They call it “scromiting.” Screaming and vomiting simultaneously because the pain is so intense. Emergency rooms across the country have been seeing more of it over the past decade, and until October 1, doctors didn’t even have a proper way to diagnose what was causing it.
Cannabis hyperemesis syndrome finally got its own medical code from the World Health Organization, and ER visits for the condition jumped 650% between 2016 and the pandemic. Cannabis is famous for treating nausea. But for chronic users, it can do the exact opposite.
What Actually Happens
Cannabis hyperemesis syndrome hits people who use marijuana regularly over long periods. The symptoms come in cycles: severe nausea, repeated vomiting, intense abdominal pain. Episodes typically occur three or four times per year, starting within 24 hours of the most recent cannabis use and lasting for days.
In severe cases, the condition can cause dehydration, significant weight loss, and electrolyte imbalances. The really scary part? Heart rhythm problems, seizures, kidney failure, and even death have been reported in extreme situations, according to the National Institutes of Health.
Here’s the strangest symptom that actually helps doctors identify it: patients find relief only from scalding hot showers. They’ll spend hours in the bathroom, turning the water as hot as they can stand, because it’s the only thing that temporarily eases the pain. Scientists still don’t fully understand why hot water helps, but it’s become a telltale sign of the syndrome.
Why It Took So Long to Recognize
Before October 1, 2025, clinicians had to use combinations of vomiting codes plus secondary cannabis diagnoses to document cases. Many patients cycled through emergency departments multiple times, racking up thousands of dollars in bills, before anyone figured out what was actually wrong.
“A person often will have multiple emergency department visits until it is correctly recognized, costing thousands of dollars each time,” said Beatriz Carlini, a research associate professor at the University of Washington School of Medicine who studies cannabis health effects.
The new diagnostic code (R11.16) changes everything. Now hospitals can track cases accurately, researchers can study patterns, and doctors can spot repeat episodes by looking at medical records. For a condition that was dismissed or misdiagnosed for years, having an official classification matters.
The High-Potency Problem
Nobody knows exactly why some cannabis users develop this syndrome while others don’t. One theory suggests heavy, long-term use overstimulates the body’s cannabinoid system, essentially flipping marijuana’s usual anti-nausea effect into its opposite.
But timing matters. CHS cases surged during the pandemic and stayed elevated afterward. Isolation, stress, and increased access to high-potency products likely all played a role. Modern cannabis products often contain THC levels above 90%, compared to 5% in the 1990s.
“The increased rates of CHS are absolutely linked to high-potency cannabis,” John Puls, a nationally certified addiction specialist, told Fox News. He’s seen an alarming increase particularly among adolescents and young adults using these ultra-concentrated products.
Why Patients Don’t Believe It
Even after diagnosis, many people refuse to accept that cannabis is the source of their suffering. It makes sense; marijuana is prescribed to cancer patients and people with HIV specifically to combat nausea. How could the same substance be causing it?
“Some people say they’ve used cannabis without a problem for decades,” said Dr. Chris Buresh, an emergency medicine specialist with UW Medicine. “Or they smoke pot because they think it treats their nausea.”
The syndrome is intermittent, which makes it harder to connect the dots. Someone might use cannabis for months without issues, then suddenly become violently ill for several days. They recover, assume it was food poisoning or a stomach bug, go back to using, and the cycle repeats. It can take years and multiple ER visits before anyone puts it together.
The Only Real Treatment
Typical anti-nausea medications rarely help with cannabis hyperemesis syndrome. Doctors sometimes prescribe stronger drugs like Haldol or use capsaicin cream (the same compound that makes chili peppers hot) on the skin, which mimics the warming relief patients get from hot showers. These offer temporary control at best.
The only actual cure is stopping cannabis use entirely. But for people who’ve been using daily for years, quitting isn’t simple. Cannabis use disorder makes abstinence difficult, even when people understand it’s making them violently sick.
Recovery faces another obstacle: because episodes are cyclical with symptom-free periods in between, users can convince themselves the problem is solved without actually quitting. Then the next episode hits, often worse than the last.
Why This Matters Now
As cannabis legalization expands and products get more potent, more people are using marijuana than ever before. The new diagnostic code means doctors can finally track how widespread this syndrome actually is, who’s most vulnerable, and whether certain products or usage patterns increase risk.
For anyone using cannabis regularly, especially high-THC products, understanding this syndrome isn’t about fear-mongering. It’s about recognizing that a substance with genuine medical benefits can also cause serious harm when used chronically in high doses. The body’s relationship with cannabinoids is more complex than “marijuana good” or “marijuana bad.”
If you’re a regular user experiencing recurring cycles of severe vomiting and abdominal pain, especially if hot showers are the only relief, talk to your doctor. Now that cannabis hyperemesis syndrome has an official name and code, you’re more likely to get an accurate diagnosis instead of expensive trial-and-error treatments for a mystery illness that isn’t actually mysterious anymore.