Medical Marijuana: Headaches/Migraines

[Jim Finnel]

A review of The Merck Manual 1999 Edition indicates that the causes of Headaches and/or Migraines are by no means settled and The Manual indicates about thirty possible causes. Possibly, Migraines are the most severe but some will even argue that.

The Manual indicates about twelve different classes of drugs for therapy which should confuse everybody. A few things are certain about Migraines: pain is usually severe, they cause nausea and vomiting, they cause hypersensitivity to light, sound and smell and they usually cause immobility in which case the victims want no more than to rest in a quiet, dark room.

The California Cannabis Doctors appear to be in the forefront in treating Migraines with Cannabis. Whether they were treating on the basis of severe pain or the concurrent nausea and vomiting is not clear because it is beside the point—Cannabis works well for all three conditions and it also affords moderate sedation.

The Manual states that 24 million Americans suffer from Migraines and it is probable that patients found out by themselves that Cannabis gave better relief than any of the other rainbow of medications. Just reading the adverse side effects of these medications is enough to cause a Migraine.

One of the worst features of migraines is that they usually occur quickly without warning or may be preceded by a brief aura. Migraine sufferers sometimes know when a Migraine is starting.

If they are nauseated, oral medicine is usually thrown up. Injections aren't usually available but the adverse effects of most injectable medications make them unsatisfactory. Oral prescription Cannabis (Marinol—THC) probably won't work either as it takes an hour or more to work if it is not vomited and then could cause a panic attack. Who needs that with a Migraine?

Morphine, or more frequently Demerol, injections are used frequently with an antiemetic such as Benadryl. But these are only available by a physician or in an ER.

Cannabis via vaporizer appears to be the best therapy and it is time that physicians figured this out. The new Cannabis preparation, Sativex, which is administered under the tongue, like “nitro” for Angina, could be the answer. It is available in England and Canada, which both are far, far ahead of the U.S. Congress in allowing Cannabis use as good medicine.

Quick treatment of migraines is best by inhaling the medical fumes of Cannabis with a vaporizer. The beneficial action occurs in less than a minute or so.

DO YOU HAVE A QUESTION FOR DR. LEVEQUE? Email: newsroom@salem-news.com or simply write a comment at the bottom of the page. You do not have to use your real name if you are not comfortable doing so. We will do our best to have your questions addressed in upcoming segments.

************************************************** *****

Phillip Leveque has spent has life as a Combat Infantryman, Physician and Toxicologist.
Phillip Leveque is a physician, toxicologist and WWII Combat Infantryman. Watch for his video question and answer segments about medical marijuana with Bonnie King.
You can email your questions to the doctor: newsroom@salem-news.com

 

[ChiisaCRTT]

Hello, I am a medical marijuana patient in Oregon. I am also a college graduate with two medical degrees. I graduated with honors, on my second degree, all the while I used my medicine (not during class or when I studied). I am currently unemployed because on three occasions I failed the pre-employment drug screen. I was not under the influence of cannabis either time, as you may know the THC stays in the system for approximately 21 + days. We need to remove the THC portion on the drug screen dip stick! I wish I had the statistics of how many medical professionals use cannabis and function well.....Kaiser Permanente told me although it may be "legal" in Oregon the KP foundation can not take the chance of me making a horrible mistake while on duty and on my medication. So many people are ignorant to the truth about cannabis but the negative propaganda that has been dished out for years is clouding people's judgments. I'd love to walk up to some politicians and scream in their ears about the real truths of cannabis, I'm so frustrated.
Thank you for your time

 

[TorturedSoul]

Possibly, Migraines are the most severe but some will even argue that.

I will. My migraines cause days to be unenjoyable, difficult to get through while working, and best described as something to be endured the best that I can - but the cluster headaches turn them into waking nightmares in which I do nothing but roll around moaning (thankfully they don't come nearly as often as the migraines).

 

[tSoG]

I will. My migraines cause days to be unenjoyable, difficult to get through while working, and best described as something to be endured the best that I can - but the cluster headaches turn them into waking nightmares in which I do nothing but roll around moaning (thankfully they don't come nearly as often as the migraines).

any recommends for strain/treatment, cuz I'm in the same boat.

 

[helpsmigraine]

Suggestions for strains - so far I haven't tried very many, and I only get migraines, but these are what have worked for me:
Nebula, Purple Lamb's Bread, Soma A+
What didn't work:
Big Sur, Platinum Blue Dream

 

[JaeMan]

I suffer from a form of migraine called "status migraine". It's basically a migraine that doesn't go away. I've had a migraine for 23 1/2 months, 24/7. I've looked/been all over the country trying to get help. So far, the Diamond Headache Clinic in Chicago (on N. Halsted) has been the best place. They even have a wing at St. Joseph's Hospital for anyone needing inpatient help. They're very intensive. They've had a lot of success with most headache/migraine patients. Unfortunately for me, the only type of headache/migraine that they have little success with is "long term" chronic daily headaches. But, if you give them a shot, hopefully they'll be successful in treating your migraine. Good luck from one migraine sufferer to another. I hope that you have better luck with it than me! (I would've sent this as a private message, but the site won't let me because my "post count" isn't "50 or greater" - smh)

 

[helpsmigraine]

Update on strains that have worked for my migraines - two common ones are Sour Diesel and Headband. So far, I haven't found a good strain for prevention. GDP from one grow worked to cut them in half if I dosed every night, but when I ran out of that and got some more it no longer worked. The GDP didn't work for an active migraine either time. I'm really looking forward to the time when the Feds get their act together and recognize it has medicinal properties. Then the drug companies will do the research to figure out what works for what ailments and standardize the meds.

 

[mrs hi]

Oh I can't wait to be prescribed this stuff!
I have one doctor who doesn't drink or smoke, he nearly fell off his chair when I said the painkillers dont work but a joint does. lol
and a consultant who was very interested and involved in the trials for migraine sufferers here in the uk........ I wasn't so impressed when he reminded me of my stroke risk as a migraineur and by smoking that risk greatly increases. So I have given up tobacco 16 days now, so how to relieve my migraines. I have nearly choked to death on a bubbly (a few years have passed since i enjoyed them as a teenager)..... good relief, when not choking. Hubby made a lovely bamboo pipe, again harsh on the lungs. Cake nom nom but slow for the pain relief, however if like me migraines are sometimes 10 long, cake works. My best and suprising option is tincture, homemade, very strong, 1 drop under the tongue, hold it there. Repeat every 10 mins until level required. I also think tincture early enough may prevent a full attack.... smoking a j certainly does for me!

 

[helpsmigraine]

If tincture works for you, that's great! I haven't found relief from anything I've done other than via my lungs, although I haven't tried a dispensary-bought tincture. I did try making my own, but maybe it wasn't strong enough? I don't smoke either; instead I use a vaporizer. It's much less harsh, with very little lung irritation.

 

[mrs hi]

Try this recipe Tincture hold the tincture under your tongue for maximum effect.
How long do you get relief for when using a vaporiser? I can't be hooked up to one 24/7 which is why I tend to find edibles work better for me I think...... 10 days of migraines back to back for me are a twice monthly occurrence. Then headaches in between.
I quite agree lung intake tends to be the best instant relief! I keep looking at a vap but money needs to go on other things.

 

[helpsmigraine]

To get continuous relief for my migraines, I redose about every 3-4 hrs, which is when the pain starts returning for me. If the pain is enough to wake me up during the night, then it's time to redose - this generally happens at 3 to 4 hour intervals as well. I recently bought an inexpensive vaporizer called the Magic Flight Launch Box that works very well for me. It heats up in 5 seconds and can handle very small amounts of cannabis as well as larger doses. It's also very portable - check it out online. Like you, I find that catching the headache early is key. If I'm in a situation where I can't stop and deal with the early headache, it generally becomes a nasty one. I recently tried making more tincture, so I'll try it again following your advice. It would be more discreet when I'm traveling.

 

[EraBud]

I have migraines that get so severe I have asked my mother (as a kid) my wife, my brother and my father all to kill me during a migraine, which often lasts for no less than 36 hours. I've been through allot of painful experiences (even a stabbing puncturing my bowels, long story was an accident) but never enough to beg for death (outside of migraines). I've been prescribed everything and anything for them to little or no avail, but cannabis doesn't exactly remove the pain, just makes it subside in a strange way where you can still tell it's there it just doesn't bother you as bad. The best medicine I've taken by far is cannabis, it's instant and easily dosed to what you need.