A Michigan teenager who first used cannabis at 15 is now coping with a debilitating condition marked by relentless vomiting, severe abdominal pain and potentially dangerous heart complications.
Andy Timmons, 19, of St. Clair Shores near Detroit, has been hospitalized twice after developing symptoms consistent with Cannabis Hyperemesis Syndrome, or CHS—a disorder associated with long-term, frequent marijuana use.
CHS can trigger repeated episodes of intense nausea and vomiting. Without prompt treatment, patients may become dangerously dehydrated and face serious, sometimes life-threatening, complications.
The condition also has a distinctive symptom: an intense compulsion to take prolonged, extremely hot showers, which may provide temporary relief from the pain and nausea.
Timmons’ mother, Mindi Giorlando-Timmons, said her daughter had used cannabis since age 15 but never realized marijuana could be behind such severe and frightening symptoms.
The teenager first said she felt “off.” Her symptoms soon escalated to intense stomach pain, headaches and persistent vomiting.
Her health worsened so quickly that she was taken to an emergency room last month, where doctors admitted her to the hospital.
Andy Timmons, 19, began using cannabis at 15 before developing a debilitating condition associated with prolonged marijuana use (stock photo)
There is no FDA-approved treatment specifically for Cannabis Hyperemesis Syndrome, doctors warn. Care typically centers on controlling symptoms until an episode passes
Although Timmons was eventually sent home, the crisis was only beginning.
Just four days later, the vomiting returned with such force that Andy pleaded with her mother to take her back to the hospital.
She was readmitted during the night, and testing showed that her potassium and magnesium levels had fallen to dangerously low levels.
Doctors also detected an abnormality in the electrical activity of her heart, a finding that can raise the risk of potentially fatal irregular heartbeats.
During that hospital stay, medical staff finally began to uncover a possible cause for the teenager’s unexplained illness.
A nurse asked Andy whether anything helped reduce her symptoms.
When she explained that standing under hot water for long periods brought relief, staff recognized the behavior as a hallmark warning sign of Cannabis Hyperemesis Syndrome.
Her mother told ClickOnDetroit that she had never heard of CHS before that hospital visit.
Cannabis Hyperemesis Syndrome can be difficult to identify because its symptoms resemble other gastrointestinal disorders, doctors say. Repeated vomiting can lead to severe dehydration and potentially life-threatening complications (stock photo)
Before becoming ill, Andy was an active teenager who took dance classes and participated in marching band. Her mother says she is now dealing with depression while facing uncertainty about possible long-term physical effects.
“I don’t want any other parent to have to go through this and not know this could happen,” Giorlando-Timmons said.
The mother is demanding stronger warnings on cannabis products to ensure other families recognize the potential danger before it is too late.
She insists she is not campaigning to criminalize marijuana, but wants dispensary workers and consumers better educated about the syndrome.
Giorlando-Timmons is also pushing for more systematic reporting of CHS diagnoses and hopes to recruit lawmakers to sponsor legislation requiring prominent warnings.
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In a letter calling for greater consumer protections, she argued that existing marijuana labels address risks including pregnancy, mental health and THC poisoning but fail to adequately explain CHS.
‘You can’t make a decision for yourself without information, and if you don’t know that CHS is a potential possibility for you out there, you’re not going to know to look it up,’ she said.
CHS is a disorder associated with sustained, typically heavy cannabis consumption that causes recurring episodes of severe nausea, abdominal pain and vomiting.
First described in medical journals in 2004, the condition remains poorly understood, although researchers believe prolonged exposure to cannabinoids can disrupt the body’s normal regulation of nausea and vomiting.
Cannabis is often associated with relieving nausea, particularly in certain medical settings.
However, researchers believe repeated exposure to cannabinoids can have the opposite effect in susceptible individuals, potentially triggering the very symptoms cannabis is sometimes used to treat.
The precise biological mechanism remains unclear.
One particularly distinctive feature is the temporary relief some patients experience from extremely hot baths or showers.
Dr Frank McGeorge, a physician with Detroit’s Local 4, explained that the behavior can become almost irresistible for sufferers.
‘People with cannabis hyperemesis do find relief with a long hot shower, and it’s almost a compulsion that they take these showers to get the relief,’ he said.
Doctors have yet to establish precisely why heat provides relief, although the phenomenon is widely recognized as a diagnostic clue.
There is no single blood test capable of confirming CHS.
Instead, physicians assess symptoms, cannabis consumption history and recurring vomiting episodes while ruling out other possible causes.
The condition can be mistaken for other gastrointestinal illnesses, potentially delaying diagnosis.
Repeated vomiting can cause serious dehydration and dangerous electrolyte imbalances, including the abnormalities Andy experienced.
Mindi Giorlando-Timmons, pictured, is campaigning for stronger warnings on cannabis products after watching her teenage daughter suffer a debilitating illness she never knew marijuana could cause
Although hot showers briefly relieve symptoms, they do not cure the underlying condition.
Stopping cannabis use is considered essential to achieving lasting recovery, with many sufferers experiencing improvement after quitting.
McGeorge said additional research is urgently needed.
‘The bottom line is, cannabis hyperemesis syndrome needs to have more research if we’re going to really come up with a clear answer as to the cause,’ he said.
The condition is also attracting increasing attention from federal health authorities.
Research highlighted by the National Institutes of Health found that the proportion of US emergency department visits involving CHS increased sharply between 2016 and 2022.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has also documented a substantial rise in suspected cases, particularly during the COVID pandemic.
