Cannabis users warn of painful syndrome linked to long-term use

[Sly Saint]

A growing number of regular cannabis users in the U.S. are coming forward with accounts of a severe and little-known disorder linked to long-term marijuana use.

The condition, now officially recognized by global health authorities, has led some people to hospital with pain so intense they describe it as unbearable.

Troubling symptoms​

As of 2023, roughly 17% of Americans reported using cannabis, with 24 states legalizing recreational use.

But while the drug is widely used for its therapeutic and recreational effects, doctors are increasingly treating patients who present with repeated vomiting, severe abdominal pain and dehydration.
The pattern has been identified as cannabis hyperemesis syndrome (CHS), a disorder seen primarily in people who use cannabis daily or near-daily over long periods.

UW Medicine says symptoms often appear within 24 hours of the most recent use and can persist for days. The syndrome is sometimes nicknamed “scromiting,” a blend of “screaming” and “vomiting,” due to the intensity of the episodes.

Doctors still do not fully understand why the condition occurs.

The Cleveland Clinic says one leading theory is that chronic use overstimulates cannabinoid receptors in the body’s endocannabinoid system, disrupting normal digestive regulation.

The World Health Organization has listed CHS in its International Classification of Diseases, allowing clinicians to formally track cases for the first time.

Researchers say the new designation will provide more reliable data on cannabis-related health problems.

Calls for more awareness​

Beatriz Carlini of the University of Washington School of Medicine said the classification will help quantify a growing issue.

“A new code for cannabis hyperemesis syndrome will supply important hard evidence on cannabis-adverse events,” she noted.

MSN

 

[MeSci]

Well, I've used it for over 50 years and haven't had anything like that. I've not heard of anyone else who has either. Maybe it's due to impurities in the solid form?

(I rarely smoke it, but have it in food or just eat it directly.)

 

[Sean]

I was asked by a neurologist once in a hospital about using cannabis. Turns out what he was interested in was not so much if I used it but if I did then I was buying it or growing my own, and if buying it then what kind was I using.

Apparently some of the commercial products, and especially the 'fake' cannabis stuff that was legally available at the time, is causing some serious neurological issues in younger people who had not used much in total due to age, but which are not seen in older people who have been smoking the natural homegrown version for decades.

Was one of the reasons they banned the 'fake' stuff here, I think.