Nine years symptom-free after quitting marijuana: a cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome case
A man with 16 years of uncontrollable vomiting and up to 15 scalding hot showers daily experienced complete, lasting resolution of all symptoms after stopping marijuana, with no recurrence over nine years.
Quick Facts
What This Study Found
A 44-year-old man with a long history of marijuana addiction had suffered from chronic abdominal pain and attacks of uncontrollable vomiting for 16 years. He developed a compulsion to take up to 15 scalding hot showers per day to relieve his symptoms. All previous treatments had failed.
Abstinence from marijuana led to rapid and complete resolution of all symptoms, including the compulsive hot showering behavior. The patient was followed for nine years after achieving abstinence, with no recurrence of symptoms.
This represented the longest published follow-up of cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome, demonstrating that the prognosis is excellent when abstinence is maintained.
Key Numbers
16 years of symptoms. Up to 15 hot showers per day. Complete resolution upon marijuana abstinence. Nine years of follow-up with no recurrence.
How They Did This
Single case report with nine years of follow-up documenting the clinical course, treatment history, and long-term outcome of cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome.
Why This Research Matters
This case provided the first long-term follow-up data showing that CHS is fully and permanently reversible with sustained cannabis abstinence. The nine-year remission confirms that the condition is not self-perpetuating once the trigger is removed.
The Bigger Picture
CHS remains underdiagnosed, partly because the mechanism is counterintuitive: a substance known for reducing nausea instead causing severe vomiting. Long-term follow-up data like this case helps clinicians make a stronger case to patients that abstinence will resolve their symptoms.
What This Study Doesn't Tell Us
Single case report. The mechanism by which abstinence resolves CHS is not fully understood. Not all CHS patients may achieve this outcome. Publication bias favors positive outcomes.
Questions This Raises
- ?What is the relapse rate among CHS patients who attempt abstinence?
- ?Could reduced cannabis use (rather than complete abstinence) resolve symptoms?
- ?What is the mechanism behind the hot water bathing compulsion?
Trust & Context
- Key Stat:
- Nine years symptom-free after stopping marijuana use
- Evidence Grade:
- Single case report. Valuable for the unprecedented nine-year follow-up but limited as individual experience.
- Study Age:
- Published in 2014.
- Original Title:
- Case of cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome with long-term follow-up.
- Published In:
- World journal of clinical cases, 2(12), 930-3 (2014)
- Authors:
- Cha, Jae Myung, Kozarek, Richard A, Lin, Otto S
- Database ID:
- RTHC-00783
Evidence Hierarchy
Describes what happened to one person or a small group.
What do these levels mean? →Frequently Asked Questions
Does cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome go away permanently?
In this case, complete abstinence from marijuana led to full symptom resolution that lasted nine years with no recurrence. This is the longest follow-up published for CHS.
Why do people with CHS take hot showers?
The mechanism is not fully understood, but patients report that very hot water temporarily relieves their nausea. This patient took up to 15 scalding showers per day. The compulsion resolved completely along with the vomiting after quitting marijuana.
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Cite This Study
https://rethinkthc.com/research/RTHC-00783APA
Cha, Jae Myung; Kozarek, Richard A; Lin, Otto S. (2014). Case of cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome with long-term follow-up.. World journal of clinical cases, 2(12), 930-3. https://doi.org/10.12998/wjcc.v2.i12.930
MLA
Cha, Jae Myung, et al. "Case of cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome with long-term follow-up.." World journal of clinical cases, 2014. https://doi.org/10.12998/wjcc.v2.i12.930
RethinkTHC
RethinkTHC Research Database. "Case of cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome with long-term foll..." RTHC-00783. Retrieved from https://rethinkthc.com/research/cha-2014-case-of-cannabinoid-hyperemesis
Access the Original Study
Study data sourced from PubMed, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health.
This study breakdown was produced by the RethinkTHC research team. We analyze and report published research findings without making health recommendations. All interpretations are based solely on the published abstract and study data.