Haloperidol For Outpatient Symptom Management in Patients Diagnosed With Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome in the Emergrency Department

August 30, 2026 updated by: Mason Bartman, University of Illinois at Chicago
Patients diagnosed with cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome that are safe for discharge from the emergency department will be sent an outpatient prescription for haloperidol to be used as needed at home. The study goal is to see if having this medication available helps to prevent return emergency department visits for recurrent or persistent symptoms.

Study Overview

Status

Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome is a relatively new syndrome characterized by nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain in the setting of excessive cannabis use. This clinical entity has become increasingly prevalent as the concentration of THC has increased in marijuana products over the past several decades. The symptoms have been treated successfully with several medications however the most efficacious appears to be dopamine antagonists such as haloperidol and droperidol. These dopamine antagonists have been used safely and successfully in the inpatient and emergency department settings to decrease the frequency and intensity of nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain in patients suffering from cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome. The investigators plan to evaluate haloperidol, a dopamine antagonist available as an oral formulation, as an option for outpatient management of these symptoms.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

100

Phase

  • Early Phase 1

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Illinois
      • Chicago, Illinois, United States, 60612
        • University of Illinois Hospital
        • Contact:
        • Contact:
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Mason A Bartman, MD
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Wesley Eilbert, MD
        • Sub-Investigator:
          • Shaveta Khosla, Khosla
        • Sub-Investigator:
          • Drew Posen, PharmD
        • Sub-Investigator:
          • Urvi Dubey, BS

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

Patients must meet ALL of the following criteria:

  • Age ≥ 18 years
  • Primary ED complaints of acute or episodic nausea, vomiting, and/or abdominal pain
  • Self reported frequent cannabis use

Patients must meet at least TWO of the following criteria:

  • History of recurrent, cyclical episodes of severe nausea and vomiting
  • Self-reported temporary symptom relief with hot showers or baths
  • Symptom onset or exacerbation following cannabis consumption

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Patients with imaging or lab findings suggestive of an alternative etiology that would explain their symptoms
  • Already on dopamine agonist/antagonist therapy for another condition
  • Parkinson's disease
  • Lewy body dementia
  • Men with QTc > 450
  • Women with QTc > 460
  • Patients with documented allergy to haloperidol
  • Patients with known functional prolactinomas
  • Patients who are breastfeeding
  • Patients under the age of 18
  • Patients who are pregnant
  • Patients who are in the prison system
  • Patients who are unable to consent

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Patients who will receive haloperidol
Patients in this arm of the study will receive haloperidol to be used as needed on an outpatient basis
Drug: Haloperidol
This intervention involves providing patients an outpatient prescription for as needed haloperidol to attempt to control symptoms of cannabinoid hyperemesis and to attempt to prevent return to the emergency department for that reason.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Rate of return to the emergency department
Time Frame: 1 month
The investigators plan to measure the percentage of people who return to the emergency department for recurrence of symptoms attributable to cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome
1 month

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Improvement in symptoms
Time Frame: 1 month
The investigators plan to report patient reported change in symptoms attributable to cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome. The subjects will report change in their symptoms via a 5 point likert scale with 1 being no change in symptoms at all and 5 being complete resolution of symptoms.
1 month
Medication side effects
Time Frame: 1 month
The investigators plan to report the rate of patient reported side effects that are considered attributable to cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome
1 month

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

University of Illinois at Chicago

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Wesley Eilbert, MD, University of Illinois Health

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

November 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

January 1, 2028

Study Completion (Estimated)

January 1, 2028

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

July 21, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

July 21, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

July 24, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

September 1, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

August 30, 2026

Last Verified

August 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 2026-0693

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

The investigators don't need to share IPD with anyone outside of investigators in this clinical trial to complete this trial.

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

Yes

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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