Warning: This article contains discussion of drug use which some readers may find distressing.
A young woman in the US has issued a warning about cannabis usage, after being hospitalised from drug-induced 'scromiting'.
For those of you who haven't heard of the term 'scromiting' before, it's a combination of both vomiting and screaming, which can occur in people who have been long-term weed smokers.
Which is the exact situation that 23-year-old Sydni Collins found herself in.
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Speaking about her experience in an interview with The New York Post, Collins explained that she'd regularly smoked cannabis since the age of 16 and had found herself reaching for her weed pen on most days.
However, a devastating incident during her final year of high school would leave her reconsidering the habit.
Prior to her Spring Break, Collins, then 18, had found herself experiencing bouts of nausea, an unpleasant sensation which ultimately developed into prolonged bouts of vomiting.
"There were some days when it lasted until noon, and I would not go to school because of how bad it was," she recalled.
"I would be puking all morning. I would let out yells or cries because nothing would come out. I was just dry heaving."
The excruciating sickness would lead Collins to make seven emergency visits to the hospital before she was finally admitted.
At just 87 pounds and dehydrated, the teenager was placed on a feeding tube and initially diagnosed with a rare digestive disorder.
However, it would later become apparent that Collins was suffering from cannabis hyperemesis syndrome (CHS).
What is cannabis hyperemesis syndrome?
According to Cedars Sinai, CHS is a chronic condition which causes severe bouts of vomiting and abdominal pain, occurring daily in long-term users of the drug.
It's not fully understood what causes CHS, or why only some people experience symptoms, but doctors believe it has to do with how marijuana interacts with the body's digestive system.
Now recognised by the World Health Organisation, health experts are seeking to further understand CHS and how to treat it.
Collins would quit weed for nine months before taking up the drug once again, this time after being diagnosed with Crohn's disease, as it provided relief from the symptoms she was experiencing.
However, she has since quit for good after experiencing another CHS episode.
"I started doing [weed] again, and three years from my first big episode, I had another one and went to the hospital a bunch of times," she revealed.
"[I] ended up having to get a feeding tube and lost a bunch of weight again."
She has now spent two years without smoking weed and has shared her journey on social media, adding that it has helped keep her accountable.
If you want friendly, confidential advice about drugs, you can talk to FRANK. You can call 0300 123 6600, text 82111 or contact through their website 24/7, or livechat from 2pm-6pm any day of the week
Brenna Cooper