According to recent studies, using extracts of CBD for migraines can provide instant, lasting relief and better results than most prescriptions available.
Canadian Community Health Surveys report that eight percent of Canadians suffer from migraines. This accounts for an estimated 2.9 million people. Most will try different methods for relieving their chronic migraine symptoms, but with little success.
Many pain-relieving pills for migraines have narcotic ingredients, for instance, which can make them habit-forming. Others, like Imitrex, have side effects that can make you feel “foggy” and detached from the world — all while not completely helping with your pain.
Using CBD oil has no harmful side effects. It also has none of the psychoactive effects of THC. Anyone who has suffered through regular, intense migraines can consider the following information on CBD, migraines, and the research that shows how one can effectively help the other.
Research Proves the Link Between CBD, Migraines, and Relief
A paper first reported during the 3rd Congress of the European Academy of Neurology in Amsterdam explored the link between cannabis and migraine relief in two separate phases.
The first phase treated a group of subjects with strong migraines that occurred regularly (acute chronic migraines). Subjects were given a combination of THC and CBD in varying doses, including a 0 mg placebo.
Subjects who consumed 200 mg or more of THC+CBD a day for three months reported significantly less pain from their migraines. On a subjective scale, the subjects in these groups averaged a 55% reduction in their pain symptoms. Doses below 200 mg a day did not have as much of a pain-relieving effect.
In a second phase, the study used subjects suffering from either chronic migraines or “cluster headaches”— a type of more intense migraine headache.
Those who had migraines were given either a dose of a THC+CBD drug or 25 mg of an antidepressant medication sometimes used to treat migraines called “amitriptyline” (Elavil). Subjects with cluster headaches were given either a THC+CBD drug or 80 mg of Verapamil, a “channel-blocker” medication commonly used to treat severe headaches.
In the second phase, the THC+CBD combination was shown to reduce the severity of pain for both migraines and cluster headaches. The CBD group also reported a slightly reduced frequency for their painful headaches.
More Research and Proof Behind Using Cannabis Oil for Migraines
The Amsterdam-released study is just one of many documenting how people can find effective relief through CBD for migraines.
Another study using 121 participants measured the effects of using cannabis and CBD on migraines. As reported by Leafly, the results found that subjects who used CBD for migraines had:
- A reduction in the average number of migraines from 10.4 per month to 4.6
- Positive effects for pain and quality of life for 40% of subjects
- Successfully prevented migraines among 19.8% of subjects
- Stopped migraines altogether among 11.6% of subjects
- Fewer migraines per month overall among 85% of subjects
Additional anecdotal evidence shows how cannabis oil for migraines can help reduce the severity of migraines, the pain felt, and how often they occur. For instance, according to Pamela Hadfield, co-founder of “HelloMD,” a spray form of CBD oil for migraines helped when nothing else could.
“About a year ago, a friend suggested that I try a CBD mouth spray for my headaches,” she explains. “I was all ears, as she told me that it not only provided pain relief, but she was able to fully function, it did not make her tired, and she found it a more natural way to medicate.”
By using CBD for migraines, Hadfield said she completely stopped having painful migraines, all “with zero gnarly side effects.”
After switching from drugs like Vicodin to CBD, migraines reduced for Hadfield and many countless others. They also lessen their dependence on habit-forming drugs that can have pretty serious side effects.
How Does CBD for Migraines Work So Well?
One of the biggest connections between CBD and migraines that scientists have made relates to how our nervous system works. Our body uses nerve cells to help trigger important reactions. For example, when we are running low on energy, the hormone ghrelin tells our brain “we’re hungry!”
Neurochemical responses are regulated using special structures called nerve receptors. Cells have these nerve receptors embedded in their membranes. Different chemicals can activate these receptors for different effects, as in the hunger example above.
Due to THC and CBD differences, these two cannabinoids also react differently with our nerve receptors.
With CBD for migraines, the chemicals act upon our natural “cannabinoid” nerve receptors. Research shows that issues like migraine headaches, fibromyalgia, and irritable bowel syndrome could all have to do with irregularities in these cannabinoid receptors.
For reasons that aren’t quite understood yet, CBD can help re-regulate these receptors and “normalize” our bodies. As a result, issues like migraine headaches become less of a problem, sometimes all but stopping entirely.
Using CBD and Cannabis Oil for Migraines
There are many options available when trying CBD for migraines.
Smoking high-CBD marijuana strains or extracts of these strains can help, for instance. Some vape products offer purified cannabis oil for migraines in a convenient form with no psychoactive side effects.
Using CBD edibles or capsules can help you potentially reduce migraine symptoms and the frequency of migraines long-term. These products can be slow to act, but they last four to six hours or more at a time.
You can also try fast-acting CBD migraine drops or sprays, both of which go under your tongue. These take slightly longer to affect you compared to smoking or vaping, but it can be a discrete way to get your needed dose of cannabis oil for migraines.
For whatever product you use, always start by sampling the smallest possible dose and then working your way up. If you suffer from migraine headaches, ask your doctor about using medical marijuana products like CBD for migraines. They can recommend a particular product or dosage for your needs while helping you avoid bad reactions.
By combining expert medical advice with CBD, migraines can quickly become a thing of the past. Go ahead and give it a try to see if it can bring you the same relief it has brought countless others.
