It’s an unusual side effect and one that’s recently been on the rise because of increased marijuana use: “scromiting.”
The increased legalization and acceptance of marijuana has led to a rise in an unusual side effect known on social media as “scromiting.”
That’s a combination of screaming and vomiting.
The medical term for scromiting is Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome (CHS), which has become more prevalent since the broader legalization of cannabis. The condition causes severe repeated or “cyclical” vomiting.
Understanding ‘scromiting’
“We don’t really understand the mechanisms by which CHS emerges,” said Dr. Joshua Smith of Henry Ford Health Addiction Medicine. “We don’t really understand why it causes the cyclic nausea and vomiting and abdominal pain.”
Dr. Smith, an addiction medicine specialist at Henry Ford Health Maplegrove Clinic, explains that our bodies have a natural system that uses cannabinoids. The syndrome may be linked to overwhelming this system.
“It probably has something to do with overwhelming that natural system, just getting to a point where maybe a little bit was great, but a lot is just too much and it causes these symptoms,” Smith said.
Unique symptoms and treatment
One distinctive characteristic of CHS helps doctors identify the condition.
“One of the most unusual features of it being that the symptoms are often somewhat relieved by the use of hot showers or hot baths, which, when we hear people say that, it’s usually a tip off to the diagnosis,” said Dr. Smith.
While cannabis is often used to treat nausea and pain, Dr. Smith points out that “in high amounts and high concentrations can actually paradoxically cause those things to get much worse.”
Limited treatment options
While emergency rooms can offer some symptomatic treatments for CHS, these interventions often prove inadequate “because the syndrome can be so severe,” Dr. Smith said.
“There’s really only one cure for it, which is to stop using marijuana or cannabis products,” emphasizes Dr. Smith. “That is the only cure.”
Tracking and research
Previously, tracking CHS cases proved challenging because it wasn’t well recognized.
However, the World Health Organization has recently added the diagnosis to its diagnostic manual, a change that should facilitate better identification and research of the syndrome.
Demographics
Currently, CHS primarily affects long-term younger adult cannabis users. However, medical professionals are monitoring whether this pattern might shift as cannabis.