Some people wonder if CBD is effective for migraines. Chronic migraines are a debilitating condition. People who suffer from them often are desperate for anything that will lessen their frequency or intensity; anything that improves their condition is happily welcome.
You should know, however, that the FDA has not approved or studied CBD oil or edibles as a migraine treatment, either for prevention or for palliative relief from migraine pain.
But could it be? In this article, we review the assertions in various medical journals as well as anecdotal evidence around CBD and headaches / pain.
In this video, one of TribeTokes founders clarifies why CBD can relieve headaches and migraines.
There is a certain amount of evidence that use of CBD is effective at treating chronic pain, but bear in mind that - as mentioned - the Food and Drug Administration has not studied nor acknowledged CBD for any pain relief effects.
Looking internationally, CBD oil is approved in Canada for use as a pain reliever for terminal cancer patients.
To date, there is no concrete proof that CBD is an effective pain reliever to a scientific certainty, so the evidence is anecdotal. There are some studies that indicate pain relief is reported by regular users, and that many people who take CBD do so primarily for pain management purposes, including chronic headaches or migraines.
For instance, It was suggested as early as 1998 in the journal Pain, that cannabis had great potential as a treatment for migraine, as it had been a folk remedy (and even prescribed for migraine and chronic headaches) in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
The journal Frontiers in Pharmocology suggested that given that CBD is known to have anxiolytic (reduces anxiety) and anti-psychotic properties, given the nerve receptors that CBD interacts with, it has promise as a migraine treatment. Chronic migraines are often treated with anti-depressants, as they are often an effective medication regimen in holding chronic migraines at bay.
The journal Headache likewise found evidence that cannabinoids as a class, including CBD, had great potential for treatment of migraines or other chronic headaches such as chronic tension or cluster headaches.
These are just some examples; other studies are out there. If there's a theme in any of the literature it's that there appears to be some promise for using CBD (as well as THC) in treating migraines, but more study is needed.
Bear in mind that there is no scientific proof that CBD can effectively treat migraines. The FDA does not approve of nor endorse the use of CBD to treat or manage migraines.
The scientific literature basically just says it might be useful, but more study is needed before the medical community can state to a certainty that CBD is an effective treatment for migraines.
With that said, a lot of people have anecdotally found CBD to be effective in treating migraines and other conditions that cause chronic pain. As mentioned, there appears to be a lot of promise for CBD as a treatment for migraines, given that it appears to work on many of the same nerve receptors as common medication prescribed to treat migraines.
This doesn't mean it will work, but that it has some promise as a migraine treatment.
You need to make the best decision for yourself, and with what you feel comfortable doing. Chronic migraines are a terrible thing to live with, so trying to use CBD products as a palliative might be a way to make them easier to live with. Anything that helps is a welcome relief.
