If you’ve ever had a migraine, you know the telltale symptoms: throbbing headache, extreme sensitivity to light and sound, blurred vision, nausea, and even vomiting. For many sufferers, these symptoms are debilitating, rendering them incapable of going about their daily lives until the migraine subsides. With the average migraine lasting up to 72 hours, an effective and fast acting remedy is in order.
Research on medical marijuana and migraines
A 2017 literature review, published in Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research by Mary Ann Liebert Inc., examined the use of cannabis for headache disorders in general. Researchers concluded that, in tandem with more clinical trials, cannabis will likely emerge as a treatment option for some headache sufferers. Identifying the unique benefits of oral cannabinoids as a preventative treatment for headaches, researchers also pinpointed CBD as a treatment for headache-related conditions, including anxiety.
A more recent literature review, published in 2018 in Frontiers in Pharmacology, concluded that cannabinoids are a promising class of compounds for preventing and treating migraines. Cannabinoid receptors in the brain can also be targeted to reduce inflammation associated with severe migraines, according to researchers.
In addition, medical marijuana use was found to reduce the frequency of migraines in a 2016 study published in Pharmacotherapy. Researchers studied 121 adult migraine sufferers at two medical marijuana specialty clinics in Colorado and found that supervised cannabis use decreased occurrences of migraine headaches in some patients.
Also learn can medical marijuana help with getting off of opioids.
