Does Cannabis Provide Migraine Relief?
Living with migraines can be tough. With intense pain from migraine headaches, some sufferers find it difficult to carry on with regular daily activities when an attack occurs. What makes it even worse is that many struggle to find effective treatment options for the pain associated with migraines or gives Migraine Relief.
In recent years, doctors and researchers have become more open to applying alternative drugs and supplements for a variety of health conditions. One drug that has received a lot of attention is cannabis. Now that it is being decriminalized in many places, researchers feel more comfortable looking into cannabis as a treatment option, and doctors feel better about recommending it to patients.
For many experts, migraines and headaches are good candidates for conditions that could be treated with cannabis.
About Migraines- Migraine Relief
There is some debate over whether migraines are a type of severe headache or if migraines represent a neurological condition with severe headaches being one of the symptoms. Either way, migraines involve intense pain localized in the head.
Most migraines also involve pain in a focused area of the head. As an example, many migraine sufferers experience intense pain behind the eyes. Along with that, migraines can result in symptoms like nausea, dizziness and sensitivity to light and sound.
It is important to note that there is no cure for migraines. The best a person can hope for is an effective strategy for managing and treating the pain. With that said, many people have trouble finding reliable solutions for addressing migraine pain. Some have suggested that cannabis could be the right solution for many of these people.
What does the research say?
Cannabis contains chemical compounds known as cannabinoids. Humans have cannabinoid receptors throughout the body, and these receptors help regulate different body functions, including pain. Some researchers believe the compounds in cannabis can interact with these receptors to provide effective pain relief for a variety of conditions.
One study published in 2016 showed some promise for treating migraines with cannabis. This was an early observational study that followed 121 adults over four years. The results of the study indicate that cannabis can help reduce the frequency of migraine headaches or gives Migraine Relief while also having potential to relieve pain.
Another study from Washington State University showed the potential of inhaled cannabis as a treatment for migraine headaches. This study was performed by analyzing data from the Strainprint app, which allows patients to self-report symptoms and effects after using medical cannabis. According to the analysis in the study, cannabis relieved migraine pain by close to 50%.
While the results of early research look promising, it is far from definitive. Much more research is needed, and one issue is that researchers have yet to publish a double-blind, randomized control trial. However, the first placebo-controlled trial is expected to be completed soon. The research is being performed at UC San Diego. The study will investigate the effects of inhaled cannabis on migraine pain.
Is it Legal?
All of this research is interesting, and you will find many who will testify to the benefits and effectiveness of cannabis as a treatment for migraine pain. With the drug showing this type of promise, many migraine sufferers are wondering if they can try cannabis as a potential treatment for migraines.
The first thing you need to ask yourself is if it is legal. Cannabis has been decriminalized in many states. If you are looking for a cannabis dispensary near Sacramento, CA, you should have no problem because it is legal for both recreation and medical use in the state of California. It is legal for recreational use in about a dozen other states as well.
If you look at legality for medical use, more than half the states in the US allow for the use of medical cannabis. With that said, in states where it is only legal for medical use it is not as simple as going to a dispensary. You will have to get a prescription from a doctor if you want to use cannabis as a treatment for headaches.
The best recommendation is to investigate the laws where you live. In some states, it might be as simple as buying over-the-counter medicines, but in others, it might be more like getting a prescription. You also have a variety of states where cannabis is still illegal for both recreational and medical purposes.
The research into cannabis for treating migraines and headaches is still very new. It does show significant potential as a treatment for a variety of pain issues, but more research is needed. Before trying cannabis as a treatment for migraine pain, you should consult with your doctor, and make sure you are staying on the right side of the laws in your state.