Capsaicin Cream Helped Treat Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome During Pregnancy
A pregnant patient with intractable nausea and pain from cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome improved significantly after topical capsaicin cream when other treatments failed.
Quick Facts
What This Study Found
A 34-year-old woman at 11 weeks gestation with intractable abdominal pain and nausea unresponsive to extensive gastrointestinal workup and multimodal antiemetic treatment was ultimately diagnosed with CHS. Topical capsaicin cream provided significant symptom improvement when oral pain management options were limited by pregnancy.
Key Numbers
Patient was 34 years old at 11 weeks gestation. Symptoms were refractory to multimodal antiemetic treatment before capsaicin was trialed.
How They Did This
Single case report from a clinical setting.
Why This Research Matters
CHS diagnosis is particularly challenging in pregnancy because nausea is expected, and treatment options are limited by fetal safety concerns. Topical capsaicin avoids systemic drug exposure, making it an attractive option.
The Bigger Picture
CHS is likely underdiagnosed in pregnant patients because symptoms overlap with hyperemesis gravidarum. As cannabis use during pregnancy remains common despite medical advice against it, clinicians need to consider CHS in the differential.
What This Study Doesn't Tell Us
Single case report provides the lowest level of clinical evidence. Cannot rule out spontaneous improvement or placebo effect. No long-term follow-up on pregnancy outcomes reported.
Questions This Raises
- ?How often is CHS misdiagnosed as hyperemesis gravidarum?
- ?Is topical capsaicin safe throughout pregnancy for CHS management?
Trust & Context
- Key Stat:
- Topical capsaicin resolved CHS symptoms in a pregnant patient when multiple anti-emetics failed
- Evidence Grade:
- Single case report with no controls. Provides a clinical observation worth further study but cannot establish efficacy.
- Study Age:
- 2025 publication.
- Original Title:
- Topical Capsaicin for Symptomatic Treatment of Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome in a Pregnant Patient: A Case Report.
- Published In:
- Pain medicine case reports, 9(6), 311-313 (2025)
- Authors:
- Huang, Jenny, Rayasam, Swathi, Graham, Caleb, Jones, Stephanie
- Database ID:
- RTHC-06688
Evidence Hierarchy
Read More on RethinkTHC
- 420-sober-survival-guide
- CBD-oil-quality-guide
- CBT-cannabis-recovery
- anxiety-medication-after-quitting-weed
- cannabis-chemotherapy-nausea
- cannabis-chronic-pain-research
- cannabis-epilepsy-CBD-Epidiolex
- cannabis-relapse-cycle-pattern
- cbd-anxiety-research-evidence
- cbd-for-weed-withdrawal
- cbd-vs-thc-difference
- cold-turkey-vs-taper-quit-weed
- dating-sober-after-quitting-weed
- exercise-quitting-weed-anxiety-brain
- grieving-quitting-weed-loss
- help-someone-quit-weed
- how-to-quit-weed
- journaling-weed-withdrawal
- marijuana-anonymous-SMART-recovery-compare
- medical-benefits-of-cannabis
- meditation-mindfulness-weed-withdrawal
- partner-still-smokes-weed
- partner-still-smokes-weed-quitting
- pink-cloud-sobriety-cannabis
- quit-weed-cold-turkey
- quit-weed-or-cut-back-which-is-better
- quit-weed-regret-went-back
- quitting-weed-20s
- quitting-weed-30s
- quitting-weed-after-years
- quitting-weed-before-surgery
- quitting-weed-during-crisis-divorce-job-loss
- quitting-weed-exercise
- quitting-weed-grief-loss-coping
- quitting-weed-legal-state
- quitting-weed-medication-interactions
- quitting-weed-pregnancy
- quitting-weed-pregnant
- quitting-weed-success-stories
- quitting-weed-triggers-environment
- relapsed-smoking-weed-what-to-do
- relapsed-weed
- seniors-older-adults-cannabis-risks-medications
- should-i-quit-weed
- sober-music-festival-concert-without-weed
- supplements-weed-withdrawal
- telling-friends-quitting-weed
- weed-breastfeeding-THC-breast-milk
- weed-relapse-prevention-plan
- weed-relapse-why-it-happens
- weed-ritual-replacement
- weed-ruined-relationships
- weed-social-media-triggers-quit
Cite This Study
https://rethinkthc.com/research/RTHC-06688APA
Huang, Jenny; Rayasam, Swathi; Graham, Caleb; Jones, Stephanie. (2025). Topical Capsaicin for Symptomatic Treatment of Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome in a Pregnant Patient: A Case Report.. Pain medicine case reports, 9(6), 311-313.
MLA
Huang, Jenny, et al. "Topical Capsaicin for Symptomatic Treatment of Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome in a Pregnant Patient: A Case Report.." Pain medicine case reports, 2025.
RethinkTHC
RethinkTHC Research Database. "Topical Capsaicin for Symptomatic Treatment of Cannabinoid H..." RTHC-06688. Retrieved from https://rethinkthc.com/research/huang-2025-topical-capsaicin-for-symptomatic
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.