London, United Kingdom: Refractory migraine sufferers experience sustained improvements in their health-related quality of life following the use of medical cannabis preparations, according to long-term observational data published in the journal Brain & Behavior.
British investigators assessed the use of cannabis-based medicinal products (CBMPs) in 203 patients with a primary diagnosis of migraine enrolled in the UK Medical Cannabis Registry. (British healthcare providers may prescribe cannabis-based medicinal products to patients unresponsive to conventional medications.) Participants consumed either herbal cannabis or oil extracts containing standardized percentages of THC and CBD. Patients’ outcomes were assessed at baseline and at 1, 3, 6, 12, 18 and 24 months.
Consistent with prior studies, participants reported sustained improvements in a variety of outcomes throughout the course of the study – including improvements in migraine-related pain, disability, sleep, anxiety, depression, and overall quality of life. Patients consuming higher-THC products were most likely to report the greatest improvements.
The study’s authors concluded: “The findings of this study show that CBMPs are associated with improved HRQoL [health-related quality of life] over 24 months in both headache-specific and other PROMs [patient-reported outcome measures]. While AEs [adverse events] did occur during treatment, the majority of these were mild or moderate in severity. A higher THC dose also appears to be associated with increased chance of improvement. While RCTs [randomized controlled trials] are necessary to confirm the observed associations, this study may serve to guide THC and CBD dosing for future studies.”
Other observational studies assessing the use of cannabis products among patients enrolled in the UK Medical Cannabis Registry have reported them to be beneficial for those diagnosed with treatment-resistant epilepsy, cancer-related pain, anxiety, endometriosis, inflammatory bowel disease, hypermobility disorders, insomnia, multiple sclerosis, osteoarthritis, substance use disorders, and inflammatory arthritis, among other conditions.
Findings from a placebo-controlled clinical trial conducted by researchers at the University of California at San Diego previously documented that vaporized cannabis provides both acute and long-term migraine relief. A 2002 literature review of nine studies involving 5,600 subjects concluded: “Medical marijuana has a significant clinical response by reducing the length and frequency of migraines. … Due to its effectiveness and convenience, medical marijuana therapy may be helpful for patients suffering from migraines.”
Full text of the study, “UK Medical Cannabis Registry: A clinical outcomes analysis for migraine,” appears in Brain & Behavior. Additional information on cannabis and headaches is available from NORML’s publication, Clinical Applications for Cannabis & Cannabinoids.