According to the Skaggs Pharmaceutical and Pharmacy Sciences School from the Medical Campus of the Colorado Anschutz University, migraines can be treated with marijuana. The treatment has proven to be beneficial for people who suffer from chronic head pains.
- Migraines can be treated with marijuana
- The study focused on the frequency of migraines in already diagnosed patients and the fluctuations of the numbers after the treatment was administered
- Almost two thirds of the patients were found to have used marijuana before the study
- More research has to be conducted on the subject in order to reach a definitive conclusion
The study conducted by the Colorado University observed a significant drop in the level of frequency of migraines in diagnosed patients. The paper was published this January in the Pharmacotherapy journal. In order to reach these results the researchers have observed patients diagnosed with chronic head pains and given medical marijuana as a form of pain alleviation. The study took place in the interval from January 2010 to September 2014.
There were 121 patients that volunteered to be studied. Out of the total number, 103 have reported a drop in the frequency levels of migraines after being given the medical marijuana treatment. There was no improvement for 15 of them, and only 3 observed an increased frequency of migraines after following the treatment with medical marijuana.
Statistically, the rate of chronic head pains frequency decreased from 10.4 to 4.6 average incidents per month. Preliminary results show that migraines can be treated with marijuana successfully.
Migraines and normal head pains are often mixed up, a great majority of people stating that they have a migraine instead of a common head pain. The main difference between the two is the intensity in which the pain is perceived and the duration of it.
A simple headache can last for a couple of hours and it often goes away on its own. A migraine can last from a couple of hours to several days. The intensity of the pain causes the sensation of throbbing in the head of the patient. Also, migraines are commonly accompanied by vomiting, nausea and hypersensitivity to sound and light.
Upon further examination of the patient’s charts, the doctors observed that almost two thirds of them were already, or have been a certain point, using a form of marijuana or cannabis. The preferred method of utilization is inhalation (basically smoking a joint). Cannabis can also be chewed, but it takes longer for its effects to show.
Scientists haven’t found an explanation for why marijuana has this soothing effect on most of the people. One of the answers could lie in the cannabinoid receptors that can be found in the brain, immune system and connective tissue. There is also a link between cannabinoid consumption and the release of dopamine and serotonin in the human body.
We still have a long way to go before using marijuana for migraine treatment on a large scale. To get there more serious clinical trials should be made, and the laws on marijuana use should be made clearer. Until then, it is a good start to know that migraines can be treated with marijuana.
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