Migraine meds had me like a zombie, but cannabis helped me get back to my family.
Editor’s Note: Any testimonials or endorsements found on this site are for anecdotal purposes only. The information in Rxleaf testimonials is not intended as direct medical advice, nor should it be relied upon as a substitute for consultations with qualified healthcare professionals who are intimately knowledgeable about your individual medical needs.
My name is Richard and I use cannabis for migraines. I’m 37-years old and have been getting migraines for just over 4 years now. Sometimes the pain is so bad I end up in hospital for 12 to 14 hours each time.
At the hospital, I was being pumped full of prescription drugs and yes they did work. I was also prescribed meds to take home, but unfortunately those meds gave me rebound headaches for around 5 days after. And then left me like a zombie for days after the rebound headaches ended.
My wife and kids were really noticing the negative impact these meds were having on me – I was off balance, very irritable, and very quick to throw up, which only made things worse.
I was seeing a neurologist and my family doctor, but no one would prescribe me cannabis. I want medicine that is natural, that grows from the ground, and keeps my body clean.
So I Went To A Medical Cannabis Clinic
So, I decided if they weren’t going to help me, I was going to help myself. I went to a clinic and presented my documents to the doctor there. He looked at the first three pages then at me, saying that my health records support use of cannabis (migraines, major tension in my neck, lower back pain). I said that I needed cannabis to better my health and get back to my family. Having migraines was taking a huge toll on them – having four kids and needing quiet, no lights. I could not get out of my bed to play with my kids.
It’s been just over a year now since that doctor prescribed me cannabis, and I can once again see the smiles on my children’s faces (as well as my wife’s). And even my own smile – something I haven’t done in a long time.
Find the right strain for your condition and don’t shy away from this treatment.
It has worked miracles for me and my family… and I hope it can do the same for you.
From RxLeaf: Patients Ditching Pharmaceutical Prescriptions
Richard isn’t the only patient reporting a desire to move from prescription drugs to cannabis for migraines. In states with medical cannabis programs, certain medications are experiencing drops in demand. In 2017, the Journal of Pain Medicine published the findings of a survey, which detailed the very interesting impact cannabis had on pharmaceuticals. [1]Corroon, J. M., Jr, Mischley, L. K., & Sexton, M. (2017). Cannabis as a substitute for prescription drugs – a cross-sectional study. Journal of pain research, 10, 989–998. … Continue reading
The study, “Cannabis as a substitute for prescription drugs – a cross-sectional study,” surveyed 2,774 people who reported consuming cannabis in the previous three months. The primary goal of this study was to assess if patients were replacing their prescriptions with cannabis.
The results tell us how there are three primary medical conditions where participants replaced prescriptions with cannabis: chronic pain, anxiety, and depression. More than a third of people reported replacing narcotics (or opioids) with cannabis. Another thirteen percent replaced anxiolytics/benzodiazepines, and roughly twelve percent replaced antidepressants. Although cannabis for migraines was not specified, logically, it falls under chronic pain.
Another recent study supports these same results — except with pre-prescription or over-the-counter medications. This study found in the Journal of Psychoactive Drugs surveyed over 1,000 customers from recreational markets. The researchers found sixty-five percent of respondents consumed the plant for pain, and nearly seventy-five percent reported using it to promote sleep. Why are patients turning away from prescriptions, and towards cannabis for migraines, chronic pain, and mood disorders? [2]Bachhuber, M., Arnsten, J. H., & Wurm, G. (2019). Use of Cannabis to Relieve Pain and Promote Sleep by Customers at an Adult Use Dispensary. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 51(5), 400–404. doi: … Continue reading
Prescriptions Stopped Working?
As Richard tell us, the prescriptions stopped working and had serious, adverse, side effects. In an interview discussing the results of the pre-prescription survey, Dr. Julia Arnsten, Professor of Medicine at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, explained, “People develop tolerance to opioids, which means that they require higher doses to achieve the same effect.” As he goes on to say, “This means that chronic pain patients often increase their dose of opioid medications over time, which in turn increases their risk of overdose.”
Another author on the same study concluded, “In states where adult use of cannabis is legal, our research suggests that many individuals bypass the medical cannabis route (which requires registering with the state) and are instead opting for the privacy of a legal adult use dispensary.”
Cannabis offers an all-natural solution without the side effects and such a dramatic tolerance dilemma.
Increasingly Patients Choose Cannabis for Migraines
Thankfully for patients, the research into cannabis for pain is well-established and robust. Moreover, even the conservative National Academies Press concluded in their pivotal report on cannabis that “In adults with chronic pain, patients who were treated with cannabis or cannabinoids are more likely to experience a clinically significant reduction in pain symptoms.” But what about cannabis for migraines? Yes, a growing segment of pain research of this research dedicated to cannabis for migraines. [3]The Health Effects of Cannabis and Cannabinoids: The Current State of Evidence and Recommendations for Research. (2018). Journal of Medical Regulation, 104(4), 32–32. doi: … Continue reading
Further, this scientific literature validates the experiences of patients like Richard, who swapped out pharmaceuticals and pre-prescriptions for an all-natural solution. Increasingly, physicians are supportive of their patient’s decision to seek a plant, not a prescription, for the treatment of chronic pain.
References
