Boy, 17, died from health condition linked to marijuana that causes severe vomiting

Doctors have reported increasing cases of a rare but deadly condition linked to significant marijuana use, which causes severe vomiting, dehydration and abdominal pain.

Daily marijuana smokers are at risk of developing cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome (CHS), which researchers warn will become more common as marijuana becomes increasingly legal. It can be used recreationally in 22 US states.

Brian Smith, 17, died in Indiana in October 2018 due to dehydration due to CHS.

Smith is one of four known deaths associated with CHS – the others being a 27-year-old female, a 27-year-old male and a 31-year-old.

However, there are numerous cases of people with the condition being hospitalized for weeks.

A Boston woman, who described herself as an “Olympic smoker,” spent more than two weeks in the hospital.

ER doctor Sam Torbati said CHS is a “relatively unique condition that we see in patients who use relatively large amounts of marijuana — at least 20 times a month.

“Patients suffering from this condition have recurrent bouts of vomiting and abdominal pain.

“They are terribly symptomatic and can get very sick.”

CHS is a rare disease that develops as a result of chronic and long-term use of cannabis. Symptoms of CHS include extreme vomiting, nausea, dehydration, stomach pain, and in rare cases, death.

In the brain, marijuana often helps prevent nausea and vomiting. In the digestive tract, however, marijuana has the opposite effect and increases the risk of nausea and vomiting.

Some doctors believe that CHS is due to overstimulation of the endocannabinoid system, a network of receptors in the body that respond to compounds in cannabis.

Dr. Torbati said he has seen increasing CHS cases at Cedars-Sinai Hospital.

Marijuana can be used recreationally in 22 US states

Some doctors believe CHS is due to overstimulation of the endocannabinoid system, a network of receptors in the body that respond to compounds in cannabis

But diagnosing the condition is difficult.

Dr. Torbati said, “There’s no test we can do. There is no blood test. It does not show up on a CAT scan. I can’t really show you a picture to say, this is what CHS looks like.

Mr Smith, who died of CHS in 2018, first went to hospital with his mother, Regina Denney, to complain of severe vomiting and abdominal pain and had lost about 30 pounds in one month at the time.

His mother, Regina Denney, told ABC news: ‘The first time I noticed the vomiting was on April 7th. He vomited so much he said he felt tingling in his face and hands.”

She said, “The doctors took Brian for me. I came in and he had IVs in both arms; he was on oxygen. They said the muscle contraction was an anxiety attack from vomiting.

“They said he was dehydrated. His kidneys failed.”

Mr. Smith agreed to stop using marijuana for 45 days, but when the symptoms didn’t stop, he became irritable and started smoking again.

His death came as a shock to his mother six months after his diagnosis.

“He said, ‘Mom, I can’t breathe.’ I rolled it over and my son was gone,” Ms Denney said RTV6.

Erica Hagler started a support group on Facebook for those in recovery to share their symptoms

Mrs. Denney said, “I had to process that because weed doesn’t kill you. But it did.’

She added, “I don’t want another family to have to go through what we have.‘

A Canadian study found that CHS-related emergency room visits increased 13-fold in seven years between 2014 and 2021.

Commercial sales skyrocketed in Canada, as did the choice of cannabis products on the market.

Dr. Torbati said more research is essential.

CHS patients report severe burns from the scalding hot showers they take to get relief from their symptoms

He said, “We became more and more aware of this condition as more and more people use marijuana products. They now have much more THC, which they believe is the main chemical compound responsible for this.”

In America, cannabis samples seized by the DEA showed that potency tripled from 4 percent THC in 1995 to 12 percent in 2014.

The ratio between THC and CBD also increased from 14 to 80 times greater.

Marijuana has been used recreationally and medically for years to treat chronic pain and nausea, but for some it causes the opposite, sometimes causing the condition to be misdiagnosed.

Erica Hagler, 38 feet from Boston, said she used so much marijuana that she called herself an “Olympic smoker.”

She walked around her house with a bong in hand and even woke up in the night to take a hit.

Ms Hagler first fell ill in August 2018, telling ABC: ‘I ended up in hospital. I was there for two and a half weeks, throwing up constantly.’

She said Salon: “I couldn’t stop vomiting or shaking. I got to the point where I couldn’t walk because I was so weak. I lost 30 pounds in three weeks.”

She said, “They tested me for everything else under the sun and they couldn’t find a diagnosis.”

Ms. Hagler did her own research and came across CHS. A doctor confirmed her diagnosis and she immediately stopped using marijuana.

She said, “Once I knew it was killing me, it was instant. But for most people it’s not that easy.’

Ms. Hagler started a Facebook support group for those recovering from CHS, creating a place to share their symptoms.

Many in the group suffer horrific burns from scalding hot showers, as the water relieves CHS symptoms, at least temporarily.

One poster said, “On my last episode I spent hours and hours in the hot steamy shower over the course of about 10 days and I used such hot water and I was in there so long I burned my back and in the ER.’

Doctors believe that when THC and CBD bind over and over again to certain receptors in the body, it can cause severe nausea and vomiting.

It’s thought that using high temperatures may activate something in the same receptors that helps the symptoms.

There is no cure for CHS, but doctors say patients should give up marijuana.

Dr. Torbati said: “Patients will say, well, I stopped for two weeks and I didn’t get better, so it shouldn’t be this condition you’re labeling me with.

“And we teach and say, really, you’re going to have to stop for months.”