[Cannabis hyperemesis syndrome]

Abstract

We present the course of cyclical hyperemesis most likely induced by cannabis in a young cannabis-dependent, but otherwise healthy female adult. Cyclical hyperemesis developed in parallel to increasing cannabis inhalation, and remitted completely within a few days of abstinence in a protective inpatient setting. Just as in those increasing cases which can be found in literature, the hyperemesis improved by taking a hot shower or bath at the beginning of the detoxification. This thermosensitivity, along with the detection of a central disturbance of the thyroid axis, points to the hypothalamic cannabinoid system being involved in cannabis-induced cyclical hyperemesis. The patient was followed up for 4 months without any re-occurrence of the syndrome during controlled cannabis abstinence.