Been smoking many years, just got out the hospital, a group of doctors agree the weed was the cause of my stomach problems. nasusa , throwing up.
Have not read all posts, so probably I am repeating some information. I have read several reactions in threads on this and other forums in which it is stated that it is ludicrous to think that MJ can cause pain in any part of your body. Please ignore those, because people tend to think that because they don't experience problems themselves, no one could experience them. Every substance can have unwanted effects on certain people, immediately or after some time. People who state that cannabis is the only substance in the world that only has positive effects are either very ignorant or unconsciously protecting something that they are hooked on. No hard feelings... I too had a hard time to convince myself of the fact that indeed using cannabis can in some people provoke problems with the digestive system. I read a lot of stories of people that suffered from similar problems and could no longer ignore the possibility of a connection between the two. After much deliberation I kicked my own habit of moderately smoking MJ every night. The ongoing pain, discomfort in my stomach and loose morning stool were gone after only a few weeks!! I still smoke my tobacco, so I can only conclude that MJ was either the cause of or an enormous catalist for the problems that I had. I miss it once and a while, but it is more harmful to me than that it is beneficial. So goodbye Mary Jane for me.
Another cause that is repeatedly stated is the idea that the pain is psychologically originated. Under influence of cannabis, people tend to focus on pains that are already there and thereby aggrevate them. A mild irritation in your pinky toe could suddenly feel excruciating. So your pain may be innocent, it doesn't take away the fact that you suffer from it when you use it. If it does not go away when you 'get yourself together', I doubt the pain is caused only by the psychological effects of cannabis. Moreover the people who state that the pain is there immediately after taking the first hit or still experience it when relatively sober can probably rule out this mechanism.
Since science only revealed a small amount of the possible effects of only a couple of the dozens of substances in cannabis, it is neither ruled out nor proven that there are other mechanisms that cause the pain that you are experiencing. Ever seen the possible side effects that various prescribed drugs can have?? And those are only from one pure substance, after having been tested excessively... they occur with large groups of users or with only a few people. So now you have an idea about how much lack of reliable knowledge there is on the effects of cannabis.
The (relatively little) research that has been done on THC shows that it inhibits the movement/motility of the intestines. Difficult story about CBn-receptors that are located in various parts of the body, but in short this altered motility can cause or aggravate all sorts of trouble in various parts of the digestive system, while for others it may in fact help with existing problems.
Whether you smoke, vaporize or eat your MJ, it does influence your system since the THC in cannabis reaches almost every cell in your body no matter how you consume it. If it can reach your braincells, it can also reach the cells in your stomach, small intestines, colon, etc. etc..
So, take this from somebody who learned this the hard way: Stop using it for a while (month) if you are one of the unlucky ones that experience problems in the digestive system from using MJ and see if your problems diminish (read about possible withdrawal effects so you won't freak out about them). I do not think there is any other way than taking the cause away... As it is my personal opinion (please read before reacting, OPINION) that it is the THC @#$%-ing up the intestines, it will take some time as your body can only slowly cleanse itself from the stored THC and your digestive system will need to restore itself to a more normal state (repair inflamed tissue, get rid of harmful bacteria in the wrong places, get beneficial bacteria in the right places, etc. etc.). Eating healthy will probably help this process a lot.
If stopping is difficult for you, you could try the following to rule out or decrease the influence of other possible causes:
- only eat and drink healthy food, do your research or get some help from a professional about what is 'healthy' for you.
- see a physician to find out if you suffer from a dysfunction of one of your intestines. Keep in mind that this condition can be affected by substances in cannabis, so do not hide the fact that you use cannabis to your physician. May be he or she can tell you from experience that it is not an uncommon effect.
- stop using tobacco, maybe you are lucky and your problems are mainly caused by the toxins in tobacco. Smoke your MJ pure or better vaporize it.
- try to get cannabis from a more reliable or other source, to rule out that there is no contamination (fungi, pesticides etc.)
- try to get cannabis with more CBD in it, as it tends to make you less anxious. If your pain is purely in your mind, maybe it becomes less present. I doubt it, but you could give it a try.
- use less cannabis than you normally tend to, don't use the bong or inhale ludicrous amounts of smoke.
- drink more water :)
If the above does not help, I fear that you have no other option left than to stop using MJ. It would be .. unwise to ignore any causal relationship between you using MJ and experiencing pains.
I am a 35 year old male. I have been smoking marijuana since I was a teenager without any problems. In fact it has helped me weight issues (I am somewhat anorexic and smoking marijuana makes it so I have an appetite and can actually eat without wanting to throw up). It also helps with major anxiety issues I have... so much so that if I go without, I have anxiety that doesn't quit... week after week.... So... I smoke a LOT of marijuana. Garbage weed, commercialized brick type weed, does nothing to me. Doesn't get me high at all, it takes the best of the best to get me high. The trouble is that as of a couple years ago, if I go to bed high (or even slightly buzzed), I wake up the next day with very severe stomach pains. Usually after a few hours, those pains go away - sometimes however it takes most of the day. I am also finding this pain only comes when I sleep in certain positions. I don't ever experience any pain or discomfort from smoking while I am awake.For me its the catch 22 of all catch 22's. If I stop smoking marijuana I lose my appetite, I stop eating, I get severe anxiety that lasts weeks (or I go to the hospital). I have tried anti-anxiety medicines but honestly the side effects make it so I would rather deal with anxiety.... so instead I use marijuana. Then using marijuana causes daily morning stomach pain.It would seem to me this isn't related to the way in which one intakes marijuana or my problem wouldn't only exist in the morning. Perhaps its a metabolism problem that is slowed down when I sleep? Still not real sure, self diagnosis sucks.... because the best answers I get from doctors tend to be, "you need to stop using marijuana for us to properly diagnose you."
That's is one annoying catch 22 to be in.
Do you mostly smoke at night? Do you have bad stool the next morning? Do you have a bloated stomach?
This is my theory if the answer is 'yes' on all of them, but it is nothing more than that... there could be other explanations for your problem.
smoke weed -> inhibited motility by THC -> @#$%-up intestines (search internet for SIBO and inhibited motility)
Maybe you have a bad stomach from the food that is brewing and irritating for too long in your smaller intestines the next morning. Probably it is the increased motility as most of the THC is already processed the next morning.
If you look at people that withdraw, a bad stomach is often reported. You could see it as a withdrawal that you go through every morning.
The fact that it can get worse from sleeping in certain positions, could be explained by that your intestines are orientated differently with the position of your body. If you for example sleep in a position that partly blocks the path that the food or gas has to travel, it could start irritation. It could also be stuff flowing back from your colon into your smaller intestines (=not good) as the portal may not be working correctly, for example when you sleep on your right side.
One simple thing I can advice is that you need to make sure that you eat healthy. It may not make your sore stomach go away completely, but it could alleviate it. What is healthy can be different for every person, so you should ask for advice about that one.
I wonder if the lack of appetite/anxiety/feeling of throwing up aren't actually withdrawal symptoms. Especially since you have been smoking pretty heavily for 15+ years. Those feelings are pretty common when people quit after so many years of mj use. It could take weeks or even months for those feelings to subside. I am scared that there is only one way to find out whether I am right about this....
If you can get your weed from a shop/dispensary, ask advice about CBD-rich weed. It is probably the CBD that brings your anxiety to an acceptable level, not the THC. Maybe I am wrong here, but it is a proven fact about CBD that it has a positive effect on anxiety. I hope that in the future medicines become available that are based on CBD, don't know the current status of the research but I doubt it is already available.
hope you find a solution, good luck
ok first of all to all the ppl that want to keep on smoking pot but dont want to actually smoke it.. buy a vap.. u can get them at any head shop and they are rather cheap any more ranging from 20- what ever. you just have to be cafreful and read the instructions to each one and remember that u have to change the degree of the vap depending on your pot .. ect as density, wetness, and the general type.. a reggie is going to burn at a lower heat cause its c**p.. lol a good Chronic will take a higher heat to burn threw ...and as to having stomach issues from smoking weed. there is alot of cases in states that have medical bud that the doctors actually give patiences pot to ease stomach pain, or allow eating. i for one eat better and stay at a better weight when i am regualary smoking weed. but thats just me. i hope this helps.
Been smoking 2 years now, pretty much daily, never had a problem until 4 months ago when I fainted on the toilet. I ignored it and would faint again 2 months later but this time it would be really bad pains near the bellybutton and I'd vomit. Went to the ER they gave me fluid felt better went home and was sick for an entire week (a week in which I wouldn't smoke at all), sick as in huge pains in the bellybutton area. Saw the Doc then a specialist who wanted me to get an endoscopy. As I was feeling better I decided not to get it. Made some pot brownies got really stoned but was ok, a week later I felt safe to smoke again (btw by smoke I mean vape, since I got a vape for Christmas vaped day 1 ok, vaped day 2 next morning I get sharp pains in the bellybutton area from a 6 inch subway sandwich and ended up passing out in class, got up to the professor asking me if I was ok, then started to vomit got up and went to the restroom and proceeded to vomit until that sandwich was gone. Well my family scheduled for the endoscopy, I've got it done. I've been abstaining from weed again and I can safely say that things seem to be returning to normal again. I get the results of the endoscopy tuesday to find out if I have anything stomach related. Specialist also wan'ts to look at my colon. Now my take is that its something else, but the relationship with the severity and the weed has me thinking the weed is aggravating whatever it is I have. I really want to continue to smoke/vape but until I find out what is wrong with me and get it fixed (if possible) I just can't :(.
A bit of some research and I found this. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannabinoid_receptor#Gastrointestinal_activity
Inhibition of gastrointestinal activity has been observed after administration of Δ9-THC, or of anandamide. This effect has been assumed to be CB1-mediated since the specific CB1 antagonist SR 141716A (Rimonabant) blocks the effect. Another report, however, suggests that inhibition of intestinal motility may also have a CB2-mediated component.[23]
So weed maybe making my condition worse after all?
sounds like you might be suffering from anxiety which may be enhanced when smoking herb and can cause stomach pain and muscle spasms. try to relax when you smoke and dont think of your condition or any negative thaughts, think positive and active thoughts. meditation can also help and meditation while smoking is key.
This has nothing to do with having an anxiety attack!!! What skan is talking about is the pain that people can experience directly or shortly after smoking and has a different cause. If you read the stories above it always seems to occur the next morning, the same as what I personally experienced. I am still amazed how many people are still thinking that it is impossible for weed to aggrevate or create physical problems directly. The inhibition-effect is a proven fact and it is a risk factor for developing small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO). Look it up and see how many of the described sympoms correspond. Inhibited gastrointestinal activity could work positively for certain people, while for other it creates real problems or aggrevates already existing problems.
Isitweedornot, plz post your findings, I am very interested what they find out. I doubt that it is your stomach, because the painful belly button region does not really relate to your stomach which is located much higher. I put my money on your smaller intestines, that get irritated as soon as food starts to flow through from you stomach. But I am only guessing here, so again, please post what they found. It might shed some more light on this subject. While I was suffering from a bad stomach/occ. nausea for weeks during the period that I smoked daily, I also had some really tender spots around my belly button, which have now almost completely subsided after being clean for a month. It wasn't as severe as you experienced though. I was told by an osteopath that my smaller intestines were having a rough time. I still occasionaly experience pain at the left or right front side below my ribs. The same guy told me it was my colon. That is also subsiding slowly. When I told him I thought it was from smoking cannabis, he wasn't surprised. Anyways, after being clean for a month, my belly feels/behaves (and looks) way better than it ever did.
sorry skan, I didn't realize you were reacting to a post dating back to 2007 :) you were right about that one btw.
Smoking can give you problems like heart disease or lung cancer but it can also start making you eat alot and then in the end u can get constipation tht can lead to the crohns disease. You might want a stomach scan or visit a local gp.
IN Reply to Guest who said ...
"This has nothing to do with having an anxiety attack!!! What skan is talking about is the pain that people can experience directly or shortly after smoking and has a different cause. If you read the stories above it always seems to occur the next morning, the same as what I personally experienced. I am still amazed how many people are still thinking that it is impossible for weed to aggrevate or create physical problems directly. The inhibition-effect is a proven fact and it is a risk factor for developing small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO). Look it up and see how many of the described sympoms correspond. Inhibited gastrointestinal activity could work positively for certain people, while for other it creates real problems or aggrevates already existing problems.
Isitweedornot, plz post your findings, I am very interested what they find out. I doubt that it is your stomach, because the painful belly button region does not really relate to your stomach which is located much higher. I put my money on your smaller intestines, that get irritated as soon as food starts to flow through from you stomach. But I am only guessing here, so again, please post what they found. It might shed some more light on this subject. While I was suffering from a bad stomach/occ. nausea for weeks during the period that I smoked daily, I also had some really tender spots around my belly button, which have now almost completely subsided after being clean for a month. It wasn't as severe as you experienced though. I was told by an osteopath that my smaller intestines were having a rough time. I still occasionaly experience pain at the left or right front side below my ribs. The same guy told me it was my colon. That is also subsiding slowly. When I told him I thought it was from smoking cannabis, he wasn't surprised. Anyways, after being clean for a month, my belly feels/behaves (and looks) way better than it ever did."
I never thought of SIBO as a direct result of the weed. I was more inclined to think I had something else and that made me sensitive to the weed. During the course of my agony I searched all over the web for causes and there are many when it comes to gastrointestinal problems.
My gastroscopy came back clean. I have no stomach allergies or ailments. To rule out other issues I'm getting a clonoscopy this Tuesday. I'll come back with the results of that when I have it. I must say though that as I write this I'm feeling much much better. I've abstained from marijuana use since my last fainting/vomiting/abd pain episode and have been gradually getting better. I'm really hoping I can return to it one day at a more moderate pace but my health trumps the high I get from weed any day. I'm always surprised and bummed out that I had to be one of the few who just can't take it. But in the end if its going to mess me up, no thank you. I told my doctor about my cannabis use but I'm going to mention the possible connection the day I see him for my clonoscopy results, depending on what he says. Thanks for sharing your story and I hope more people become aware of this issue. This is even more evidence of a strong need to legalize marijuana. With it legalized more studies can be conducted and people can become better aware of the pros/cons of weed and that it like all things is best in moderation. What is ironic is not even the people against marijauna could have predicted such possibilities as gastrointestinal problems from weed lol. I hope you stay well my friend and can get back on the ganja safely (if you so chose).
Also another thought that has crossed my mind is the quality of the weed we are getting. Since it isn't regulated who knows what they are doing to it when we buy it off the streets. I'm not usually a conspiracy theorist but I have this suspicion that maybe the Government (or someone) is tampering with street weed to create this effect. Then again if the rumors are true and street weed is just the medical weed that didn't pass testing then that might be enough to do the trick as well. Or maybe it is just the weed. I might just have to stay off it until it gets legalized... Which is encouraging me to aid in that.
Great to see you back. I am very interested in the results of your colonoscopy too, and the reaction of your doctor to the hypothesis of your pain originating from inhibited motility. My name is Peter by the way. For now my belly is feeling even better than when I wrote my reply. I hope the same happens to you. Your thoughts about the quality of weed. Weed has become much stronger over the years, as in that it has higher THC concent per gram. I used only weed with what is nowadays seen as a moderate THC content that I grew myself from seeds that were developed in Spain, I still got problems.... One question I have though, what did/does your diet look like? It may also be a factor, so tell your doctor that too. I guess during the colonoscopy there is plenty of time to talk (and groan) :) take care and hope to hear from you again
"Great to see you back. I am very interested in the results of your colonoscopy too, and the reaction of your doctor to the hypothesis of your pain originating from inhibited motility. My name is Peter by the way. For now my belly is feeling even better than when I wrote my reply. I hope the same happens to you. Your thoughts about the quality of weed. Weed has become much stronger over the years, as in that it has higher THC concent per gram. I used only weed with what is nowadays seen as a moderate THC content that I grew myself from seeds that were developed in Spain, I still got problems.... One question I have though, what did/does your diet look like? It may also be a factor, so tell your doctor that too. I guess during the colonoscopy there is plenty of time to talk (and groan) :) take care and hope to hear from you again"
Hey Peter
My name is George. You should make an account man so we can reply to each other easier. I haven't gotten the results yet but I'll let you know of the results when I do. Glad to hear your bellies better! I'm sad to hear that the home grown weed didn't help you much. I was hoping that I might be able to resort to that but after reading your results :( How long after smoking did you get your problems again? To be honest my diet wasn't to great. I was always eating out and playing video games getting little to no exercise (winter break). As a result of the issues I have begun eating home cooked meals that my lovely mother has been preparing for me and along with abstaining from weed have been doing great these past few days. I must say it is a bit tough for me not to consume weed though. My friends do it from time to time and since its my friends birthday they were all going to make ice cream with THC. You see I don't drink alcohol because I dislike the taste and the effects of being drunk so weed was really the only thing I could do recreationally that I'd enjoy and it seems its been taken away from me. I'm going to avoid it for as long as I can but once I feel adequate time has passed with no symptoms of pain I'll be trying it again to see if doing it one time after like a month or so will be enough to trigger the pains again (in fact I might just wait till summer or spring break so it doesn't risk effect my school like it has been). I'm also going to try and just be healthier overall. Start exercising again. It is nice not being high for a while though. I'm not as sleepy during odd hours from the Indica's I used to vape. Cheers to hoping we can use weed again. I'll keep you updated friend.
I smoked pot for 34 years & also had a 34 year history of severe migraines. The migraines changed over time, & the last few years I only had the horrible stomach ache, cramping, & throwing up...Sometimes for over 3 days....Every time I would get sick It would be as soon as I woke up in the morning....I stopped smoking 7 years ago & I didn't get sick again!....until, this year.....I started to smoke a bit again & damn it, I have been sick 3 times in 9 months (these are 3 or more days of agony, & I end up in the emergency room)...I wish I could still smoke without this happening....