Is “uncontrollable vomiting” really a serious side effect of marijuana?

There is reportedly an increase in an uncommon disease in the United States that is widespread in places where marijuana has been legalized. It appears that droves of people are going to the emergency room for stomach problems, including “uncontrollable vomiting” caused by the use of cannabis.

“You hunch, hold your stomach, complain of really bad stomach pain and nausea,” says Dr. Sam Wang, a pediatric emergency medicine specialist and toxicologist at Children’s Hospital Colorado, told CNN.

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Once the nausea turns into full-blown vomiting, Wang says the diagnosis is made quickly. “They vomit and then just keep vomiting whatever they have in their stomach, which can go on for hours,” he said. “They often say they took a hot shower before going to the emergency room, but it didn’t help. “Then we know we may have a case of cannabis hyperemesis syndrome.”

There is actually a condition known as cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome (CHS). Symptoms range from morning sickness to early-stage abdominal pain to persistent vomiting as the patient worsens. However, medical experts admit they don’t know exactly what causes CHS. They only have theories. Some claim that genetics are to blame, while others believe it is due to brain changes after years of cannabis use. You just can’t tell exactly what is closest to the truth.

Although the condition was previously thought to be rare, doctors agree that it can still be dangerous. In severe cases, it can even be fatal.

Joseph Habboushe, MD, MBA, Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine at New York University School of Medicine / Bellevue, spoke to Healio Gastroenterology and Liver Disease about the disease in 2018. Hey called People with CHS often find that hot showers relieve symptoms. It is dangerous because “it increases the risk of dehydration and acute kidney failure due to a combination of sweating in the shower and vomiting”.

RELATED: Need to Worry About Your Cannabis Use? Study reports new details on CHS

While CHS is an actual disease, not all doctors are willing to accept marijuana as the cause. Why? Because “the diagnosis code is new” [October 2020] and in the total number of nausea / vomiting cases coded, cases are lost, ”Dr. Adrian Elliot, Head of the Emergency Department at Fairview Hospital, told The Berkshire Ridge. “In addition,” he continued, “it is difficult to make a diagnosis of cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome because the emergency room has a difficult time getting the full medical history needed to establish the ultimate association between the marijuana Consumption and patient complaints of nausea / vomiting. ”“ It usually takes several visits to the emergency room to confirm a diagnosis.

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One school of thought suggests that marijuana potency is responsible for the alleged uprising in CHS cases. But the truth is, modern medicine has no idea. There is only speculation about potency, predisposition, specific products, etc. But there is no data to support these claims. The best researchers can do is examine cases of vomiting in the emergency room and look for a correlation.

TIED TOGETHER: A Brief Examination of Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome

Wang’s study, published last week in JAMA Network Open magazine, claims to have found this link. His teams noted a nearly 30% increase in vomiting cases (800,000 total) since marijuana was legalized in Colorado. But there doesn’t seem to be any clear evidence that the cases had to do with Topf. Like Dr. Elliot said it’s nearly impossible to link CHS cases to cannabis use.

There is undoubtedly a lot that we don’t understand about marijuana. Let’s get that straight. We don’t have a lot of concrete evidence (outside of the anecdotes) that it is associated with any of the many reported health benefits. At the same time, there isn’t much evidence of the side effects either.

The federal government is to blame for this lack of research. For decades, those in power made it difficult for researchers to study the herb. President Biden said during his campaign that he would change the course of cannabis – by downgrading its classification under Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act – but he has yet to do it well.

So it could be years before medical professionals understand CHS and its relationship to cannabis better. In the meantime, cannabis users suffering from persistent vomiting should see a doctor and ultimately take a break from flowering. The condition improves once a person stops using cannabis.