Can Medical Marijuana Help With Migraine Headaches in Florida and other states you ask?

Some people use medical marijuana, or forms of the cannabis plant, as a treatment for migraine. Cannabis has been used for thousands of years as a natural remedy for a number of conditions. While there have not been enough high quality studies to support the use of marijuana for migraine, there is sufficient anecdotal reports and preliminary results from researchers to warrant clinical trials. These trials are needed before marijuana can be considered a standard approach to migraine.

 

Traditionally, the smoking form of cannabis has been called marijuana, although some oral formulations are now also called marijuana. While cannabis for recreational or medicinal use is illegal by federal law, several individual states have passed laws making medical marijuana legal, and a few states have also made recreational use of marijuana legal. Each individual should consult with their doctor and the laws of the state they reside in before considering the possibility of using medical marijuana.

 

A migraine is a severe and painful headache that millions of people around the world suffer from. Migraine attacks can be preceded by an aura of sensory warning signs such as blind spots, flashes of light, tingling in the arms and legs, vomiting, nausea, and increased sensitivity to light and sound. Sometimes these signs may accompany the headache instead of preceding it. The pain that migraines bring can last for several days at a time and is a common problem in not just the U.S but also most other parts of the world.

According to a report published by the American Migraine Association, migraines affect over 36 million Americans which constitutes about 12 percent of the total population.  Migraines are generally one-sided headaches and tend to affect people in the age group of 15 to 55.

Research indicates that alternative treatments such as medical pot can help reduce migraine attacks dramatically. There is strong evidence that cannabis has a great effect on certain types of chronic pain such as a migraine. Read on to know more.

Symptoms of Migraine

Signs and symptoms of a migraine can start a quite a while before a headache, just before a headache begins, during a headache, and after a headache has abated. All migraines aren’t the same and the symptoms may vary from person to person. A few typical symptoms of a migraine include:

• Moderate to severe pain, generally confined to one side of the head

• Severe, throbbing, and pulsating pain

• Elevated levels of pain during any form of physical activity

• Inability to perform regular chores due to pain.

• Vomiting

• Increased sensitivity to light and sound that reduces when you recede to a quiet and darkened room.

• Sweating

• Stomach ache

• Diarrhea

• Temperature changes

Symptoms of Migraines with Aura

For many migraine sufferers, auras act as a sort of red flag, letting them know that a headache is soon to come. However, many people do not experience any aura. Perceptual disturbances such as those listed below are called auras.

• Confusing thoughts or experiences

• Sparkling or flashing lights

• Zig-zag lines in the visual field

• Blind spots

• Pins and needles in arms, and/or legs

• Difficulty in speech

• Unpleasant smells

• Stiffness in the shoulders, neck, or limbs

When migraines with aura affect vision, the person may also see things that are not really there says some Marijuana Doctors in Florida. These disturbances can be compared to the sensation a person experiences after being photographed using a very bright camera flash in a dark room.

What Else It Could Be

Migraine and sinus headaches are commonly confused with each other because the two conditions share many of the same symptoms – which makes it hard to distinguish one from the other. In fact, nasal symptoms are experienced with many types of migraines. Cluster headaches too are mistaken to be migraine headaches as they have overlapping symptoms such as a one-sided headache. However, cluster headaches arrive and depart rather swiftly unlike migraines that can last for several hours to days.

How Medical Marijuana Helps Treat Migraines

There is a network of cannabinoid receptors inside your brain and other parts of the body. These receptors are tiny loops of protein that modulate how you feel pain. Marijuana is made up of natural compounds known as cannabinoids. When you use medical cannabis, these compounds travel through your body in search of receptors. They bind to the receptors and change how they work and in turn calm down pain signals.

 

Cannabinoids present in medical cannabis also help alleviate other migraine symptoms such as nausea, anxiety, and other conditions such as muscle spasms. Researchers are confident that marijuana can go a long way in replacing opioids as the go-to for relief from pain.

Why Medical Marijuana Treats Migraines Better Than Alternative Treatments

There are a number of pain-relieving drugs that you can take as soon your experience the signs and symptoms of an oncoming migraine. Aspirin and ibuprofen may be used to treat mild migraines. There are a number of drugs marketed specifically for migraines that contain a combination of aspirin, acetaminophen, and caffeine that can ease the moderate pain. However, these fail to provide relief in severe cases of migraine and can have side effects such as ulcers, gastrointestinal bleeding, and headaches due to the drug overuse.

Triptans are said to work better than painkillers in treating migraines. They are available in the form of pills, sprays, and injections and provide pain relief by constricting blood vessels and blocking pain pathways in the brain. Though they are effective, they can cause side effects such as nausea, dizziness, pain at the injection site, drowsiness and muscle weakness.

Marijuana, on the other hand, contains active compounds that are more effective at reducing the intensity as well as the frequency of acute migraine pain when compared to prescription migraine medication, and also have fewer side effects. The right percentage of THC-CBD can greatly reduce the severity of pain caused by migraine attacks. Pot also promotes better sleep.

How to Get Medical Marijuana to Treat Migraines

Medical marijuana is now legal in many parts of the world. However, to purchase cannabis to treat migraine, you will need to visit a doctor who will assess your symptoms and existing health condition before prescribing it for medical use. Migraines is one of the many conditions that can be easily tackled and treated by the consumption of regulated doses of medical marijuana. Contact All Natural MD marijuana doctors today. All Natural MD offers medical marijuana doctors certifications and ID card in Florida, We have offices for medical marijuana treatment in Lakeland, Orlando, Sarasota, Bradenton, Lake Mary Tampa and Brandon.