Teen’s Struggle with Cannabis Hyperemesis Syndrome

For Sidney Collins, a month-long hospital stay with a feeding tube didn’t quite do the trick when it came to quitting marijuana. At just 16, she found herself reaching for a weed pen almost daily, despite battling severe nausea and vomiting.

Things got particularly rough during spring break of her senior year when, on a plane, she couldn’t stop throwing up. “Some days lasted until noon; there were days I didn’t even go to school because it was just that bad,” Collins, now 23, recalled. “I’d be screaming with nothing coming out, just feeling utterly empty.”

She was actually suffering from cannabis hyperemesis syndrome (CHS), a condition causing persistent nausea and vomiting in chronic cannabis users. To Collins, experiencing CHS felt like living a nightmare filled with pain.

Despite warnings from experts about the dangers of cannabis on adolescent brain development—like increased anxiety, depression, and impaired decision-making—over 2.5 million U.S. teens use it casually, with an additional 600,000 believed to be addicted.

Hospitals have seen a rise in CHS cases, prompting institutions like the World Health Organization to officially recognize it with a diagnostic code. Unfortunately, Collins fell into the category of “unlucky trendsetters” as her CHS went undiagnosed during her first hospital visit.

The incident on the plane led to seven emergency room visits within a month, leaving her unable to lead a normal life or even eat a full meal for weeks. “Some days I’d think, ‘Maybe I can eat,’ but only hours later the vomiting and pain would return,” she shared.

In one hospital visit, doctors noted she weighed only 87 pounds, which led to her needing a feeding tube. “[They said] this isn’t normal; we need to find out what’s going on,” Collins detailed.

Initially, she tried soaking in hot baths to relieve the pain, but it only made things worse due to her dehydration. Even nutritional supplements were hard to swallow. “I couldn’t stand the taste,” she admitted, mentioning that ice cubes became a go-to for her.

Collins’ doctor first misdiagnosed her with superior mesenteric artery syndrome, which is common due to the lack of awareness around CHS. Many patients are misled into believing they have food poisoning instead.

“The biggest misconception is that CHS is fabricated,” remarked John Pulse, a psychotherapist. “It’s easily mistaken for other gastrointestinal issues, especially in ERs.”

Daniel McGovern, another CHS sufferer, faced misdiagnosis at 20, initially being told he had gastroesophageal reflux disease. “I favored concentrated wax,” he said, also recounting daily marijuana use during his teenage years. “Every morning I awakened feeling nauseous until the symptoms intensified to the point of being unable to drink water.”

For him, visiting a gastroenterologist finally clarified that marijuana was the culprit. Experts believe CHS arises due to overstimulation of receptors in the endocannabinoid system, which disrupts the normal process of managing nausea.

Despite their diagnoses, both Collins and McGovern continued using cannabis to alleviate their symptoms, which ironically often worsened their condition. “The more I smoked, the worse it got,” McGovern explained, describing a frustrating cycle.

Collins, after a lengthy hospital stay, tried to quit but eventually accepted another diagnosis: Crohn’s disease—a condition causing gastrointestinal inflammation and distress. This led her to mistakenly attribute her earlier symptoms to marijuana.

Some users remain unaware that CHS can recur intermittently, leading them to continue using cannabis until serious illness strikes again. “Three years later, I had another major episode and ended up hospitalized again,” Collins reflected.

Both Collins and McGovern found their mental health suffering alongside their physical health. “There were days I couldn’t leave my bed,” McGovern noted, expressing concern over job loss due to missed work and feeling increasingly isolated.

Now, McGovern has shifted away from concentrates and edibles, favoring just the flower and using it at night, which helps ease his symptoms. Collins, on the other hand, confronted a deep sense of shame during her struggles, feeling the need to explain her cannabis use to family, who had no idea she smoked.

She finally quit two years ago after her last hospitalization, realizing that her symptoms disappeared once she stopped using cannabis. “I found support in an online CHS group where I shared my story on social media,” she explained. “It really kept me accountable; it felt great to track my journey.”