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About half the world’s population, or 40% to be specific, suffer from some sort of headache or migraine.
Needless to say, chronic migraine attacks can severely impact your day-to-day life making it hard to operate or even relax unless you take a painkiller or some remedy at the first sign of symptoms.
Speaking of remedies, one of the herbs that has often been overlooked for reasons oh-so-mysterious is none other than “cannabis.”
In that, CBD, which is the main medicinal compound of weed, has shown remarkable results when it comes to reducing pain and inflammatory conditions.
Before we shed some light on how CBD can help relieve headaches or migraines, let us understand the nature of its unbearable pain.
Albeit similar to headaches, migraines refer to a more severe form of it that usually affects one side of the head with sudden and recurring throbbing.
As one of the most prevalent forms of neurological conditions, migraines are not only painful but can also interfere with the quality of your life and work productivity.
Regular headaches can also lead to nausea, impaired vision, anxiety, depression, and at worse, some sort of disability in unhealthy individuals, especially when not treated in time.
Some of the common medications used against migraines include analgesics, anti-emetics, specific anti-migraine medications, and prophylactic medications, all of which come with some or other side effects, that show up sooner or later.
As such, more than that, it is the personal lifestyle of an individual that helps obtain the desired relief from headaches and migraines.
Things such as regular sleep, meditation, physical exercises, a healthy diet, and constant hydration can all make up for over-the-counter (OTC) drugs and medications.
In that, weed as a natural regulator of sleep, pain modulation, and appetite can prove to be a perfect alternative for migraines and all things pain.
What is CBD and How Does It Work?
CBD or Cannabidiol has long been associated with the medicinal potential of weed or cannabis.
As a completely non-psychoactive substance and the main medicinal compound of weed, it has been widely used as a popular natural remedy for many ailments including inflammation and pain since time immemorial.
With the recent revival of marijuana, the potential of CBD as a natural painkiller has been further established and strengthened, although, only anecdotally.
What makes it such a promising solution to migraine and other chronic pains are not just its pain-relieving properties but other qualities as well including anti-inflammation, anti-oxidation, and antinociception.
In other words, as a natural analgesic herb, cannabis, or CBD to be specific, tends to block the detection of painful or inflammatory stimuli by the nervous system, thus, reducing the feeling of pain.
The reason it works so organically and seamlessly compared to other drugs is the presence of the endocannabinoid system (ECS) across several parts of our bodies which is meant to secrete essential cannabinoids that it produces on its own.
Even when taken additionally through weed, it is the ECS to which exogenous CBD and other cannabinoids bind to stimulate the key functions of our system including nociception or the ability to endure pain like that of migraine.
That is, by tapping into our ECS, CBD can inhibit the sensation of pain and give us much-needed relief.
Now, this is something that has been established both anecdotally and scientifically.
Current Research on CBD for Migraines
Despite the lack of research on the medical potential of cannabis as a whole, CBD is the one thing that has drawn significant attention worldwide.
As the key pharmacological substance found in weed, CBD has been shown to exert sufficient analgesic or pain-relieving effects against a variety of chronic pain models.
Plus, it does not have any side effects and the risk of intoxication as is the case with its counterpart THC- the other major ingredient in weed that is rather infamous due to its strong psychotropic effects.
That said, the key findings across several studies indicate that CBD can positively modulate the endocannabinoid system for several disorders including migraine.
At the same time, as a natural phytocannabinoid, CBD can significantly reduce inflammation, anxiety, stress, and depression, all of which are some of the major causes of headaches.
Due to its fewer or lack of side effects, CBD has been further proposed as a possible treatment for inflammatory disorders and neuropathic pain including painful migraines.
With whatever we have accumulated, it is safe to say that CBD can play a crucial role in managing many of the mechanisms involved in migraine and its physiology.
However, more substantial research is always needed to determine a favorable delivery method, dose, and strain for migraine and chronic headache management in the long term.
Benefits of Using CBD for Migraines
According to limited studies, CBD has shown both long-term and short-term effects in patients suffering from regular migraines.
Some of the key benefits of CBD that help relieve chronic pain or headaches include:
• Inhibition of fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) – the enzyme that degrades anandamide (AEA), an endocannabinoid that modulates the function of central structures and reduces the expression of pain mediators in migraine-specific conditions.
• Relief from pain, inflammation, anxiety, and depression, that are considered the main causes of constant headaches.
• Modification of bodily functions and the stimulation of internal pathways that play a major role in pain control or nociception.
• Lack of side-effects compared to its psychoactive counterpart- THC.
• Certain analgesic and anti-hyperalgesic effects in several pain models.
• Suppression of mediators (cytokines, chemokines) and cells (macrophages and related cells) that are involved in neurogenic inflammation and therefore, in the mediation of migraine pain.
All-in-all, by interacting with our ECS, CBD becomes quite beneficial against migraine via multiple mechanisms.
Risks and Side Effects of CBD
While CBD has shown to be relatively safer than other medications, especially for pain-related issues such as migraine, the mainstream medical community is still hesitant to recommend it due to various reasons.
Be it due to a lack of research, professional training, or the absence of a standard guideline for proper medicinal use, limited findings have confirmed that CBD has more positive effects than adverse effects when it comes to treating chronic pain conditions like migraine.
It is one of the very reasons people use it in the first place along with for mental health.
With that clarified, it is important to pay attention to your dosage or the risk of developing dependency and its potential to interact with other medications (if any), especially when using marijuana for migraines regularly.
How to Use CBD for Migraines
CBD is not a one-size-fits-all kind of drug by any means.
Thanks to technology, it can be consumed in many ways, including smoking, vaping, edibles, oils, and topical applications.
Yet, many factors can influence its desired effects like genetics, body chemistry, metabolism, the severity of your migraine, the strain, and the method of consumption among others.
Since it works differently for every individual, here’s how should use it to be on the safer side:
• Start low and go slow with the recommended dosage of about 5-10 milligrams of CBD per serving.
• Take only a couple of hits at once to minimize dependency and maximize the effects.
• Non-smokers should rely on other means of consuming weed and CBD such as vaping, edibles, oils, tinctures, and topicals which can be directly applied on the forehead or the affected area in migraine.
Moreover, before using CBD for migraine and other pain-related issues such as wounds, swellings, and arthritis, you should always consult with your doctor or a professional pharmacist experienced in medicinal cannabis.
Conclusion
Given the wide range of therapeutic properties (such as anti-inflammation, anti-oxidation, and antinociception) of weed, in specific, CBD, many people claim it to be a potential remedy for migraines too.
As a well-known analgesic herb, CBD or medical cannabis can be used in a variety of ways to manage or control the unbearable feeling of headaches and migraines.
When used properly, it can significantly reduce pain, inflammation, stress, anxiety, and depression which are all too common in the modern lifestyle and often contribute to sudden headaches.
With the right delivery method, dose, and strain, you can further reduce the chances of unwanted migraines and focus completely on the task at hand, thus, leading a peaceful life in the end.
FAQs
CBD is available in many forms and flavors ranging from smokeables, vapes, and dabs, to oils, tinctures, topicals, and edibles. And from CBD isolates to full-spectrum products that contain a wider range of cannabinoids than just CBD alone. As such, choosing the best type of CBD for migraines is all about your preferences and taste.
Depending on the product and the method of consumption, CBD can start working on your stubborn migraine as early as a couple of minutes to hours. For instance, sublingual consumption as done with medicinal CBD tinctures can certainly give you some relief within a few minutes. Whereas, eaten cannabis can take as much as 1-2 hours to show its full effects.
While CBD is considered relatively safer with no visible or hidden side effects, it has the potential to interact with other medications including sedatives, anticoagulants, anti-epileptic drugs, and opioids.
To have a safe and sound experience, consult with a healthcare provider or a professional cannabis pharmacist or budtender before using CBD for migraine.
