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Alternative ways of dealing with it.

Migraine sufferers are a proud breed of people. We are excellent at hiding our pain, feeling guilty for spending 2 days in a room with black out curtains, curled up in a ball, sound hurts, light hurts, nausea kicks in, hoping that you can just go to sleep and wake up with no more pain.

I have had migraines for 20 years, since I was 26, immediately following the birth of my 3rd & last child and the breakdown of my marriage, happening simultaneously. I thought I had a brain tumor, or I was having a stroke. No headache could ever hurt that bad. The pain was so intense, I felt like there had to have been some kind of injury to cause this. MRI's, CAT scans, but there seems to be nothing wrong. So now i feel like I'm just a hypochondriac, or I have a low pain tolerance. No one understood. I would have an average of 16 migrane days a month. They last for 3-5 days at a time. I know we all have tried many, many different treatments. I also have clinical depression. I don't know about you, but i hate taking pills. I would rather have a natural cure.

I have had a prescription and have held a "red card" for 5 years now for medical marijuana. Thankfully I live in a state where it is now legal. Before you judge, listen please. There is a lot of stigma attached to medical marijuana, or MMJ. I am a responsible citizen, homeowner, full time employee, wife, mom, and grandma. You would never suspect I was a "pot smoker," but I am. Since I have been using MMJ to treat my migraines and depression, I have cut down on the amount of pills I have to take. I smoke everyday after work, and have for 5 years.  My migraine status has decreased from 4-5 a month to 1 every 2 months.

MMJ lessens the pain, helps with the nausea, and puts me in a good mood. I can interact with my family, I don't miss work, and keep the negativity away. My daughter suffers from migraines too, she is 23 and I have recommended this as an alternative treatment. It works. There are many herbal remedies, this is just another one. Think about it, any prescription that the doctor gives you for the pain is potentially addictive and alters your brain. Why is that ok, but MMJ is not. It is slowly becoming an acceptable form of treatment for the pain, and for keeping migranes away for longer periods of time. I stand by it and believe more studies need to be done to prove that it works.

I would love to hear that there are more people out there who feel the same way.

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