Severe Vomiting Syndrome Linked to Chronic Marijuana Use
If you or your child has been vomiting incessantly, it could actually be due to the chronic use of marijuana. A new study shows a link between cannabis and a severe form of vomiting syndrome, which usually subsides with continued abstinence from marijuana. For reasons that are still unknown, people with this syndrome also compulsively shower with hot water, which appears to relieve the symptoms. With the widespread abuse of marijuana, this form of vomiting sickness is being increasingly recognized.
Dr. Sontineni and his colleagues at the Creighton University of Omaha, Nebraska, are credited for finding the link. According to Sontineni, doctors and health care workers aren’t recognizing the syndrome, which leads to delayed diagnosis and expensive diagnostic investigations. He says that the increasing consistent use of marijuana over several years will lead to a steady rise in the number of vomiting sicknesses cases each year.
The exact mechanism that leads to these symptoms and the reasons why they appear after several years of marijuana abuse are still under scientific investigation, as is the reason for the compulsive showering.
The syndrome was first recognized in Australia, and scientists and doctors at several institutions around the world are identifying more cases of this syndrome as a result of chronic marijuana abuse.
