Between episodes, the affected individual is usually normal and healthy otherwise but can be in a weak state of fatigue or experience muscle pain.
Some affected people experience episodes that progressively get worse when left untreated, occurring more frequently with reduced symptom free phase.
Some with the condition have a warning of an episodic attack; they may experience a prodrome, some documented prodromal symptoms include: unusually intense nausea and pallor, excess salivation, sweating, flushing, rapid/irregular heartbeat, diarrhea, anxiety/panic, food aversion, restlessness/insomnia, irritability, depersonalization, fatigue/listlessness, intense feelings of being hot or chilled, intense thirst, shivering/shaking, retching, tachypnea, abdominal pain/cramping, limb paresthesias, hyperesthesia, photophobia, phonophobia, headache, and dyspnea, heightened sensitivity, especially to light, though sensitivity to smell, sound, pressure, and temperature, as well as oncoming muscle pain and fatigue, are also reported by some patients.
Medications like Lorazepam, Alprazolam, and other benzodiazepines are prescribed by their doctors and instructed to take immediately at the onset of any of their CVS symptoms and/or triggers.
The most common are various foods, infections (such as colds), menstruation, extreme physical exertion, lack of sleep, and psychological stresses, both positive and negative.
[citation needed] An affected person may also be light-sensitive (photophobic), sound-sensitive (phonophobic) or, less frequently, temperature- or pressure-sensitive during an attack.
In fact, many people with CVS experience a compulsion to be submerged in hot water, and end up taking several baths during the duration of an episode.
Some people with the condition experience insomnia, diarrhea (GI complications), hot and cold flashes, and excessive sweating before an episode.
Some report that they experience a restless sensation or stinging pain along the spine, hands, and feet followed by weakness in both legs.
Several other medical conditions, such as cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome (CHS), can mimic the same symptoms, and it is important to rule these out.
[6] Due to the lack of specific biomarkers available for the disorder, and if all other possible causes can be ruled out (such as intestinal malrotation), physicians rely on the Rome IV process criteria in order to diagnose patients.
Sedation via high dose intravenous benzodiazepines, typically lorazepam, has been shown to shorten the length of emergency department stays for some patients.
[2] Lifestyle changes may be recommended, such as extended rest, reduction of stress, frequent small meals, and to abstain from fasting.
[15] Charitable organizations to support affected people and their families and to promote knowledge of CVS exist in several countries.
[22][23] Cyclic vomiting syndrome was first described in France by Swiss physician Henri Clermond Lombard[24] and first described in the English language by pediatrician Samuel Gee in 1882.
[26] Darwin's illness had features seen in patients with cyclic vomiting, in particular his susceptibility to seasickness when onboard HMS Beagle, episodes being brought on by pleasurable events, and his periods of extreme lethargy dating back to his university student days.