30% of Migraine Sufferers Have Tried Cannabis for Migraine Relief

Migraine sufferers are turning to cannabis and cannabinoids to reduce the intensity of pain symptoms, according to a new study released today by Healint, a leading provider of healthcare technology. According to data gathered through Healint’s Migraine Buddy, a global migraine tracking app, 30% of migraine patients in the U.S. have used cannabis to relieve migraine pain and 82% of those who used cannabis found it useful to reduce the pain level.

“Cannabis is becoming a prominent treatment option for chronic pain patients, especially for migraineurs,” said Healint CEO and co-founder Francois Cadiou. “With more and more states across the United States legalizing medical marijuana, migraine patients are becoming acquainted with cannabis as a natural remedy that can help alleviate migraines and even prevent them. Research about the benefits of cannabis use among migraine patients is slowly emerging, but more must be done to properly inform individuals about the use and dosage of medical marijuana to treat migraines.”

The study surveyed 9,885 Migraine Buddy users in the U.S. and Canada to measure medical marijuana use among migraine patients and its effectiveness as a migraine treatment. Nearly 40 million Americans, including 28 million women, suffer from disabling migraine attacks, and as medical cannabis continues to be legalized in most states, migraineurs are finding that cannabis can decrease the intensity of migraine attacks.

While research into the effectiveness of cannabis as a migraine treatment is still ongoing, a study published in The Journal of Pain in November 2019 found that the severity of headaches and migraines was reduced by approximately 50% when individuals inhaled cannabis. Similarly, a study published in Pharmacotherapy found that 40% of patients who were recommended to use cannabis as treatment for migraine experienced a decrease in migraine frequency from 10.4 migraines per month to 4.6. Another study published in Neurology found that patients surveyed reported a 42.1% decrease in their average monthly migraine frequency.