Woman, 27, hospitalized six times with mysterious bouts of sickness is finally diagnosed with ‘cannabis vomiting syndrome’ caused by daily marijuana use

  • A 27-year-old woman from Rochester, Minnesota, was hospitalized six times over the course of a year
  • She was diagnosed with cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome, characterized by severe bouts of vomiting in chronic marijuana users
  • CHS is believed to be caused by THC in weed altering receptors in the gut that control many physiological processes
  • Many sufferers report hot showers are the only thing known to relieve symptoms, although why is not understood 

A Minnesota woman who suffered intense bouts of vomiting for a year discovered her daily marijuana was to blame.

In a case report published in the British Medical Journal Case Reports, researchers said the 27-year-old, from Rochester, was brought to the Mayo Clinic six times over the course of a year complaining of nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain.

According to the report, she likened the pain to a ‘squeezing’ feeling in her abdomen and a ‘bruised and sore’ feeling in her back.

Doctors hypothesized several causes such as a stomach bug, inflammation in her abdomen or pregnancy.

During the last visit, she told doctors she had smoked marijuana since age 20 and used the drug almost every day over the previous year.

That’s when they finally diagnosed her with a little known condition called cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome (CHS) in which chronic cannabis users vomit incessantly without explanation.

A 27-year-old woman, from Rochester, Minnesota, discovered her intense bouts of vomiting were linked to daily marijuana use and hot showers were the only relief (file image)

CHS is a recently discovered, but poorly understood, condition caused by long-term cannabis use.

The syndrome occurs in heavy marijuana users, those who smoke at least 20 times a month, who have recurrent and severe bouts of nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain.

The number of people affected by CHS is unclear, although its prevalence could be in the millions. 

A 2015 study found that the incidence of cyclic vomiting doubled in Colorado after weed was legalized, as well as incidence of CHS rising in other states where the drug is legal.  

The first study to report on the phenomenon was led by Mount Barker Hospital in Australia, where researchers realized patients who had repeat attacks of vomiting had one thing in common: chronic cannabis use.

Out of 10 participants, seven who stopped using cannabis saw their symptoms resolve. The three who refused to abstain saw their symptoms continue. 

Several studies have since confirmed the original findings by the Australian researchers, with many reports stating that people find relief from their symptoms by taking hot showers.

In the current case report as well, the woman stated that hot showers would relieve her symptoms. 

So what causes the mysterious condition?

According to a 2017 study conducted by Dr Cecilia Sorensen, an emergency medicine physician at the University of Colorado Hospital, the answer lies in the endocannabinoid system.

The endocannabinoid system is a group of lipid signalling molecules – called endocannabinoids, often thought of as the body’s own ‘natural cannabis’ – and their receptors.

These receptors control many physiological processes including food intake, energy balance, reward, and mediating the effects of cannabis.


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‘These receptors are all over our gut,’ Dr Sorensen told Popular Science. ‘They’re in our intestines, our colon, and they have a role in regulating gastric and intestinal motility to control the propulsion of food and fluids.’ 

She says too much of THC, the psychoactive compound responsible for the euphoric and ‘high’ feeling often associated with marijuana, could damage the receptors.

‘This alters your gut motility,’ she told the website. ‘Anytime your gastric motility is obstructed, you get really severe abdominal pain and nausea. It’s a severe, spasmodic pain that basically results in overstimulation.’ 

Physicians also only have theories as to why hot showers help, one being that it helps sufferers distract themselves from their discomfort. 

Researchers wrote in the current report that the patient received a topical cream containing capsaicin, the main component of chili peppers.

According to a 2011 article from Harvard Women’s Health Watch, capsaicin is believed to relieve pain by releasing a chemical called substance P that transmits pain signals from nerves to the brain.

After the cream is applied several times, stores of substance P deplete in the body and fewer pain signals are transmitted. 

The woman reported that after applying the cream, the symptoms of her abdominal and back pain subsided.

The only known cure of CHS is stopping marijuana use altogether. Several studies suggest that complete relief takes seven to 10 days. 

According to the report, the woman decided to stop using marijuana after being consulted by doctors and she left the hospital four days later with her condition improved.

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