CBD Hemp oil
I am a family nurse practitioner with over 3 decades of clinical practice meaning that I follow evidence based science . However, I believe we are still in the dark about what causes migraine and certainly are far from curing it. When I became menopausal I started to experience migraines. I won't belabor the details so to summarize, I saw 3 neurologists and tried many preventative medications, none of which worked without severe side effects. I was able to treat migraines with a sumatriptan/naproxen combo but needed this about 3-4 times a month, again, with side effects.
Over the span of approximately 10 years I have used a migraine diary to help eliminate the triggers and experimented with herbal and mineral supplements. After much study/ trial and error, I found magnesium, butterbur, coQ-10, calcium, vitamin D, B-2 and melatonin to decrease the intensity and frequency of the attacks. You can find the strengths and doses on line. I stopped alcohol years ago but was slow to leave caffeine. Once I finally did, there was a remarkable improvement! 2 helpful dietary authors are David Buchholz MD and Heidi Gunderson.
But I was still not migraine free until now. I have been startled by the effectiveness of oral Cannabidiol (CBD oil) from hemp and THC ointment from cannabis. Once informed about the benefits of oral oil and topical THC (when visiting a dispensary in Oregon) I found more anecdotal and nutritional information online. Please note, I never liked smoking marijuana when I tried it as a teen; it made me paranoid and depressed. Therefore, I was very skeptical when visiting the dispensary and explained I was interested in the medical benefits only. I was convinced to try these products and am now a believer! I stay on the same supplements, get regular exercise and sleep plus avoid triggers. I highly recommend starting the hemp oil sublingually. You will need to go to a dispensary for the THC ointment but it's a wonderful muscle relaxant.
Recommended resources:
CBD Unlimited-Phytonutrients for health. Very helpful staff you can call and discuss their products with them. They cannot give medical advise. My experience is 2-3 drops under your tongue for 60-90 seconds twice daily. Some will titrate up to 5 drops. Easiest to drop the oil into your hand then lick it. Since the oil is from hemp it is legal to purchase although pricey. But who can put a price on pain relief!
ProjectCBD.org: Good information about how it works without any "high" since it has no psycho-active component.
GreenbridgeMed.com-on line medical support using hemp and cannabis
HelloMD.com: Migraines: How I Got off Pain Meds and Found Relief with Cannabis
Hope this helps fellow sufferers 😁
Hi Brooke,
Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us and being part of our discussion forum - we're glad you're here!
I'm happy to hear you've found something that helps reduce your migraine attack frequency and severity. Medicinal marijuana is still federally illegal, making its use difficult to many patients.
Nancy
However, CBD has been shown to help with migraines and is federally legal because THC is the psychoactive part of the plant that the DEA is concerned about. Whereas, CBD has no "high" and no psychoactive properties.
In December 2018, President Trump signed the new Farm Bill. This makes CBD oil from hemp nationwide legal. Before that, the question of CBD legality was unclear. https://thehempoilbenefits.com/farm-bill-2018-changes-for-the-hemp-industry
It is by sheer coincidence, the pharmaceutical industry just released Epidiolex (prescription CBD for epilepsy), which was approved by the FDA.
Hi, can you share a link to the amounts of: magnesium, butterbur, coQ-10, calcium, vitamin D, B-2 and melatonin that you take? Also the brands? How you take them? have tried most of these except for butterbur and calcium. Magnesium and Vitamin B-2 have been helpful, but I can't tolerate much easily go into gastrointestinal upset, even if I take with food, and smaller amounts. Vitamin D, also affects me as well. CoQ-10 is ok, calcium... never figured out how to tolerate that. Even with magnesium. I used to take melatonin every night before bed, and it didn't seem to change my migraine pattern.
But I am willing to try this group of herbal and mineral supplements again all together if I can figure out how.
I want to know the strength of the CPD Hemp oil and THC ointment, and how you use both. Time of day, frequency etc. As a preventative? What do you do if you have a migraine. Mine come in the night very often.
Thanks in advance, RaeHi Rae,
Thanks for your questions. The best thing to do is discuss this thoughts with your doctor and see if he/she can give you some guidelines. We all tolerate medications differently so it's tough to say what works for one person will work for another. I can share with you our information on these supplements in this link; https://migraine.com/migraine-treatment/natural-remedies/.
The same goes with other "alternative" treatments. Dosing varies from person to person. There isn't enough research on this to be specific on doses and types.
Brook W gave some specifics in her comments you may want to read over.
Let us know what you find helpful.
NancyComment on CBD Hemp oil, it is NOT illegal. It was recently in the last several months declared LEGAL, since it is made from the HEMP plant and therefore contains no THC. You can purchase it on the internet (be sure to do your research and buy it from a reliable and reputable business). It is not medical marijuana nor marijuana based.
I purchased some on-line for my elderly mother to try for her chronic joint pains, for which her doctors will no longer give her pain meds. She is still adjusting dosage so we will see. I also would be interested in it my self for its use as a sleeping aid, and for use as pain relief in general as I have other pain besides the chronic migraine.
MIchelle
