In the United States, 38 million people deal with migraines. Of those 38 million, 3 million of those people’s symptoms are chronic.
For those who experience migraines, they know just how awful it can be. The symptoms can last anywhere from 4 hours to 72.
Some people have tried many medications but nothing worked. Some people have tried medication but couldn’t deal with the side effects.
Some would do anything to try and get them to stop, to try and take back control of their life.
Do you suffer migraines? If so, learn how CBD oil for migraines can help here.
Research and Studies
Unfortunately there isn’t a lot of research on if CBD oil is effective and safe for treating migraines or not.
The studies are limited because cannabis and CBD oil are still illegal in some states. The studies that have been done only tested a small sample size or rely on self-reporting.
No research that has been done on CBD oil has studied the effects specifically for migraines, so the correct dosage isn’t completely known.
Despite the lack of research, if nothing else has worked, talking to your doctor about using CBD oil because it may be worth a shot for relieving your symptoms.
How CBD Oil for Migraines Works
If you are thinking about using CBD oil for migraines, you may also be wondering how it works.
In your brain and your nervous system, there are these things called cannabinoid receptors. These receptors determine how you feel pain.
In CBD oil, there are natural cells called cannabinoids (CB1 and CB2) that interact with your receptors. Once you ingest CBD, the cannabinoids look for these receptors and kind of calm them down and distract them from looking for pain so that you feel less pain.
Again, there isn’t much research to understand how they interact together, but this reaction is thought to affect your immune system.
When a migraine occurs, the pain comes from when chemicals are released that elevate the brain’s surface blood vessels. This causes the head pain. CBD oil is also known to decrease inflammation, as seen when studying the effects of CBD oil for arthritis.
It could work in a similar way for treating migraines.
How to Use CBD Oil
Before it became illegal, people would use cannabis to treat headaches, and they had been doing it for thousands of years.
If you are interested in using CBD oil to treat your migraines, you have many different options available for you.
Here are some ways that you can use CBD oil:
- Vaping
- Ingestion
- CBD-infused treat
- Oil under your tongue
- Capsules
- Topical application
- Sprays
How you choose to use the CBD oil may cause different symptoms, so you should consider which option is best for you.
CBD taken orally, like through capsules, food or drink, or even placing drops directly under your tongue, are less likely to cause side effects. If you are new to taking CBD oil, you may want to consider this way first before you start vaping.
However, vaping or smoking CBD oil could be more effective in delivering the compounds directly to your bloodstream.
Because of the lack of research and because CBD oil isn’t legal everywhere, the correct dosage for treating migraines isn’t really known. You should talk to your doctor about the correct dosage, but some recommend thinking about taking 2.5 to 20 milligrams per day for chronic pain.
Possible Side Effects
As with any medication or drug, there are always possible risks and side effects.
You have to determine if the benefits outweigh the costs.
However, it’s good to know that CBD oil has little or less serious side effects. Again, because there isn’t much research available, it could affect everyone differently.
Some possible side effects include:
- Upset Stomach
- Drowsiness
- Chronic Cough
- Wheezing
- Dizziness
- Weakness
- Confusion
- Moodiness
The side effects may depend on how you use CBD oil. If you vape or smoke it, you could experience irritation in your lungs, and this method is not recommended if you have asthma or another type of lung disease. You may also experience side effects like coughing and difficulty breathing.
Just like all the benefits of CBD oil aren’t as known due to lack of research, all the side effects aren’t known either.
One of the biggest risks that you face when taking CBD oil is the fact that it is not regulated by the FDA. So if you do choose this route, make sure your source is someone you can trust.
Legality
Marijuana and its products are still classified as an illegal drug in some states, so before you decide whether to use CBD oil for your migraines, check your states’ law.
If recreational marijuana is legal in your state, you should be able to get CBD oil with no problem.
If medical marijuana is legal, then you will have to go through your doctor and apply for a medical marijuana card which is required.
However, if both medicinal and recreational marijuana are illegal, it’s important to know that the laws are constantly changing.
If you start using CBD oil, you may have to consider whether your employer drug tests its employees because those laws are also different in each state. A drug test will be able to tell if you use marijuana or CBD oil for up to 30 days.
Start Using CBD Oil for Migraines
CBD oil for migraines may be a solution that works for you. Imagine having a solution to treat the feeling that someone is drilling a hole in your head for hours. A solution that gets rid of that hangover feeling you have when the pain finally subsides.
A solution that helps you regain control of your life.
If you want to try CBD oil for your migraines, talk to your doctor about starting a treatment. As with any medication, you may need to give your body time to adjust to using it.
If you have any questions about using CBD oil for migraines, be sure to contact us to get started with your treatment.
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