A study looking at the prevalence and nature of cannabis use in headache patients attending a Canadian tertiary headache clinic found a significant proportion were finding it helpful. But there were some concerning issues revealed.
The researchers – a neurologist and headache specialist from Ontario, another from the Department of Clinical Neurosciences at Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary and a third affiliated with the University’s Hotchkiss Brain Institute – surveyed 200 patients presenting with any headache disorder to a tertiary headache clinic in Calgary, Alberta.
The cross-sectional study revealed cannabinoid use among 34% of respondents. Among those patients, 60% felt cannabinoids reduced headache severity, while 29.2% perceived efficacy in ending an episode.
But another interesting finding was approximately 40% of respondents using cannabinoids engaged in very frequent use – equal to or more than 300 days/year. And close to 5% of respondents indicated they encountered a serious problem as a result of their cannabis use; such as issues at work, an argument, or accident.
Approximately 35.4% of users had attempted to reduce their consumption.
Among the researchers’ conclusions:
“The results of this survey will aid neurologists and headache specialists in understanding the landscape of cannabinoid use in a more severely affected population and inform future-controlled studies of cannabinoids in headache patients.”
Their study was recently published in the Canadian Journal of Neurological Sciences.
On a related note, a previous Washington State University study carried out a few years ago found inhaled cannabis may reduce the intensity of headaches and migraines. It suggested cannabinoids other than THC, terpenes or flavonoids may have an important role to play in headache and migraine relief.
On the flip-side, a more recent study suggested using cannabis for migraine relief too often may also be associated with “rebound” headaches..
While there appears to be some promise in cannabis medicines providing relief for those afflicted with chronic/severe headache conditions and migraine, much more research is needed. And given some of the findings to date and as with many things in life, the old maxim of “everything in moderation” springs to mind.
