A deep dive into cannabis for migraines – what works and what to stay away from

This article originally appeared on Cannabis.net and has been republished with permission.

Cannabis helps with many ailments. One of the conditions it is designed to help is migraines. If you’ve never had a migraine before, it can be hell. I remember the first time I experienced a real migraine. It’s not like a headache. You have nausea, your eyes are sensitive to light – that hurts!

Luckily for some, it appears that cannabis helps with migraines, and in a recent Reddit thread, many people commented on what works and what doesn’t work for them.

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Here is the original post: Cannabis and migraines: I’ve found it to help a lot. I’m actually starting a weed diary about which strain works best for migraines. Did someone else do that? It’s honestly the best thing for my migraines.

This post received a total of 252 upvotes and 157 comments, and many people gave their two cents to it. But before we read what the community has to say, let’s quickly recap migraines.

What is a migraine?

According to the Mayo Clinic: A migraine is a headache that can cause severe throbbing pain or a throbbing sensation, usually on one side of the head. It is often accompanied by nausea, vomiting, and extreme sensitivity to light and sound. Migraine attacks can last for hours to days, and the pain can be severe enough to interfere with your daily activities.

For some people, a warning symptom known as an aura occurs before or with the headache. An aura can include visual disturbances, such as flashes of light or blind spots, or other disturbances, such as tingling on one side of the face or in an arm or leg, and difficulty speaking.

Medications can help prevent some migraines and make them less painful. The right medications, combined with self-care remedies and lifestyle changes, can help.

RELATED: Another study finds marijuana to be an effective treatment for migraines

As you can see, it’s a headache decided to pull Hulk past you. In many cases, migraines can be caused by inflammation or triggered by stress—both symptoms that can be treated with cannabis.

Now let’s take a look at how the marijuana community is dealing with migraines.

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The CannaTalks

Monachopsiss had this to say:

I’ve found that cannabis doesn’t help per se, but at least when I get high I can take my mind off the pain so I don’t notice it as much. The specific load is therefore irrelevant.

The closest I get to direct relief is when I use caviar/moon rocks. Something about the mix helps me sometimes!

I also found that moonrocks are very effective in treating this type of pain. Maybe it’s the potency of the product or the blend of terpenes and other essential cannabinoids that does the trick, but for me personally – I too have found that these higher potency products provide the best returns.

Hermitess also intervened in the conversation:

I tried it and found it hit or miss. Neither variety worked consistently. Even within the same batch, it was difficult to predict what impact this would have. Sometimes one hit was enough to relieve the pain, but other times it only helped for a short time and then I got a rebound headache that was worse than the original. I guess this can happen with other migraine miscarriages too, but given the other side effects it just wasn’t worth it for me. I’m not someone who can smoke weed and just continue to function normally. If so, all power to you!

TIED TOGETHER: The science behind marijuana and migraines

In my personal experience, this was also the case. Cannabis hasn’t always helped me get rid of my migraines. I don’t really get migraines these days unless I’m glued to a screen and my eyes need some rest. Either that or I started doing breathwork, which oxygenates me very well and doesn’t ignite.

Talvana, who has been suffering from migraines for some time, also added to the conversation:

Without cannabis I would not survive this disease. Jack Herer is also one of my favorites. I tend to try lots of new things all the time and randomly find products that help. Concentrates in particular help a lot with the pain.

I think a lot of that is actually the mood lift for me. I can ignore the pain more than usual when I’m high and time is passing. I get migraines daily and usually start with weed to see if I can get over the migraines before resorting to pills. Some days just weed will do, which is great because I only get 10 pills/month and still have another 10-20 migraine days to deal with.

Here, cannabis acts as a companion drug to the medication she is given, as the pills are only available for 10 days, probably due to the toxicity of the medication. Cannabis, on the other hand, has very low toxicity and is safe for most people.

In her case, the higher you go, the easier it is not to focus on the pain.

This article originally appeared on Cannabis.net and has been republished with permission.