How Marijuana Can Harm Your Digestive Tract: Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome

Many people claim marijuana gives them an increased appetite or "the munchies" and this may be because there is a little known connection between marijuana use and the digestive tract. This connection allows some people to use marijuana specifically to fight nausea.

The reason it works is because THC binds to molecules in the digestive tract and effects the brain-gut connection. These effects vary from person to person. They may be as slight as increased appetite for a short amount of time, or as severe as Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome.

Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome (CHS) can develop in those who are daily, long term users of marijuana. It occurs when receptors in the brain stop functioning as they did during the early stages of using the drug, and begin responding with nausea and vomiting instead.

The most clear symptom of CHS is repeated bouts of vomiting with no other symptoms (such as fever, fatigue, etc.) in between. The symptoms typically follow a 3 stage pattern:

Prodromal phase: Most common symptoms are nausea in the early morning and stomach pain. Many do all they can to avoid vomiting by adjusting their eating habits and lifestyle. This phase may last months or years.

Hyperemetic phase: During this phase nausea becomes almost constant, long-lasting and persistent. Stomach pain is frequent, along with repeated episodes of vomiting. Many lose weight due to decreased food intake and dehydration.

Recovery phase: The hyperemetic phase may continue until the marijuana usage stops. At that point, recovery begins and normal appetite will return. Most other symptoms are alleviated. This can last days or months, but often regress if marijuana use continues.

There is no single test for CHS. If you suspect you are experiencing it, doctors may test blood, urine, stomach, x-rays, CT scans and more to determine the issue. CHS was first described in a medical journal in 2004, so some healthcare providers may not yet be familiar with it.

The most common symptoms pointing to CHS are long term weekly and daily marijuana use, stomach pain, repeated episodes of nausea and vomiting and experiencing some symptom relief with hot showers. This is because the temperature disrupts the THC's effect on the brain and nausea.

It is not known why CHS develops in some long term users of marijuana, but not in all. The exact rate is still undetermined, but is still continuing to be studied.

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