Has my cannabis use led to my IBS?

Hi everyone,

I've used cannabis for about 15 years and always loved the way it makes me feel and got benefits from using it. About 5 years ago, I got a volcano vaporizer and quit smoking it. My usage did go up because I was hitting the vape all day long instead of smoking. After about 6 months I noticed I was getting IBS symptoms all the time and they got even worse when I didn't vape. I ended up vaping all the time to deal with the discomfort but It never went away. It just masks it a bit when I'm high and comes back with a vengeance every morning after 8 hours or so of sleep.

After putting up with this for ages and trying different diets, doctors tests, hospital xrays etc to no avail I finally found out from some online forums that heavy prolonged cannabis use can cause IBS in some users. I have found about 10 different people who were basically in the same situation as me. They quit cannabis for 2 weeks and got better. I found guy who said it took 3 months but he said he developed SIBO. I've had the test for SIBO and I don't have it but despite this I've quit for 6 weeks now and my symptoms have only got worse.

I'm not sure how common this situation is. I've never met anyone that this has happened to and the posts on fourms I found were all in only the last 2 years. I'm trying to find out if any others have had this happen to them or know anyone that this has happened to? How long did it take them to get better? I'm feeling pretty low at the moment as I can't see a light at the end of tunnel. I need some motivation to keep going! It's tough not having weed for a long time especially when it relives my IBS so much but at the same I've tired every other cure and nothing has worked.

It is not the weed. Its the problem with your diet.

are you growing your own cannabis or buying it just a stab in the dark but there can be gnarly pesticides and fertilizers in some cannabis especially in the illegal areas of the country

It's not my diet. I tried every diet you can think of and some you couldn't.

After much searching, I think it's a form of Cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome. It's very rare but there has been a scientific study on it and 25% of sufferers had diarrhea too so it's not a big stretch to assume this is what's wrong with me.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannabinoid_hyperemesis_syndrome

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/10/121022081353.htm

Luckily everyone got better after 1-3 months of quitting which falls into what I've read from other people who have my symptoms so I'll soon find out. Fingers crossed.

Also, my weed was 100% clean.

im going to go with a "combination of things"

nutrition is obviously going to play a huge part in ibs, i highly doubt just stopping smoking marijuana will instantly cure your ibs, youre diet is going to go a long way in changing how you feel with other things.

im going to go with 70% bad diet ideas, 10% irritation 20% inflammation due to both irritation and diet.

just trying a diet here and there isnt going to help your ibs, you need to figure out which foods upsets you or causes a flare up, and which foods are safe after that you can figure out a nutritionally acceptable lifestyle around that information.

goodluck.

That's a long way to go. I hope you get better. Keep us posted. I had a friend with similar issues because he haven't ate in a week.

Everyone assumes it's diet, I did too for the first couple of years but I've been very disciplined and have built a very good understanding of nutrition after years of suffering. I've haven't just cried and continued to eat bad stuff. Even things you assume would be healthy can be bad and I've learn't through reading, trial and error what works best for me. I've covered everything. I've never stopped trying and gave each diet plenty of time.

Thanks for the help. I'll let you know how it goes.

Are you sure the problem does not come due to auto-immune disease? What is your age?

VolcanoLover said:

Everyone assumes it's diet, I did too for the first couple of years but I've been very disciplined and have built a very good understanding of nutrition after years of suffering. I've haven't just cried and continued to eat bad stuff. Even things you assume would be healthy can be bad and I've learn't through reading, trial and error what works best for me. I've covered everything. I've never stopped trying and gave each diet plenty of time.

Thanks for the help. I'll let you know how it goes.

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i assume its nutrition cause i have a dipolma in holistic nutrition (not that that amounts to much but it does have it moments in helping) and am quite aware that diet that can fuck up and cause issues with ibs among other things...i aint talking out my ass here
i didnt say you cried and continued to eat bad foods, nor did i say you ate unhealthy...
i was giving advice sorry if i offended you was just trying to help you out im sure its exhausting hearing the same things everyday my apologizes i know how frustrating that can be

VolcanoLover said:

Everyone assumes it's diet, I did too for the first couple of years but I've been very disciplined and have built a very good understanding of nutrition after years of suffering. I've haven't just cried and continued to eat bad stuff. Even things you assume would be healthy can be bad and I've learn't through reading, trial and error what works best for me. I've covered everything. I've never stopped trying and gave each diet plenty of time.

Thanks for the help. I'll let you know how it goes.

Click to expand...

The same symptoms show up in Central CA. prisons. I would check your environment as well.
The drought is thought to play a part in uncovering new/old pollen & mold spores.

Smoking too much of that brown bomber lol I would suggest looking deeper into the nutrition 9/10 times from experience digestive system problems are caused by what your eating/drinking best of luck!

Have you considered it might be somewhat related to your psychological health causing physiological symptoms? Do you deal with anxiety and or chronic stress? Both these can screw up your body big time, I know!

we call that ibs ....WORMS back east ....lol

I was going to guess worms lol
Or a severe constipation. My dad told his Dr he hadn't had a solid shit since he was 20, he was 50 at the time. They did some tests and said he had a severe blockage so only the liquids could get by. He had all the same symptoms of ibs

OK, I am very late to the party (searching for shit on SIBO) but did you quit the volcano and try smoking again?

Quit smoking weed then, everytime someone suggests something you come back and say it isnt the cause.
Im not trying to flame you, or trying to pick a fight. I think you already know the answer. Quit smoking weed and see if it clears up, if so then dont smoke anymore weed, if not call it stress related and continue smoking weed.

There a many factor leading to IBS other than nutrition, among them: genetic predisposition, an intestinal infection prior to symptom onset, chronic stressful life events, or other psycho social factors. Since you quit for 6 weeks now and the symptoms have only got worse, I suspect that using cannabis was not the cause of your IBS and may actually have help alleviate the symptom

I tend to believe Dr. Mark Pimentel's research (see link for his book) into bacteria overgrowth in the small intestine as the cause of IBS. The main issue is that the intestinal motility is damaged and that is why so many patients have relapses and find IBS/SIBO difficult to eradicate. You can use antibiotics to kill the bacteria in the small intestine and diet can help prevent their expansion but unless you fix the gut motility you will always have IBS symptoms.

I have seen doctors blame cannabis for IBS and, specifically, bacteria overgrowth. Cannabis does not cause IBS but it certainly can effect motility; for good in some people and maybe detrimentally in others.

I've had IBS symptoms for years and limiting gluten has helped a lot. I can eat small amounts, but no whole grain.
The biggest surprise was that my chronic back pain completely disappeared after 3 months of low gluten diet. Go figure. My doctors are still amazed...

Only way canna is gonna give you ibs is if you ate every carb and grain in sight while you got the munchies lol.

Check out mark Sisson on how he cured his own ibs with minor diet adjustments. Grain and simple sugars/carbs is the big one. Cheese itz and their cousins in the pressed flour food world are one of the major issues with ibs..

This is also leading to a ton of people thinking they have gluten sensitivity but just cutting gluten does nothing.... But cutting carbs does.