Cyclic vomiters (drive me up the wall)

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I don't know what in the heck causes cyclical vomiting, but my cynical side tells me they are a little nuts. My compassionate side gets shoved into a dark closet when taking care of these folks.

I try to be nice, of course, but it's ever do difficult.

Chronic marijuana use can lead to cyclic type vomiting. There is plenty of research on the subject. IMO that's one of those "did it to yourself" problems.

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Specializes in Emergency/Cath Lab.
Chronic marijuana use can lead to cyclic type vomiting. There is plenty of research on the subject. IMO that's one of those "did it to yourself" problems.

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Seeing it a lot more as of late in my awesome state.

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since it considered a migraine variant, has anyone tried magnesium?

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We haven't. We've been rx'd antidepressants in antimigraine fashion, and some supplements. My kid has been off all rx's for a few months now, been on a super strict diet due to some food sensitivities we discovered.

3 months since her las hospitalization/episode which is awesome considering she spent 90 straight days inpatient this summer and another stay in the spring.

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Sorry to respond to an old thread, but since CVS seems to be the new hot topic....

Back when I used to be stupid and get hangovers, they were always of the puking variety (never a headache). I'd wake up with dry heaves. I haven't had that unlovely experience in well over a decade, but when it happened I would drink water just to have something on my stomach to vomit -- dry heaves are extremely uncomfortable.

So yeah, if CVS manifests in a similar way, I can definitely see pts chugging water. I can't see opiates being helpful in the slightest, though. Nothing makes me kneel at the throne faster.

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Have noticed that a lot of these folks smoke pot. Ironic, as it is also an anti-emetic,

Cannaboid hyperemesis syndrome.

Something like that.

They also report taking steaming hot showers to help the nausea.

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Specializes in Hospice/Infusion.

Wow it really is a thing...lol. I'm a little surprised!

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Specializes in ER, NICU, NSY and some other stuff.

Most of our cyclic vomiters are related to marijuana use. There are actually some good articles out there that you can find to read about it.

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Yeah....I'm one of those people that has ended up in the ED my fair share of times for this. I'm not a pot smoker, and I do what I can to identify triggers and avoid the ED at all costs. I don't know if I have CVS as I'm waiting to see a new GI doc but every other GI issue has been ruled out.

As far as me personally, I also have intractable hiccups that started around the same time as my vomiting issues (approximately age 16 and no, no traumatic experiences or psych issues to trigger either one). Meds have helped with the hiccups, and I've found that I've had a serious decrease in that awful nauseous feeling that would sneak up on me and make me worry about ending up needing IV zofran and fluids. I'm not sure if the stomach issue is somehow related to my weird neurological....thing (my neuro has no idea what's causing my hiccups), but then again as far as I can tell, CVS isn't well understood anyway. Then again, like I said, I don't even know if I have CVS. And I (thankfully) don't end up in the ED every few weeks or months. Maybe once a year, twice if I'm super unlucky. Mostly I'm able to avoid it, but that requires me flying through my zofran; doesn't work so well if you just keep throwing it up.

I've never needed or even wanted pain meds, but I can say that there have been many times where I would gladly drink some water if I could, in order to have something in my stomach to throw up. I know how that sounds, but dry heaving non-stop is somehow worse than actually vomiting something.

Last time I wound up in the ED, a staff member (don't remember if she was an RN...I think she was) asked if I was a pot smoker because she said most of the pts. who end up there with cyclic vomiting have it as a result of marijuana use. I hadn't heard of it before then, but apparently it is a thing.

Maybe it's because I work in a hospital myself or something, but each time I've gone to the ER, it's because I have absolutely no other option, and I feel like a baby each time I go. I'm sorry to read that so many people have had such awful experiences with CVS pts. and maybe my experience doesn't really mean that much, but know that not all of us who wind up taking up a bed because we can't stop vomming are out for attention or pain meds. I'm lucky to have attacks or episodes or whatever that generally last a day or so, but it's kind of humiliating to me to have to leave work or miss out on stuff in life or end up in the ER for something that seems so trivial. But for what it's worth, not being able to stop throwing up, and then dry heaving for seemingly forever because you have nothing left to throw up isn't a walk in the park either.

Again, sorry for all those who have had bad experiences. Guess I'm just sensitive because of my own experiences.

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Specializes in POCU/PACU, Hospice.

I'm a long-term type 1 diabetic (25 years) who has gastroparesis. Its not the same, but the constant nausea and frequent vomiting are similar, and I have to say that if you felt nauseous 24/7 and had to do everything despite doing everything you can to try and make it go away, including work through it, you would probably feel differently. Some of these patients may have eating disorders or psych issues, but most genuinely have GI disorders, often multiple GI disorders. Its a pretty miserable thing to live with, and patients can sense when their care providers feel negatively towards them which adds to their stress. Just look at them as any other patient who might be a little bit difficult to deal with, and try to imagine what it must feel like to be sick to your stomach all the time.

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Specializes in POCU/PACU, Hospice.

Or could it be that they are using marijuana to try and stop the nausea and vomiting?

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Specializes in Adult Internal Medicine.
Or could it be that they are using marijuana to try and stop the nausea and vomiting?

That's what most of them say.

But the only think that stops the vomiting is stopping the THC.

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