Regular and longtime weed smokers suffering from CHS (Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome) have two options, according to a TikToking scientist.
Known as @cannabichem on the social media platform, she was asked to explain the horrific-sounding health phenomenon by a fellow TikTok user several years ago.
In her video, she weighed in on this rapidly more common side effect of heavy marijuana puffing, which is characterised by abdominal agony, vomiting and severe nausea.
It’s unofficial title is ‘scromiting’, combining the words ‘screaming’ and ‘vomiting’.
Per a study published in 2025, the number of people turning up in US emergency departments with CHS increased fourfold from 2016 to 2022, while the World Health Organisation has even formally recognised CHS with a proper diagnosis code.
Responding to the medical question, @cannabichem revealed ‘the only thing’ that can ease people’s torment.
“Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome, or CHS, is a condition that’s characterised by episodes of uncontrollable vomiting,” she began, “and the only thing that helps people suffering from CHS is capsaicin cream or hot showers.”
Derived from chilli peppers, capsaicin cream is typically used to alleviate joint pain and aches.
“CHS is likely caused by the overconsumption of cannabis products, specifically high THC products,” she went on to share.
“I have an entire playlist on CHS and I encourage you to check that out, but I will add something to it: the reason cannabinoids work so well in our body for a variety of different conditions is because we have an endocannabinoid system which can bring balance to systems that are unbalanced in our body.
“Although the compounds in cannabis are very safe, it’s important to know too much of anything is bad for you,” warned the scientist.
“Learning to consume in moderation, taking the smallest amount that you can to get the maximal benefit is a great practice to avoid these adverse effects. And if you feel the symptoms of CHS coming, you need to stop using cannabis products.”
CHS only tends to effect heavy weed smokers (THOMAS SAMSON/AFP via Getty Images)
Meanwhile, one of the torturous condition’s victims, 23-year-old Sydni Collins, told The New York Post all about her experience last year.
“I would be puking all morning. I would let out yells or cries because nothing would come out. I was just dry heaving,” she said.
“I could not bear the taste of anything. I would chew on ice cubes. I would lick the salt off pretzel rods.
“I would be in the fetal position on the bed for hours because that was the only way my stomach didn’t hurt as bad.”
Updated 14:27 1 Dec 2025 GMTPublished 13:02 1 Dec 2025 GMT
Weed smokers warned about horrific ‘scromiting’ side effect that has big impact on your body
A chilling side effect of smoking weed has been revealed after instances have increased in the past decade or so.
Better known as cannabis, the drug has long been known as one of the ‘safer’ ones compared to the likes of cocaine, LSD and others, but it can still come with some unwanted side effects.
While recreational use remains illegal in the UK, several US states have made the move to legalise marijuana, and both countries allow the drug to be used for medical purposes.
It’s been said that partaking in the habit throughout your 20s and 30s can affect your lungs in the long-term, which isn’t what you’d call ideal.
Another study found that those who smoked regularly had a lower IQ by 1.3 points, though experts said it wasn’t a largely noticeable difference.
While it’s considered to be less harmful than Class A drugs, it can cause some serious health issues (Getty Stock Image)
The reality is that there are a number of positives that come with quitting the habit, and we’re not on about munchies.
According to new research, hospitals in the US have seen more regular smokers show up with a condition called cannabis hyperemesis syndrome (CHS), which consists of attacks to the stomach and unbearable pain.
What is CHS?
CHS can hit chronic cannabis users three to four times a year, with the disorder causing nausea, abdominal pain and severe vomiting which can take place up to five times an hour, says the Cleveland Clinic.
Experts say that these symptoms can appear within 24 hours of using cannabis, potentially lasting days and becoming so severe that doctors in the ER have come up with a name for them – ‘scromiting’.
It’s a mix of screaming and vomiting.
The condition is linked to chronic cannabis use (Getty Stock Image)
Lack of treatments
The problem is becoming more of a concern, with the World Health Organisation (WHO) formally recognising the condition and adding an official diagnosis code to its manual.
Beatriz Carlini, a research associate professor at the University of Washington School of Medicine, said: “It helps us count and monitor these cases. In studying addiction and other public health concerns, we have three sources of data: what clinicians tell us, what people in the communities tell us, and what health records tell us.
“A new code for cannabis hyperemesis syndrome will supply important hard evidence on cannabis-adverse events, which physicians tell us is a growing problem.”
Doctors remain unfamiliar with the syndrome, which can make it hard to distinguish it from the likes of food poisoning or the stomach flu, as there are currently no existing therapies for it.
Anti-nausea medications often prove unsuccessful, Dr Chris Buresh, an emergency medicine specialist with UW Medicine and Seattle Children’s Hospital, said.
Patients have tried using capsaicin cream on their stomachs to ease the pain, while warm showers have been found to ease any discomfort.
Dr Buresh added: “That’s something that can clinch the diagnosis for me, when someone says they’re better with a hot shower.
“Patients describe going through all the hot water in their house.”
CHS can cause nausea and intense vomiting on a daily basis (Getty Stock Image)
Who can be affected?
Long-term recovery from the condition can be difficult, with some patients believing it to be unrelated to smoking, before the drug causes another episode.
Quitting the addictive habit can also make abstinence a challenge, with that being the only known way to cure the condition.
Scientists are unsure about the causes of CHS, but it’s said that it could be linked to the long-term overstimulation of receptors in the endocannabinoid system, playing a part in disrupting the body’s control of nausea and vomiting.
But the fact that it only affects some weed users remains a question mark, as Dr Buresh added: “We don’t know if it’s related to the greater general availability of cannabis or the higher THC potency of some products or something else.”
He believes the ‘threshold is different for everyone’, while a study published by researchers at George Washington University found that those who started smoking earlier in life were more likely to develop CHS symptoms, along with those using the drug on a daily basis.
Adolescents with CHS in the US also increased by more than 10 times in the period between 2016 and 2023, according to the researchers.
If you want friendly, confidential advice about drugs, you can talk to FRANK. You can call 0300 123 6600, text 82111 or contact through their website 24/7, or livechat from 2pm-6pm any day of the week.
Horrifying simulation shows what happens to your body if you smoke weed every day
Too much of anything can be bad for the body
An unsettling simulation has exposed what could happen to your body if you smoke weed every day.
While Snoop Dogg might sing about it like it’s nothing to worry about, and he’s probably the man who knows most about it, there can be a lot of health risks associated with marijuana.
Of course, other drugs in society, such as cocaine and ketamine, get more of a bad reputation when we think about their dangers, with cannabis often seen to be far ‘safer’, particularly in the many countries and US states where it has been legalised.
However, moderation is the key to enjoying nearly everything, and smoking weed regularly could lead to potential problems in your heart, lungs and brain.
A simulation from Dr Boogie on TikTok has collated data from various scientific studies to sum up the health issues that could arise if you become dependent or addicted to the Class B drug and smoke it every day.
Smoking weed every day can have a range of consequences (Getty Stock Images)
Changes to the structure of the brain
The video states: “THC binds to the brain receptors causing short-term euphoria and altered perception.”
When cannabis is smoked daily, a person’s tolerance to it increases, meaning they need more of it to experience the same effect and high.
This can prompt ‘potential changes in memory and learning areas’.
A 2022 Harvard study found that long-term cannabis users’ IQs declined by 5.5 points since childhood, and they also had smaller hippocampi (the area of the brain responsible for memory and learning).
It concluded that cannabis caused greater cognitive impairment than alcohol or tobacco use.
Cannabis can change the structure of your brain (Getty Stock Images)
Healthline adds: “In people younger than 25 years, whose brains haven’t yet fully developed, long-term cannabis use can have a lasting detrimental impact on thinking and memory processes.”
In 2024, the Office for National Statistics found that 13.8 percent of people aged 16 to 24 reported smoking cannabis within the last year.
Social anxiety
The video goes on to say that lighting up every day can increase the risk of dependency and anxiety.
A 2024 study found that people who were hospitalised because of cannabis were 3.7 times more likely to be hospitalised again within three years because of an anxety disorder.
This could be due to the way cannabis use produces changes in the brain.
THC, the psychoactive substance in cannabis, stimulates the amygdala – a crucial emotional processing centre in the brain, particularly important for detecting threats.
Another study found that people who smoked weed regularly as teenagers experienced accelerated thinning of the prefrontal cortex in the brain, which made their behaviour more impulsive.
Cannabis can affect the amygdala and the prefrontal cortex (Getty Stock Images)
Psychosis
The simulation also notes that long-term cannabis use can increase the likelihood of psychosis symptoms.
A 2024 study by King’s College, London, found that people who smoked weed daily, and in particular smoked cannabis with a high THC content, were particularly at risk.
Lead author Professor Marta di Forti wrote: “These are important findings at a time of increasing use and potency of cannabis worldwide.
“Our study indicates that daily users of high potency cannabis are at increased risk of developing psychosis independently from their [genetic risk of] schizophrenia.”
Impact on lungs
Heavy cannabis use can be linked with respiratory issues (Getty Stock Images)
It’s not just your brain that will supposedly suffer, however, as the video goes on to explain how your lung health will decline due to excessive smoking, much in the same way that smoking tobacco or vaping might.
You are likely to develop symptoms such as ‘chronic cough, increased phlegm, bronchitis symptoms and higher airway inflammation similar to tobacco effects in heavy users’.
The American Lung Association writes that marijuana smoke injures the cell linings of the large airways in the lungs.
Impact on heart
Doctors and studies have previously suggested that excessive cannabis use can increase your chances of heart disease or stroke.
One study found that cannabis users younger than 50 were six times more likely to suffer a heart attack compared to non-users.
The simulation adds that the impact of weed can ‘vary widely by genetic, age of start and amount,’ noting the effects are ‘dose dependent’ and ‘often worse with heavy use’.
Fortunately, it seems as if things will quickly improve if you do decide to stop, but then it’s all about managing withdrawal symptoms and keeping yourself healthy, if you want to avoid the long-term health issues associated with such excessive drug use.
If you want friendly, confidential advice about drugs, you can talk to FRANK. You can call 0300 123 6600, text 82111 or contact through their website 24/7, or livechat from 2pm-6pm any day of the week.