Managing Migraines with Cannabis

BY ANTONIO DEROSE

Many of us have experienced some sort of headache, and several of us have experienced migraine pain. According to the Migraine Research Foundation, migraines are a neurological disease that affects 39 million people in America and 1 billion people worldwide. Migraines are more than bad headaches, and are often characterized with symptoms like severe throbbing pain, dizziness, nausea and vomiting, and extreme sensitivity to lights, sounds, and smells. The severity of migraines is often misunderstood, and most people discredit how incapacitating true migraines can be. Migraines are reported as being “the 6th most disabling illness in the world” and “every 10 seconds, someone in the U.S. goes to the emergency room complaining of head pain, and approximately 1.2 million visits are for acute migraine attacks.” In addition to being one of the most common visits to emergency rooms, more than 4 million people experience migraine pain on a chronic daily basis.

Now that we have a better understanding for how incapacitating and frightening common migraine pain is across the world, let’s take a deeper look into the different types of migraines, before discussing how cannabis may be able to help. The American Migraine Foundation defines a total of nine different types of migraines. The most common is a Migraine without Aura, but almost one in four will experience a Migraine with Aura, also known as a complicated migraine. Those who suffer from these complicated migraines “experience aura, a series of sensory and visual changes that can range from seeing black dots and zags to tingling numbness on one side of the body, or an inability to speak clearly. Aura sets in shortly before or during a migraine, and can last anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes. Aura is the second of migraine’s four stages, and anyone who experiences it will confirm it is an unmistakable warning sign that the severe head pain is on its way.”

Retinal migraines occur when the headache causes temporary loss of vision, and is most common in women. Loss of vision can last as short as a minute or as long as a few months. Hemiplegic migraines result in symptoms similar to stroke, with weakening on one side of the body and loss of feeling or numbness. Chronic migraines are defined as having headaches more than 15 days a month, and there are several other types, including migraines without head pain, ice pick headaches, cluster headaches, and cervicogenic headaches, which are actually caused by pain in the neck and tension on the spine.

So how can cannabis possibly help manage migraines? Let’s take a look at the research. The Journal of Headache and Pain published the results of a research study focused on the activation of CB2 receptors as potential therapeutic targets for migraines. Our body’s endocannabinoid system has CB1 and CB2 receptors. These are what the cannabinoids like THC and CBD interact with, and both are being found to play a role in managing pain. “Recent research suggests that also CB2 receptors, especially located outside the central nervous system, play a role in the perception of pain.” This research study, which was conducted on mice, stated “pharmacological manipulation of the CB2 receptor may represent a potential therapeutic tool for the treatment of migraines.”

There was also a comprehensive review of several scientific studies, regarding the relationship between the endocannabinoid system and migraines, published in Experimental Neurology. The review, which examined over 80 scientific studies and references related to the topic, concluded, ”activation of the ECS (endocannabinoid system) represents an interesting potential tool for reducing physiological as well as inflammatory pain-the types of pain most likely involved in migraine attacks- although the involved mechanisms need further investigation.”

Ultimately, this means cannabinoids like THC and CBD, which interact with our ECS (endocannabinoid system), are already being proven to help manage the types of pain associated with migraines, but more research is needed to find out exactly why. So the next time you have a migraine or head pain, consider trying a cannabis product for relief and find out why so many people are already replacing common over the counter pain and anti-inflammatory medications with cannabis a safer alternative.