Can Marijuana Edibles Help in Curing Migraines?

01/16/2019

With 12 percent of the world's population suffering from migraines, anything that can help relieve the gruelling pain is welcome. This is especially true if this cure doesn't come with any long-term side effects. For most people, their go-to cures are ibuprofen and paracetamol. Recently, though, migraine sufferers are starting to look into marijuana. Read on as we look at the relationship between weed and migraines, as well as the best strains to relieve migraine pain.

Differentiating Normal Headaches and Migraines

Usually confused with normal tension headaches, migraines are recurring headaches occurring at least 15 times a month. Tension headaches create an unpleasant pressure on the scalp, forehead and neck, ranging from mild to severe. It's symmetrical in nature and lasts from a few hours to a couple of days. It is usually caused by anxiety and stress.

With migraines, you'll experience pain on only one side of the head, behind an ear, eye or in the temples. In some cases, light sensitivity and even temporary vision loss can develop. About 25 percent of sufferers experience visual disturbance, which they describe as seeing blurred light and geometric patterns in their peripheral vision. Migraines can last for four to 72 hours.

The causes of migraines are still uncertain, but it's been linked to certain genetic and environmental factors. Chronic migraine sufferers have noted that some things and situations trigger an attack, such as loud noises, particular smells, certain medications, and bright lights. Statistics show that more women suffer from migraines than men, which might show that hormones play a role.

Clinical Research on Cannabis and Migraines

The relationship between marijuana and migraines is a growing interest for clinicians. A study published in 1987 looked into a group's increased frequency of migraines following decreased weed consumption. From this study, the researchers concluded that weed might be masking the migraine pain, which ceased when the subjects stopped using cannabis.

Another study in 2016 experimented on 21 adults diagnosed with migraines. The participants were made to use migraine medications along with medical cannabis for four years, and were subjected to regular check-ups. The average migraine episodes dropped among those who used marijuana. The patients reported that marijuana helped in preventing migraines and lessened the intensity.

One more research study in 2004 looked into the mechanism of how cannabis impacts migraine headaches. From the study, 85 percent of the subjects reported a reduction in the frequency of their migraines. Many studies support this finding, showing that marijuana can reduce the frequency of migraine episodes and intensity of the pain.

The Best Marijuana Edibles for Chronic Migraines

Cannabis has different effects on different people. So if you're considering using it to help with your migraine, it's advisable that you test different strains to find the one that's most effective for you. There are so many strains available today and finding the right one can take some time. Get started with the ten strains listed below.

Blue Dream (17-24% THC)
Chocolope (18-21% THC)
Canna-Tsu (10% THC, 10% CBD)
God's Gift (18-22% THC)
Granddaddy Purple (17-23% THC)
Holy Ghost (28% THC)
OG Kush (19-26% THC)
Purple Urkle (20% THC)
Stephen Hawking Kush (5% THC, 5% CBD)
White Widow (18-25% THC)

Migraines can be very annoying, not to mention painful. If conventional medications don't work for you, perhaps you'll finally find relief with marijuana edibles. Edibles are a great choice for people who want to try weed but don't want smoke irritating their lungs. Edibles might take a while to prepare and process, but its effects are definitely stronger and last longer compared to other known conventional weed consumption methods.