US Scromiting ER Visits Jump 370% After New ICD-10 Code Debuts

Q: Why is a simple hot shower the most common temporary relief for this agonizing, newly tracked marijuana syndrome?

A hot shower is the most common temporary relief for cannabis hyperemesis syndrome because heat appears to activate the same body signaling pathways disrupted in CHS, especially TRPV1 receptors, which are involved in pain, temperature and nausea control. Doctors do not think the shower “cures” the illness. Instead, very hot water seems to briefly interrupt the nausea-vomiting cycle. Current theories suggest heat stimulation may calm abnormal gut-brain signaling caused by heavy THC exposure, and may also shift blood flow away from the gut toward the skin, easing abdominal symptoms for a short time. This is why some patients take repeated hot showers or baths and say it is the only thing that helps. That hot-water response has become a major clinical clue. In a patient with severe cyclic vomiting, abdominal pain and frequent cannabis use, relief from hot bathing strongly points doctors toward CHS rather than a stomach virus or food poisoning. Experts say this pattern is common enough to be considered one of the syndrome’s hallmark features. But the relief is short-lived. Symptoms usually return once the person leaves the shower if cannabis use continues. Emergency treatment may include IV fluids, haloperidol or droperidol, benzodiazepines in some cases, and capsaicin cream, which works on the same heat-sensitive receptor system. The only proven long-term fix is stopping cannabis completely.

1 articles · Updated · Psychology Today · Aug 24

CHS-linked emergency visits surged 370% from October 2025 to May 2026 after the U.S. introduced a dedicated ICD-10-CM code for the cannabis-related condition known as “scromiting.”
The CDC said the coding change sharply improved recognition and tracking of cases that may previously have been logged as other gastrointestinal problems; the rate rose from 3.35 per 10,000 in September 2025 to 11.26 in October.
By May 2026, visits reached 13.10 per 10,000, with people ages 15 to 24 and females accounting for a disproportionate share of CHS-related ER presentations.
The report also found symptoms may appear within the first year of cannabis use, not only after years of heavy consumption, and episodes can begin within 24 hours of use.
Higher-potency cannabis and concentrated products such as vapes and dabs may be worsening the problem, widening public-health concerns as cannabis becomes more available.