chronic migraine / medical cannabis / herbs
Hello,
I'm a long way down the line with long term chronic migraine / face, neck, jaw, upper spine.
- Seen Dr Matharu neurologist in London and tried botox with no success.
- Tried most of the pain clinic drug, nerve block etc with no luck.
- Did feel much better with HRT and medical cannnabis, until I caught covid. Now feel in awful pain, had temporary vision loss. Clear MRI. Terrible tinnitus and throbbing head/ face / jaw.
I'm weirdly sweaty with pain.
Just wondered if anyone else has had success with medical cannabis or anything please - feeling desperate!
Thank you x
Thank you so much for sharing some of your journey with us. Sounds like you've had quite a trying time made more complicated by events in recent years. We have a fair amount of resources on the topic of medical cannabis you can find here: https://migraine.com/search?s=medical%20cannabis.
I appreciate you outlining various approaches you have tried. I'm curious if you've tried any of the CGRP treatments yet (Emgality, Ajovy, Aimovig, Nurtec, Ubrevly, Qulipta, etc)? These are relatively new but have a good success rate and would be worth discussing with your doctor if you've not already. They come in various forms (monthly injection, daily tablets) and are available both as prevention and rescue approaches. Here's more information on this type of treatment: https://migraine.com/cgrp-new-direction-migraine-treatment.
Also I don't think you mentioned trying a triptan (imitrex, maxalt, relpax, etc)- but perhaps you already have. If you'd like to peruse the current general offerings of preventatives and rescue treatments, this interactive page can assist you: https://migraine.com/treatment-options.
I hope this helps you. We are here to provide support and information anytime. Most of us here are also living with migraine- you are not alone in this - we are here for you and with you. Warmly- Holly -migraine.com team.Thank you Holly, your kind words made me very teary! It's such a tricky space to be, I just feel so rough. I've also got Ehlers Danlos (connective tissue disorder) and I seem to be annoyingly sensitive to drugs, they tend to make me feel worse. I've been really nervous about CGRP treatments due to them being new etc. and I've had such a bad reaction to pain clinic medications/ botox etc. I don't know why I'm so rough since covid but it's really tough. Are you able to recommend a good neurologist or anyone re the CGRP's please? No worries if not. I've tried triptans etc. I will have a good read of the info you kindly sent me. I just don't know where to go to find pain relief that doesn't make me feel worse. I'm currently taking a break from the cannabis / herbs to see if the pain settles down but it isn't so far. Thanks again for your hep x
Thank you for reaching out and sharing your journey with us. I understand feeling desperate, it's miserable being in pain all the time.had given you lots of great information. I'm going to add my personal experience with medical cannabis. I take half a gummie each night. This helps with my restless leg. I use a vape pen for breakthrough pain during the day. I do find this beneficial. Medical cannabis doesn't prevent migraine, rather helps me cope with pain and anxiety. I see you mentioned you live in London. Are you familiar with this site; https://migrainetrust.org/? They have lots of good resources. Please let me know what you think and I'm wishing you a low pain day, Nancy Harris Bonk, Patient Leader/Moderator Migraine.com Team
Thank you so much for your reply and so pleased to hear that the gummy / vape is helping you. Do you mind me asking where you got your medical cannabis? I was prescribed mine through the sapphire medical clinic and have recently changed to Resilience medicine for more full spectrum oils. Currently taking a break to see if the pain calms down. But feeling quite desperate for a break from the pain. Any recommendations greatly received!
My pleasure! I did have a medical card here in NY, and purchased it through a medical dispensary, and is not cheap.
I wound check out The Migraine Trust - they have great info!
Hope today is a lower pain day, Nancy Harris Bonk, Patient Leader/Moderator Migraine.com Team
Hi! I have found that it's difficult to find a consistent cannabis dosage. Some strains hit me stronger than others and it causes a rebound headache. I also wind up with dizziness, possibly due to lowered blood pressure. So what I do is take the teeniest possible dosage for relief. Maybe that will help. Another thing I do is try to find a different strain or strength of cannabis. There seems to be quite a range. Best of luck.
thank you very much Thank you so much for sharing your well-earned wisdom and experience with the rest of us so that we can learn from you. Grateful! Warmly- Holly -migraine.com team.
