Cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome or CHS

About Marijuana
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Hey all, I’m experiencing something that I never thought would happen and I canr figure out why!! All of a sudden, my tolerance dissapeared one day and I am getting a different high. It all started when I had a anxiety/ panic attack after smoking alot of flower at once a few weeks ago. Now every time I smoke it’s straight to the head and a few hits too many sends me into panic and I nearly throw up.

I have smoked a gram of “wax” EVERYDAY for the passed 2 years, my tolerance was insane. Sometimes I would take a dab and not feel any higher. Now, I can’t even imagine what a dab would do to me. Last time I took a bho dab I had my 3rd “stomach bug” of the year, never vomit but felt like I was going to all day til it was over.

I also used to smoke 5-7 grams of flower everyday before I got into dabbing. The only explanation I can think is CVS or the fact that I suddenly went vegetarian for a month than straight to vegan.

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CHS* also want to note each sickness was 3-6 days long and couldn’t eat or even really sip water the entire time. I used to smoke sooo much I wish I still could smoke atleast half the amount. Gram of wax a day along with 2 grams or more of flower.

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@pwampj123, If you suspect CHS it can be narrowed down. Refer up this post to several links from @MacGyverStoner. First I would ask, “Does a HOT shower somehow make you feel a little better?” Next one is tougher. You must step away from smoke. All of it including second hand. Cannabis is fat soluble. It builds in your system and is present for a while (30 days or so) in your body. This is also similar to how allergens build in your system leading to a reaction. If you control the levels in your system to a tolerable level for you, I believe self regulation is the way to go. Step away for a solid month. See how you feel. Change nothing else. Feel better? Re-introduce it slowly. Feeling nauseous all day? Back off again till you find your tolerance. We are certainly all different.

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Thanks for the response, my main question is has anyone else experienced a sudden tolerance drop. Like I said a gram of wax a day for 2 years and then some. There’s no way I could stop being around second hand smoke and/or touching it. I have to for income purposes and about to have roommates who smoke. I’ve gone a week without and all I noticed was appetite decrease even more and less anxiety. Hot showers one is obvious, every chs article mentions it. Hot showers make me more nauseas if anything. I can’t have anymore appetite decrease because I’m already under weight

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Good news cannabis lovers. you do not have to quit forever! You just need to chill every now and again. T-Breaks will save you from having to quit.
I wont go into how much I love herb myself, or all of the issues I have had with CHS for the past 10 years or so…same symptoms and ER visits as every one else. The number one thing I can say is if you realize that it is CHS, then you have won half of the battle. It’s the non-diagnosis, and not knowing why these episodes are happening, that will kill you…or make you want to kill yourself. So, congratulations, you have learned now that it’s CHS.

Now an abbreviated version of my story. After several years of these episodes every few months, a clever ER doctor hit me with the Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome diagnosis. Like everyone, I was skeptical at first…but after doing research I had no doubt he was correct. Everything fit. At the time, and up to that time, I had only smoked flower.

So I stopped smoking for a couple of weeks, then lit up again…this time around less frequent than before. And this time, knowing about CHS, and what pre-vomiting episodes felt like, (digestion issues, loose stool, nausea, abdominal pain), I could monitor my body and pay close attention. When my body started feeling sick, I would break. Never got sick again. I eventually quit for about a year, but then took it up again about a year ago.

At that time, I transitioned to shatter and oil thinking it was possibly the combustion causing the CHS issues. I had convinced myself that CHS episodes would not happen again if I was using wax exclusively. WRONG. Last week it hit me - and it sucked. This was after daily use for several months. I ignored the symptoms when I should have taken a break. It was about three years between my last episode and this one. And I indulged a lot during those three years. (apart from the 1 year sabbatical)

My friends, over use of cannabis is the problem. Flower, edibles, & concentrates…it’s the cannabinoids. Not allergies, not Celiacs, not Crohns, not the wrong strain, not the wrong foods. Moderation is key, it seems. Like everything in life.

During this past year, I took many small 1-2 week breaks due to inaccessibility. I think this is what was saving me. But after about three months of heavy use - no breaks - BAM! That shit hit me like a wrecking ball.

I’d like to hear anyone else’s story about continued use after diagnosis.

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Well, I had these symptoms recently…it wasn’t CHS, it is easy to say that cannabis is the culprit…mainly for the fact that everyone knows very little about cannabis. So all these symptoms that you are having may just be signs of gastric problems, or even your gallbladder, also…consider when you smoke cannabis you get cotton mouth, what is cotton mouth a sign of, dehydration, which can also cause these symptoms…personally, blaming cannabis alone is just not right…although excluding it maybe a mistake…before blaming cannabis, try to also find where other symptoms maybe coming from. For everyone else, these symptoms seem like dehydration, drink plenty of water and smoke less until fully hydrated, also, do not mention that you smoke to your Doctor, our medical system needs work and it is easy to blame the unknown than to blame something that maybe a common ailment.

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I’m sorry but it is the Cannabis alone, I have some good info on CHS and I will share it sometime this week.
Be well everyone!

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Yes you can return to smoke as long as you don’t go back to your old habits, vaporize only!
Cheers!

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Is not an allergy men, it is Cannabis toxicity!!!

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I love how ignorant people that have no affiliation with CHS or the symptoms like to give advice on how to help people that have it. If you don’t suffer from CHS you have no clue at all the feeling. Please don’t try and tell people it’s the government it’s the toxins in the weed you’re growing with chemicals you didn’t cure it right you’re not smoke in the right strain you are actually full of shit. This is real so just let the people that have it figured out shut you ignorant asses up.

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I’ve smoked the purist finest cannabis grown in California from the best growers hands no sprayed pure beautiful cannabis. I work for one of the best cannabis dispensaries in Northern California. I can mention this to five out of 10 patients and they will tell me they or someone they know suffers from the symptoms and they didn’t know what it was until I told them about it. Then people can finally start believing what it is because someone that’s so involved with cannabis understands it. Good luck to anyone reading this, quitting for the first five days is going to suck you’ll think that the CHS is not going to go away. Don’t smoke let your body fully recover. Or you going to be a walking toothpick for the rest of your life. People have lost their kidneys due to severe dehydration from CHS. Many people that have CVS actually have CHS because they don’t admit to the doctor about their heavy cannabis use.

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So if you can handle quitting for 5 days you don’t have it?

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Stop smokin
Sorry but that is all I can say
I mean unless you have a serious medical need for cannabis than stop using it

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And ther it is
Been sick since January have had these episodes.
First time I went to er I was honest about cannabis use for my back pain after two major surgeries
As soon as I said cannabis they hydarated me sent me on my way after 4 more er visits that week they finally referred my to a GI
He said it was cannabis too but since I was so insistant he did the edg, camera down the throat he found esophageal ulcers.
Now back in er several months later same symptoms and they are quite sure it is my gull bladder.
I have a hida scan later to confirm. Anyway I am sure this chs thing does exists but I think it makes it too easy on doctors to just say oh its pot cant help ya

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Yes but people have allergic reactions to all kinds of meds even those that can kill someone and their all legal

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@ChronicVomiter finally some sound advice! Was just diagnosed with this. Been about 1.5 years of symptoms. 3 trips to the ER, you know the drill. On my first week of abstinence, but no literature on if/when we can start up again! Know it’s different for everyone, but would love to hear more of your journey. Hope I don’t need to say goodbye forever!

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@ChronicVomiter, love that name! It is easy to deal with this. Usually you can feel it coming on. Ringing ears, dizziness, headaches and nausea. If it does not get better try, stopping smoking. If you feel better after a few WEEKS, reintroduce. If you feel bad again, you may be on to something. Regulate your frequency and or dosage until you don’t suffer. I truly believe its a tolerance thing. I know people who use a tremendous amount of Cannabis with no known issues. I also know people who just cant deal with it at all. It is up to the individual. It is like just about anything else. What works for you is what you need.

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I agree it also has to do with smokers, who also smoke cigarettes which they shouldn’t be smoking cigarettes in the first place, the herb is where it’s at for health. Combining the two is a problem. Also those vaporizers that replace cigarettes are NOT good for you. I think they are worse than a tobacco cigarette… Also if they have athsma or some sort of respiratory problem in the past or have been living with one growing up/still do. Also an inhaler may effect some cases of CHS…? @bmorgil

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@ApaEdu, Post that info! Knowledge is power.

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Cannabis is a bushy plant with five-pointed or seven pointed leaves. The main chemical present in marijuana that causes addiction is delta-9-tetrehydrocannabinol or THC. When marijuana is smoked, it is absorbed into the blood via lungs. It reaches brain through bloodstream where it produces its effects. The euphoric high produced by marijuana is caused by THC.