A young guy walked into the clinic supported by a girl around her mid 20s and a guy on the left slightly older,his skin a bit fairer than the rest.
“Our friend here has used “ndom” for the first time and is in serious pain” He said ,amid gags from his clearly distressed friend. He also said the friend had been diahorrearing ,had sharp stings in his stomach and vomited till he couldn’t anymore.
(*ndom /shada/weed/bhang/ Maryjane- cannabis sativa )
I immediately send them to the doctor . This “ndom” he had taken in must have been rotten edibles.I mean from my little knowledge of cannabis side effects,I thought THC had only psychoactive effects.
Wrong
Of course the first course of action was Google(since they probably do not teach this in Med School) – I promise you the doctor was as green as I was.
This set of symptoms constitute what is referred to as
Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome {CHS}, a condition that leads to severe bouts of vomiting and in some cases severe stomach pains,which is separate from normal effects of the drug which includes Feeling of Hunger and extreme appetite,sedation,paranoia and anxiety,memory loss and strange behavior.
So what are the Causes?
On going Research shows it may be due to failure of response of receptors in the brain that bind with Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) the active ingredient in weed.
This is mainly in long term marijuana users and in rare isolated cases, first time users – like last week’s patient.
The silver lining in this however is that Over 50% of marijuana users may never experience CHS no matter how long they use the drug.
Symptoms
If you smoke/ ingest Cannabis and experience Symptoms such as
1. Vomiting in episodes (that last hours)
2.Nausea
3.Stomach discomfort that progresses to severe pain
4.Dehydration – then you probably are experiencing CHS.
Long term effects?
Most times ,the condition disappears on its own without further complications . Though if left untreated one may develop kidney failure with time, cerebral edema( very rare cases) and muscle weakness.
Treatment options?
Treatment is yet to be fully documented as common antibiotics do not work. Though painkillers and intravenous fluids control the pain and dehydration.
Hot showers have also been of help in reducing the symptoms by providing a soothing effect
You might wanna cut down on your Cannabis intake if you present such symptoms.
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Awesome !!!🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾
This level of awareness is needed as much as some peeps are advocating for legalization of cannabis people should understand that each persons dynamics in processing, activation and elimination of weed differs.
I think the key is to note when other physical effects start coming up aside from the usual,and take it as a red flag
This is eye opening. More often than not we generalize effects of weed to mere paranoia , hunger , hallucinations and general body weakness, yet weed has other effects on the human body especially if mixed with other products. Some marijuana grading and guiding sites write that some kenyan joints are laced with petroleum/ paraffin some with harder narcotics like cocaine or even xanax. Had a friend once that got total confusion after a session and had the same symptoms as you’ve said, so guess its high time we be on the lookout.
I’ve heard about the lacing with narcotics but paraffin? Why would they do that to people ?
This is very eye opening 👏👏
We aim to educate here at Madame alpha
Appreciated!
Forwards article to stoner friends 😁.
Yes yes ,you too BK!
Such an eye opener.
As always ,thank you
Very educational article
Thank you .
Thoroughly insightful. I knew weed was something else when a guy friend of mine hallucinated he went into labour.