Marijuana Withdrawal Symptoms: Managing Nausea and Loss of Appetite During Weed Detox

Have you just quit using weed after being a pretty serious marijuana consumer — and are you sick as a dog and unable to eat much of anything? Or are you hoping to detox from weed soon, and are worried about the marijuana withdrawal symptoms that await you?

Contrary to popular belief, marijuana withdrawal is indeed a very real phemomenon. Long-term heavy cannabis users are most at risk of encountering severe marijuana withdrawal symptoms, such as cannabis cravings, anxiety, depression, insomnia, restlessness, anger, nausea, and loss of appetite, and struggling with withdrawal symptoms frequently causes former weed addicts to relapse.

The good news, however, is that your physical weed detox does not take that long. The process should be over and done with within two weeks. [1]

Are you committed to freeing yourself from your marijuana addiction — not just for a few withdrawal-symptom-filled, awful days, but forever? Knowing what you can expect from marijuana withdrawal and arming yourself with techniques that will help you through your weed detox without giving into cravings gives you the best shot of success!

Natural Ways To Cope With Nausea During Weed Detox

While pharmacological nausea treatments are indeed available, people who are hoping to detox from marijuana without any kind of medical supervision will often prefer to turn to natural remedies. Thankfully, a lot of natural anti-nausea remedies exist that may help you cope with feeling sick as you detox from marijuana. 

Ginger is one of the most commonly mentioned natural nausea remedies, and it's pretty versatile too. You can snack on candied ginger when you're feeling sick during your weed detox, but you can also use fresh ginger in cooking, drink a ginger tea, or make a juice with apple, orange, carrot, and ginger. Whatever form of ginger you choose, research indicates that ginger can be an effective natural remedy for nausea brought on by a wide variety of causes. [2]

You could also try peppermint, either in the form of peppermint essential oil or fresh mint leaves, which can be used on their own, in salads, or as tea. [3]

Aromatherapy is another viable nausea relief option. Sniffing sweet fennel, aniseed, and chamomile reduces nausea in palliative care patients [4], and while it is not exactly clear why these herbs are effective as of yet, there is no reason to believe that aromatherapy with these specific ingredients can't also help people going through marijuana detox. If you are interested in trying aromatherapy as you withdraw from marijuana, sprinkling chamomile, aniseed and sweet fennel on a handkerchief and on your pillow is a good way to ensure that your remedy is nearby whenever you need it. 

Have you heard of those acupressure armbands for people suffering from motion sickness? Both acupuncture and acupressure applied to the so-called neiguan point on the wrist have been shown to reduce nausea in chemotherapy patients as well, leading researchers to believe that the techniques have a real physical effect on the body. [4, 5] While acupuncture (which uses thin needles) requires a skilled practitioner, you can certainly learn how to apply acupressure to your own wrists while you are suffering from marijuana withdrawal symptoms. 

Finally, you might like to look into yogic breathing exercises to counter nausea caused by weed withdrawal. Believe it or not, breathing exercises are another science-backed natural nausea relief technique. [6] The added benefit is that breathing exercises can also help you with other common cannabis withdrawal symptoms like anxiety, insomnia, and irritability. To get started, check out these 2 breathing exercises for better sleep. 

Pharmacological Treatment For Nausea During Marijuana Withdrawal 

Medical cannabis is, perhaps somewhat ironically, a potential treatment for nausea in cancer patients [7]. While others are turning to marijuana to relieve their nausea, you are looking for a way to reduce your withdrawal-related sickness — and guess what has been researched as a medication for nausea relief during marijuana withdrawal? Nabilone. That's right, a synthetic form of marijuana! One study demonstrated that Nabilone can help people going through weed detox feel less nauseous (without prolonging their marijuana addiction), so if you are interested, talk to your doctor about it. [8]

Coping With Loss Of Appetite During Cannabis Withdrawal 

Cannabis is an appetite stimulant. This explains why marijuana users get the "munchies", as well as why synthetic cannabinoid medications are sometimes used to help people who have suffered a loss of appetite for medical reasons regain a healthy appetite. [9] 

While you are going through marijuana withdrawal, you are likely to experience the exact opposite: a decrease in appetite. This loss of appetite may be severe enough for you to lose quite a significant amount of weight. Remember, however, that the physical withdrawal symptoms you are experiencing are uncomfortable, but a temporary loss of appetite won't be dangerous unless you are already quite underweight. Marijuana withdrawal symptoms will pass within a matter of weeks, after which your appetite will return.  [10]

If you are currently overweight or not eating a very healthy diet, your commitment to quitting marijuana might offer the perfect opportunity to start afresh and make changes in your diet as well. Your appetite will be back soon, but if you get started with a healthy, balanced, vegetable-rich diet now, the habit will have sunk in by the time your weed detox is over. 

A final word

Marijuana withdrawal can be more challenging than many people give it credit for — and nausea and a low appetite are possible symptoms people detoxing from weed can experience. If you go into your detox being aware of the potential symptoms you'll have, you'll be stronger and more likely to avoid relapse.

The physical symptoms of marijuana withdrawal will last no longer than a few weeks at most. The mental symptoms, on the other hand, can plague newly clean addicts (recovering from any addiction, behavioral or substance) for a lot longer. If you are committed to ditching weed forever but your brain is telling you that you need it, know that many addiction treatment programs and support groups are offering science-based care that can help improve your odds of meeting your goals. 

Good luck! You can do it!