An estimated 39 million Americans live with migraines. Now, there may be a new treatment option to alleviate some symptoms of migraines: smoking weed.
A new trial found that patients had greater pain relief from vaporized cannabis than those treated with a placebo. Participants in this double-blind study treated four separate migraine attacks with four different treatments: THC, CBD, a THC and CBD mix, and a placebo.
In the trial, some participants who were experiencing a migraine attack inhaled a combination of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD), while others received a placebo. The participants who inhaled the THC and CBD combination reported significant pain reduction and improvement within two hours of the treatment. The study involved 92 volunteers between the ages of 21 and 65.
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Compared with the placebo group, the THC/CBD group had significantly higher rates of pain relief and freedom from symptoms, as well as improvements in light intolerance and hypersensitivity to loud noises, which the participants identified as some of the most bothersome symptoms of migraines.
However, while the THC/CBD group improved symptoms of migraines, the THC group experienced many side effects, like cognitive impairment, intoxication, slowness, and sedation.
While this was not a peer-reviewed study, this trial was the first placebo-controlled trial of vaporized cannabis. The findings, which were presented at the American Headache Society Annual Meeting, indicate the potential for cannabis to be a treatment option for migraines, especially for those who do not respond to current standard therapies.
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In fact, it is likely that patients are already self-medicating with cannabis during migraine attacks. A cross-sectional study found that 31 percent of survey respondents with chronic pain reported using cannabis for pain relief.
However, the efficacy and consistency of the efficacy are still unverified. The long-term implications of cannabis use for migraine treatments are unknown, and further studies need to be done to verify the findings of this trial.