More Patients Trying Cannabis, But Studies Remain Sparse
A report from Healint (of the Migraine Buddy app) in September is showing that more and more migraine and headache patients seem to be trying cannabis. Though there are some good results, a lot of unanswered questions remain.
Data collected through Migraine Buddy showed that 30% of patients in the US had tried cannabis, and 82% found it to be “useful to reduce the pain level”. Healint CEO and cofounder Francois Cadiou comments:
Cannabis is becoming a prominent treatment option for chronic pain patients, especially for migraineurs. With more and more states across the United States legalizing medical marijuana, migraine patients are becoming acquainted with cannabis as a natural remedy that can help alleviate migraines and even prevent them. Research about the benefits of cannabis use among migraine patients is slowly emerging, but more must be done to properly inform individuals about the use and dosage of medical marijuana to treat migraines.
New Study Reveals 30% of Migraine Sufferers in America Have Tried Cannabis For Migraine Relief
There is a great deal of hope that cannabis may be another tool to fight migraine. However, quality studies are extremely sparse, and many questions remain. For example:
- When smoked, there are considerable health concerns when smoking and vaping.
- Concerns about long term effects, such as sleep disruption.
- Concerns about lack of trials in general, and so a lack of good comparisons with other treatments, and a lack of information on good dosing.
- There are some signs that the effects of cannabis may fade with time.
Granted, many migraine patients will take note of side effects and possible problems with long term use, but use cannabis anyway, because they have not found other effective ways to fight migraine. But at the very least it would be wise to discuss your cannabis use with your doctor, keep a detailed long term diary, and be aware of other treatments that you haven’t tried yet (yes, there are treatments that you haven’t tried yet).