Medical Cannabis for Migraines
What Is a Migraine?
Far worse than just a headache, migraines are categorized as major headaches that cause throbbing pain and even pulsing sensations on one or both sides of the head. Often accompanied by nausea, vomiting, and extreme sensitivity to light and sound, migraine attacks can last for hours to days and the pain can be so intense that it interferes with your daily activities.
There are several types of migraines that have different symptoms associated with them and are categorized using the word aura. The term aura is used to describe certain symptoms that one may experience before having a migraine. Individuals who experience aura may suffer from flashes of light or blind spots and sometimes even difficulty speaking. With an extensive list of possible causes and triggers, it can be hard to pinpoint the root cause of migraines. Some individuals may experience a migraine without an aura or experience aura symptoms without the headache.
Migraine headaches can be extremely hard to treat, even with the help of prescribed medicines. If traditional methods do not work, there are alternative modes of medicine such as medical cannabis which may help treat migraines. Aside from helping to ease the symptoms, some studies show that cannabis oil for migraines might even help keep them from flaring up in the first place.
Relationship Between Medical Cannabis and Migraines
The concept of using medical cannabis for migraines is becoming increasingly accepted, but in order to understand how cannabis treatment for migraines might be effective, we need to understand the science behind it.
According to a study published in the Journal of Pain, the use of cannabis might be beneficial since it may reduce headache and migraine pain, with cannabinoids playing a central role. Another study by Washington State University even indicated that inhaled cannabis might reduce migraine severity by up to 49%.
The Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Colorado studied the effects of inhaled and ingested medical cannabis in migraine sufferers, and their results only supported what other studies unearthed. Out of 121 adult participants, almost 40% reported positive effects with 19.8% claiming that it helped prevent migraines. Up to 85% of the test subjects reported that medical cannabis for migraines reduced the number of attacks per month.
How Medical Cannabis Can Help Treat Migraines?
Medical cannabis works on migraines via the endocannabinoid system, assisting with the reduction of inflammation in the protective dura mater tissue that covers the brain. This, in turn, minimizes the release of pro-inflammatory substances. Cannabis treatment for migraines targets inflammation, which is one of the main contributing factors of the pain associated with migraines. As migraines have such a complex set of underlying causes, triggers and symptoms, cannabis might be an ideal migraine medication since it contains diverse compounds and can have widespread roles in issues associated with migraines and pain. Medical cannabis for migraines is an anti-inflammatory agent and has analgesic and anti-emetic properties. CBD, one of the two main compounds of cannabis, is also a known anxiety-reducer, which might be ideal to treat stress-induced migraines.
How to Get Medical Cannabis for Migraines in Canada
If you’re contemplating trying medical cannabis to treat your migraines, we can help start you off on your journey towards Better Days. Canadian Cannabis Clinics offer in-depth consultations with all patients, ensuring that each and every individual is as informed as possible when it comes to aspects like product selection and condition-specific dosage. We offer both in-clinic and virtual appointments. Virtual appointments are conducted through a secure and private video call with a healthcare practitioner and medical cannabis educator.
Virtual Appointment
Appointment is online through a secure and private video call.
Clinic Appointment
Appointment is in one of our clinics across Canada.