Cannabis to treat migraines has all kinds of new scientific breakthroughs. This article explains all of it.
Migraine is characterized as a severe headache one feels on one side of the head. With throbbing pain, people also report symptoms such as sensitivity towards light or sound leading to nausea and other conditions. Migraine is a common health condition that affects 1 in every 5 women and nearly 1 in every 15 men of the total global population, where the rate is high in early adulthood. Migraine patients are mostly prescribed to take medicine on a daily basis, but sufferers respond poorly to the traditional treatments and look for alternative options. Recently, medicinal cannabis has proven to be effective in chronic pain conditions such as osteoarthritis, chronic pain of cancer, for managing blood pressure, glaucoma complexities, and many other diseases. On the basis of the fact that medical cannabis for migraine is effective, we will shed light on points like the best cannabis strains for the headache of migraine, mechanism of action, and much more from physical application to ingestion of edibles for treatment.
Medical cannabis (MC) has been hypothesized as an alternative therapy for migraines, given the undesirable side effects of current migraine medications.
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Now, let’s get into Cannabis To Treat Migraines!
Background And History
The mean prevalence of headaches is among Norway, Italy, and the majority of the American population, between 2.6% and 21.7%. However, the range is higher according to neurologist reports, significantly higher, 27.6% to 48.6%. The long chain of history related to the
safe use of cannabis as a botanical medicine goes back to 2900 BC in China and 1000 BC in India, Asia. Cannabis was a mainstay for the treatment of migraine in Europe and North America between 1843 and 1943 and was reported to have benefits for both migraine prevention and acute treatment. The Father of modern cannabis (Sir William Osler) says that cannabis is “probably the most satisfactory remedy” for migraine. With recent discoveries in the last decade, such as (ECS) it has become easier to understand how cannabinoids work against these conditions by binding with the receptors. Even if we look at the psychoactive effects induced by cannabis high doses, the historical data suggest that the therapeutic benefit can be reached at intoxicating doses. There are ample evidence that support the fact that cannabis is effective for chronic pain such as National Academies Committee on the Health Effects of Marijuana says that there are solid evidence available that supports the effectiveness of cannabis in serious pain conditions.
How Cannabis Components Help To Manage The Migraine Pain?
Neurological pain is the worst type of pain most of the patients report about, which is further linked with other medical conditions where CBD is found effective and suggested after much research work. How CBD does this is by affecting the receptors in the brain of the sufferer. These receptors, like CB1 or 2, are part of wider ECS which is known for playing an important role in controlling pain and inflammation throughout the body. THC and CBD are the most active and licensed compounds of cannabis involved in migraine treatment. THC cannabinoid occurs in the body in a natural way and plays its role by stimulating cannabinoid receptors in the brain as a result, decreasing the pain. Individually, CBD has great potential to relieve migraine pain because it’s several hundred times more anti-inflammatory than aspirin, with more than 65 molecular receptor targets and over 80 mechanisms of action. Marijuana has an entourage effect meaning that it could be an effective treatment for other pain syndromes as well, such as fibromyalgia. For migraine sufferers, marijuana could be an effective acute or preventive treatment. It could also relieve more symptoms than just head pain.
Cannabis To Treat Migraines Mechanism Of Action
The role of the cannabinoid system in the regulation of migraine headaches highlights the potential of marijuana as a treatment option. Marijuana has the ability to modulate the migraine-associated pain pathway via the cannabinoid receptors. Whole dried Cannabis flower may be an effective medication for the treatment of migraine- and headache-related pain, but the effectiveness differs according to the characteristics of the Cannabis plant, the combustion methods, and the age and gender of the patient. In this study, all groups experienced symptom relief primarily associated with THC levels of 10% and over, with joints potentially offering more relief than pipes. The analgesic effects of Cannabis varied primarily with age, with younger patients experiencing greater benefits in general. The presence of CB1 and CB2 receptors on sensory nerve terminals and their inhibitory effect on neuronal activity suggest that the endocannabinoid system has the potential to moderate neurogenic inflammation and pain. The CBD works by attaching to the specialized receptors of the brain, e.g., CB2 receptors or another way in which the body produces cannabinoids naturally to attach to these receptors which result in reduced pain.
Significance In Medical Industry
Patients with severe headaches agree that cannabis is effective for migraines and other medical conditions. The most frequent use of medicinal Cannabis is to help chronic pain and other associated conditions, such as nausea and vomiting, within 60 days of use. Medical cannabis has also reduced the number of days of migraine after 30 days, and the frequency of migraine headaches per month in research. Patients have claimed that marijuana helps them in muscle relaxation. A blog post on aurora referred to that. This has increased the use of cannabis in 2017-2018 solely in Canada number increased from 17403 to 296702. In the medical industry, several trials are done on patients suffering from neuropathic pain conditions by using smoked Cannabis. In each test, a reduction in pain intensity was noted. There were no severe symptoms after use. Patients suffered from mild adverse events like dry mouth and dizziness. Thus, medical cannabis for migraine has also proven itself effective for this condition also.
Possible Ways To Use Cannabis To Treat Migraines
Starting from oil tinctures to gummies, there are many different ways one can use cannabis for migraine. But some are more valued than others. However, as far as migraine is concerned, the smoking flower is the best option as edibles, and other options work slowly, and migraine patients need to ward off pain quickly. This can be used in many eating items as prescribed by the doctor. Commonly the dosage is recommended with respect to the person’s weight and always starts from a low to a high dose.
CBD For Migraine
CBD for migraine or CBD oil are both the same thing. CBD is an active compound of cannabis, and researchers have been doing work on this compound for a long time. It provides many benefits such as
Pain Relief
Cannabis oil, that is consists of CBD and THC, is directly linked with the CNS of the brain. Many patients during research shows pain minimization after the application of cannabis oil and other CBD products.
Muscle Relaxant
Delta-limonene presents within the cannabis act as an anti-inflammatory and muscle relaxant.
Anti-inflammatory
One of the best medical benefits of cannabis oil is its potential to reduce the severe minor or common inflammation. It is not advised for patients who have poor tolerance to THC since it has been shown to induce introspective and even paranoid states of mind when used in the incorrect environment and with the improper dose of cannabis.
Anxiety
Cannabis or CBD oil gives a powerful hit of euphoric energy that may help you to relieve the anxiety and stresses of the day and can tackle symptoms of depression.
Helps Insomnia
CBD is known for the relaxing effects that it creates in the body. With a very low dose of cannabis oil circadian rhythm of the body gets improved.
What does the research say about cannabis to treat migraines?
Medical cannabis for migraine plays its role by interacting with the nerve routes which are pathways for the transmission of signals of pain between the brain and the body. There is a lot of research work in this regard however, still, detailed analyses are required. A study performed in 2012 on nabilone exploring the effects of synthetic THC resulted in minimized pain intensity after the experiment with nabilone. Another study where 1980 participants were included from Italy and the United States of America concludes that cannabis has promising effects on the onset and duration of migraine. A research performed by Sujan Poudel and his coordinators on the effects of cannabis for headaches and migraine shows the beneficial long-term and short-term benefits of cannabis for migraine, where some patients also reported prolonged and persistent improvement in their health. It was also effective in decreasing daily analgesic intake, dependence, and level of pain intensity. In 2016, Pharmacotherapy published a study on the use of medical marijuana for migraine. Researchers found that of the 48 people surveyed, 39.7 percent reported fewer migraine attacks overall. OG Kush strain was preferred by the users rather than any other medicine for treating migraine.
Best Cannabis Strains for migraine
The following strains are rated for leaving the best effects in migraine patients. Each strain has its own significance and targets however, indica strains for migraine are more prominent due to high CBD content. Below are the best cannabis to treat migraines.
ACDC
Without inducing any type of THC-related psychoactive effects, this high CBD strain relieves migraine pain. Due to high ratio of CBD also offer anti-inflammatory benefits, helpful in controlling the pain of migraine symptoms. Terpenes present in ACDC are myrcene and beta-caryophyllene.
Canna-Tsu
Canna-Tsu is another strain with high CBD known significantly for relieving pain without producing any high effects. Further, this strain is also known for producing calm and mental clarity leading to soothe headache and migraine conditions. Dominant terpenes found in Canna-Tsu are Myrcene, beta-caryophyllene, and limonene.
Harlequin
Harlequin contains approximately a 2:1 ratio of CBD to THC, allowing for decent pain relief from both cannabinoids but still a tempered psychoactive experience. Harlequin is best used at the first sign of migraine symptoms, allowing it to kick in before the headache worsens. The primary terpenes in Harlequin include myrcene, beta-caryophyllene, pinene, and humulene.
Northern Lights
Northern Lights is an older and popular cannabis strain known for its pain-relieving, sedative properties. The cultivar contains more THC than CBD and a profile with more myrcene, beta-caryophyllene, limonene, humulene, and terpinolene. These terpenes work together to relax patients and soothe pain sensations before an attack becomes fully fledged.
For more information on this strain visit our post – Northern Lights Strain
OG Kush
OG Kush is a widely available cultivar with powerful sedative effects that make quick work of much migraine pain. It has higher THC content, so those with low tolerance only need a small dosage, but its slight amounts of CBD contribute to overall pain reduction. OG Kush’s dominant terpenes include myrcene, limonene, humulene, and pinene.
For more information on this strain visit our post – OG Kush Strain
Pineapple Kush
This strain is famous for its smooth pineapple flavor, but it anecdotally offers effective pain relief to its users. It features a blend of many terpenes, such as linalool, beta-pinene, myrcene, limonene, and caryophyllene
Purple Kush
Purple Kush is a powerfully sedative strain with high THC content and sleep-producing terpenes. High levels of myrcene and linalool are highly relaxing, helping users fall into a sleepy euphoria before the worst of the migraine has a chance to appear.
Remedy
Remedy is a strain with about 15% CBD and 1% THC content, making it an effective anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving option that is unlikely to induce any THC-related psychoactivity. Remedy is often rich in myrcene and pinene.
For more information on all the popular strains and their benefits, visit our post: Weed Strains – Everything You Need To Know!
What are the challenges for treating fibromyalgia via cannabis?
In order to assess the side effects of cannabis, one must go for CBD and THC independently. Patients who take medications with high CBD content experience dry mouth, dizziness, headaches or an upset stomach. These side effects often ease up over the first couple of weeks. Also, with THC, patients report dry mouth and a bit of dizziness. At too high doses, however, THC can also cause an increase in anxiety, and hypervigilance (restlessness) and make it harder to get to sleep. You may feel a rush of thoughts in your mind with some energetic cannabis strain high in THC content.
Conclusion of Cannabis To Treating Migraines
Although there are many FDA-approved treatments for the treatment of migraine, and it has more expanded in 2018, new preventive treatments were also included. Still, many people do not seem to be happy with the medications and are refractory to these traditional ways. Migraine is beyond normal headache conditions and can stay long for 70 -75 hours, where some people feel severe migraine attacks as well. Here cannabis plays its role as it is pain-killing botanical remedy and is even legalized for medical use in many countries like the United States of America. It is scientifically proved that the Cannabinoids present in Cannabis are helpful in eradicating migraine-related pain as well as in many cases, complete recovery is also seen. However, more scientific evidence and research will verify the fact in the future by helping with a more controlled examination of dose, type of cannabis, THC, CBD, and THC x CBD interactions.
Thank you for reading about Cannabis To Treat Migraines. We have many more articles that explain how cannabis can help with many illnesses written by medical doctors. Check those out in our blog section.
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