sleep And found myself running to the toilet to purge Everything in my body. It was a brief but violent period of continuous retching. Even after the contents of my stomach stopped coming up I was bound to the toilet, dry heaving. The episodes passed after about 15 minutes and I went back to bed. I thought nothing of it except that it was very strange because I had no reason to be sick.
Shortly after this first episode, I began having these attacks multiple times a day. They were the most violent in the morning; acting as my alarm clock. it became very hard to eat food other than a few pieces of bread. I developed a compulsive habit of taking the hottest showers possible. The water never even felt warm. When I wasn't having vomiting attacks, I developed extremely painful stomach cramps and occasionally feel freezing cold. CHS heavily affects the hypothalamus, which regulates body temperature. It was like the heat dropped right out of my body. I could be in a wool sweater, a down jacket, basking in the sun on 95-degree day and still be cold and shivering. All of a sudden I would warm right back up and feel okay."There were plenty of jokes made about me having morning sickness symptoms along with my pregnant girlfriend."
As a pretty positive person, I tried not to let it get me down. There were plenty of jokes made about me having morning sickness symptoms along with my pregnant girlfriend. People assumed I was sick because of the stress of having a baby. I knew deep down that was not it, I was so excited for our baby. Other people thought I was making it up, especially with my story about shivering on the ground on a hot day in two jackets desperately trying to get warm.
"In retrospect, it was a classic catch-22. When I felt sick, I’d keep smoking until I felt better. The marijuana would be compounded in my system at toxic levels. Once the antiemetic effects wore off, I’d feel sick again so I would smoke and start the cycle over."
The only thing that would keep my cramps at bay, and slightly mitigate the frequency of vomiting attacks was smoking a ton of marijuana. Marijuana has antiemetic effects. That is why it is prescribed to chemotherapy patients for nausea. Emetic means (of a substance) causes vomiting. With CHS the cannabinoid system is overloaded with marijuana toxicity which affects the hypothalamus, causing a 'hyperemetic' effect. In retrospect, it was a classic catch-22. When I felt sick, I’d keep smoking until I felt better. The marijuana would be compounded in my system at toxic levels. Once the antiemetic effects wore off, I’d feel sick again so I would smoke and start the cycle over. This was a day to day pattern for me for four months.
I Previously worked in a CNC milling shop and I worked with led, aluminum, and steel. I began to think I had heavy metal poisoning. I went to multiple doctors, had a stool test, blood test, h.pylori test, urine test, Ultrasound, and an endoscopy. Every test said I was fine.
I ended up visiting a naturopath, she put me on a device that tests the skin’s galvanic response. In an emotionally vulnerable and fearful state, my critical thinking wasn't on par. She told me that the device was FDA approved so I assumed it would be accurate. I tested positive for every single malady she thought I had. Upon returning home I did some research on the machine. It turned out that the machine is FDA-approved for detecting a galvanic response. It is not approved by the FDA for measuring any type of substance in the body. I felt taken advantage of and duped for a large sum of money."I felt taken advantage of and duped for a large sum of money."
Since I believed I was full of heavy metals, I underwent multiple colonics and a chelation cleanse that included multiple hot baths with clay and oatmeal per day, pills that she gave me in a baggy that supposedly consisted of supplements and probiotics. Over the course of the next couple weeks, my skin was pampered but all of my symptoms were still there.
A different doctor referred me to get an endoscopy and the results were inconclusive. While researching the web for a solution I found a new doctor that mentioned cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome to me. He suggested that I take a break from smoking marijuana but he never mentioned how long it would take to see positive results. At first, I didn't believe that marijuana could possibly make me feel this way. I tried taking his advice and I quit for two days. During those two days, the symptoms got worse and worse. I was in agony and all I wanted was to smoke a bowl. Sure enough, I felt better after smoking it."...he never mentioned how long it would take to see positive results. At first, I didn't believe that marijuana could possibly make me feel this way."
Another couple weeks went by and I began to notice the pattern of when the attacks would come. I decided to reconsider the doctor's advice after doing research on CHS. CHS was discovered in 2004 and the first paper was published in 2006. Through my research, I learned one may have to abstain from marijuana for up to a month before symptoms disappear. I decided to bite the bullet and risk it. The following week was the worst week of all. After I received my endoscopy I was given three doses of the antiemetic medication which did nothing for my nausea.
I remember that after abstaining from marijuana for two weeks, my girlfriend and I were so full of mirth because I was able to eat my first whole meal in under twenty minutes for the first time in months. When the CHS symptoms began I was 208 pounds and after it went away I was 155 pounds. I was fully recovered a month after I had stopped smoking marijuana and our baby daughter, iLy (I like to type it like this), was born two weeks later. I was lucky to have a relatively easy experience with this. I had read about cases where people have had part of their digestive system surgically removed because of CHS. My girlfriend and I had both been stressed that she would have to care for me and the baby. It turns out, I much rather prefer being sober than being high all of the time. I remember hoping that I would be able to be sober in my child’s life. It feels like chunks of my life are taken out of my memory from the all the years in my life that I had heavily smoked marijuana. With the way memory works, I am not positive marijuana is to blame for that."It turns out, I much rather prefer being sober than being high all of the time. I remember hoping that I would be able to be sober in my child’s life."
"I had read about cases where people have had part of their digestive system surgically removed because of CHS."
If you made it all the thank you, and I hope this never happens to you.
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It's from the use of Azadirachtin products ON cannabis, Not the cannabis itself
The azadirachtin molecule was first synthesized 10 years ago. It was also OMRI Certified 10 years ago, shortly after. Shortly after that, the first cases of cannabis hyperemesis started showing up.
I spent 6 months in a bathtub and several years suffering from this
It's definitely from aza poisoning, not cannabis.
I'm a grower and never had a problem with this, until I started using aza products. Treated and untreated plants, same strain, same grow had completely different responses. I'll never use aza products on cannabis again. Possibly on mother plants, used for tiny cuttings, still haven't tried that yet.
I'll have to see if he uses it. Also did anyone else you know get it smoking the same stuff?
I'm sure you'll find they do.
Yes, others in colorado are becoming aware of the nasty side effects of aza products. I expect it to be banned within the next year or two. When you do dabs made from aza flowers, you can feel all the muscles in your body get more tense. I have birth defects and car wreck damage and it makes those areas hurt pretty bad.
Well, now I have another reason for being happy that I posted this.
LIke I Said, There's Live After Aza Poisoning
Here's to a better future! :D
Anyone who gets nausea every mornings should look into what their supplier is using for pest control
I have a good friend I used to smoke with in high school that I met up with after college that said he couldn't smoke now because he had CHS. That was the first I had heard of it, and likely wouldn't have otherwise. Thanks for spreading knowledge @tralawar
@thecleangame Has some good insights on this make sure to read his comments.
Ty, I hope they help a LOT of people become aware of this issue.
I've heard of people developing allergies to cannabis, but I have to ask, where was your cannabis sourced from? I asked this because you could have been allergic to a chemical it was grown with, or it could have been contaminated with something you were especially sensitive to.
Either way, glad you figured it out. Interesting story.
or the stanky synthetic smell stuff they doctor it with to sell bunk as chronic.
Great comment I was going to mention my source! I was all organic outdoor grown by one of my best friends. I helped him take care of it for time to time. It was organic and all natural fuel by sunlight. CHS has something to do the THC bonding somewhere in the cannabinoid, where it is no longer is able to break down or be processed. Sorry I don't quite remember the hard science.
Interesting. If it was organic than I'm assuming it most likely wasn't a strain-related issue either. Were mold and mycotoxins also ruled out? These can be more of an issue with outdoor than indoor grown plants due to uncontrallable moisture levels during flowering. Other outdoor contamininents could be suspect as well such as plant pollen or other forms of pollution. Improper drying can also be a cause of problems.
I'm not questioning your knowledge on CHS, I just find it interesting. Furthermore, that SUCKS! I can't imagine not being able to smoke. Then again, I'm not a heavy smoker.
Yeah, ogranic is still a poison. Your grower used aza products or grew in soil previously treated with aza. Sucks. :(
There's life after aza though and CLEAN cannabis helps significantly
I'm positive everything was done right this person has 25+ years experience. Also the fact that it lasted over 3-4 months with many different strains/harvests as they flower at different times. Many other people also used the same stuff heavily. Last the correlation to the times smoked and the episodes made sense. I guess you can't really know the feeling until you have had CHS. There are plenty of stories about it from across the world online now. They all sound very similar to mine. Maybe in future, there will be more clarity on the subject.
Organic growers have a huge blind spot when it comes to "organic" products.
It's an organic poison which works on people, same way organic acids work on human flesh.
Yeah, it's azadirachtin poisoning an "organic" pesticide for mites
I had no idea about this. I don't smoke marijuana, though I tried it when I was younger and the nausea and accompanying vomiting turned me off of it. I doubt I suffered from this same issue, but like it was said elsewhere: be mindful of what you put into your body.
I'm glad you've recovered and you're able to live life fully without complications. Being a dad is one of life's greatest gifts, and as a dad, I absolutely understand your desire to be there and present for your daughter. Kudos to you, man! Keep up the good work!
The only dark side to cannabis are the contaminants people put in and on it. This particular one is called azadirachtin and is responsible for CHS.
No one ever heard of CHS symptoms, before aza was synthesized and certified organic.
Man I haven't been able to figure out what was happening to me the past couple years when smoking weed. Now I have something to research. The same symptoms for sure.
Now I am glad that I shared this story. I was hesitant to, but this is exactly the reason why I did!
yeah, admitting MJ might be something you can't do anymore is a hard thing to admit for many. Especially now that I have a card and legalization is eminent in Nevada
Now you should know to source your cannabis from growers who do NOT use aza products.
Yes, you can use clean cannabis and not have a single issue with this. I grew cannabis without pesticides for almost 10 years and then tried aza... BAM CHS! No thanks... haven't had problems with it with any clean cannabis since, only aza contaminated cannabis.
It's an organic poison called azadirachtin.
The label says "Safe to use, up till the day of harvest" but it's labeled for vegetables and fruit you can wash, not cannabis. It's POISON. I know, I poisoned myself with it.
Very interesting. Thank you for sharing and sorry for the health circus you must have experienced. It certainly shows a "Darker" side to the use of marijuana. Of course there are many factors regarding your diagnoses of CHS (genetics, environment, methods of cannabis usage etc) but goes to show how much more clinical research is needed.
It was kind of crazy vomiting up to twenty times a day. It was hard to make the connection at first because I wasn't a heavy smoker upon my return. I feel as though something shifted in my body chemistry after being a heavy smoker for so long and then quitting for five and half years. It was hard to find peer-reviewed articles at first as all thing pointed to Cyclical Vomiting Syndrome. The other thing that made research was the war between naturopathy and western medicine. The biggest lesson I learned was to be very mindful of what you put into your body. I think marijuana is a very positive thing that deserves recognized and studied.
Very true! My greatest lesson has been just that "Be mindful what you put into your body". Not to mention the I am actually using cannabis to help treat my IBS symptoms and get me back into remission. It works 100% on my GI tract, but although smoking helps I know its not the healthiest way to ingest. Edible forms like oils and tinctures are better. Reading your perspective has given me more to think/research about with the relation to cannabinoids vs the GI vs Nervous system.
When the "heat dropped out of me" it was so crazy I began to think I was making it up. I have jumped in snow covered rivers before and it still wasn't that cold. There are also different cannabinoids besides THC that are therapeutic. It is my understanding that is was the THC that caused the problem. I haven't experimented with just trying CBD yet. One day maybe if I feel I need it. I hope you heal swiftly!
Just so you know, the OP has been the victim of cannabis with azadirachtin products used on it. CHS has nothing to do with cannabis directly, its only a carrier for the aza poisons.
H.Pylori is making your CHS Worse...
Get tested and get rid of it. Aza is still a poison, the results just won't be as massive as they are with an out of control H.Pylori infection. You're welcome! ;)
It's an organic poison called azadirachtin. It is definitely not cannabis itself.
See my first comment in this thread
I am reading all about it now. Thanks for the leads. A lot of the information aligns. Did you ever get the severe chills?
Yes. Mostly just the lower back pain and all over discomfort. Stepping into a bath or shower of hat water is SOOOO Amazingly helpful. I've had spontaneous vomiting as well, no nausea prior, when I was overdosed with it. Crazy times
I'm extremely wary of taking hits off of bowls of strange cannabis now. The effects last a while, so I can smoke a few hits, but a few hits, a few days in a row and I'm screwed again for a week. NASTY stuff.