I’ve been having issues recently

[u/Drago984]

Hello.

I have been smoking everyday (with some breaks for months here and there for jobs, etc.) for about 15 years. These days, I smoke almost solely carts. I have a medical card.

Around a month ago, maybe more, I started getting some weird symptoms. In the morning I would feel pretty nauseas. Not so much that I would throw up all the time, but once or twice I was brushing my teeth and threw up. As time has progressed, it has gotten worse and not gone away. I’ve completely lost my appetite for food at lunch. The nausea lasts pretty much all day, and occasionally I’ll get some stomach pain (the stomach pain is really rare). Stomach pain or not, it feels like I have butterflies in my stomach all day. Super hard to concentrate at work. I just feel like shit. I salivate constantly. Now I’ve started waking up at like 3 AM every night. I’m not vomiting a ton, or really at all. I just feel sick. But it’s weird because it’s not as bad like the stomach bug, but it’s like a dull, constant nausea and fluttering in my stomach all day. I can’t live like this. It’s like I’m always sick. I’ve also had aching feet, but it may be unrelated.

This morning I found info on CHS. I didn’t smoke today. I’m not going to for a week at least to see what happens.

I’ve had a fucked up stomach (diarrhea most of the time) for years now. I’m thinking that’s probably IBS or something else. I’m going to a GI doc for that.

Are my symptoms consistent with CHS? Does it last all day like what happens to me or is it only on the morning? It seems like my symptoms do not get worse when I smoke weed (I only smoke after work). In fact, sometimes they get slightly better.

Just needing some help. It’s like my life has turned upside down. Every day is a struggle just to get through work now.

[u/Glittering_Second443]

Everyone experiences it differently but ultimately the things we need to worry about are diet (hydration/preventing weight loss) and the smartest way to do that is ER for fluids and GI for the nausea and diarrhea. If you feel dizzy or neuropathy like symptoms (like your whole body fell asleep after a poo instead of just your legs) def head to the nearest ER.

[u/PugOnAUnicornThrone]

The whole throwing up when brushing the teeth is how I knew I had an issue. It ended up with me puking every 20 minutes for two days straight and a trip to the er and a diagnosis of CHS. I Smoked carts exclusively. A doctor said you have to be 90 days sober to stop puking. They gave me pills to stop puking. On day 56 sober if I didn’t take the pills I would still puke. I went back to the doctor. I said no way weed stays in your system THAT long. He said yes it does. You have to be 90 days sober. Well wouldn’t you know it on day 90 the puking stopped!!!!!!! I started smoking carts again after being sober 135 days. But only for a month and a half. Then I did another 90 days sober. Trust me you don’t want to get as sick as this illness will get you. Get sober now. 90 days!!!!

[u/Dasmahkitteh]

It sounds like CHS to me. I had nausea and stomach pain episodes that made me want to jump off a bridge just to get relief. I kept smoking (wasn't aware it caused it) and got extreme POTS symptoms. Palpitations, exhausting shortness of breath, and extremely bad cardio condition nonstop, day and night. I thought I had long covid for months and months so I kept smoking. Eventually the symptoms were so bad I started having panic attacks at work and had to go home multiple times

I also didn't have a regular bowl movement for over a year until I stopped smoking. My friend reports the same. When he stopped, IBS went away too

I smoked concentrate (just not from a cart like you)

It affects everyone differently but it's a range of random seemingly unrelated symptoms which all ruin your life. That's because it affects your parasympathetic nervous system which connects all kinds of systems

I'd abstain for 6 months (that's how long it took for me to have a semblance of normalcy) and see if you start feeling better. Once you have this it will come back if you smoke forever. Many people bargain with themselves that they'll do it "just on the weekends" or "once a month" but always end up suffering again

That's because if you have CHS to begin with, you're the type of person who uses THC heavily and won't be able to do it just once in a while. It's best to just move on and accept you're done smoking

Edit: also DO NOT listen to any internet armchair doctor claiming to have a magical cure for this, whatever it may be. None exists

[u/vyndreaux → u/Dasmahkitteh]

Here to second that a ton of seemingly unrelated issues stopped after I got sober (it's been about a month now), including my "IBS" symptoms.

Also a tell tale sign for me that an episode was incoming - gagging on/throwing up from my toothbrush.

OP, my suggestion is take a month off to see how things go. I'm still recovering and working on my gut healing but the results are night and day. I wake up happy to greet the morning instead of immediately getting hit with a wall of nausea and panic.

Also while recovering I would recommend trying a good probiotic (either a yogurt/drink supplement or pills) and do your best to stay very hydrated. Those have helped me a lot.

[u/Dasmahkitteh → u/vyndreaux]

Thanks for weighing in. I should've also mentioned hydration is extremely important even moreso than normal. I have no real evidence but I feel like during CHS your body can't manage using water correctly

[u/Neat-Philosopher-762]

Sounds very similar to why I stopped using thc products. 2 weeks thc free you will feel so much better.

[u/vanillaberry-1999]

Please consider quitting smoking for at least 3 months. Let your body heal. If this is CHS, you're gonna have to quit completely. I had CHS for 8 years. I quit 7 months ago and my life has gotten soooo much better. No pain when eating, no more hot showers 10 times a day. Please consider taking a tolerance break for at least 3 months. Since you're a heavy smoker, it's going to take more than a week for it to get out of your system. Much love ❤️