How to Treat Hormonal Headaches with Cannabis

medical marijuana for hormonal headaches

A headache by itself is not a pleasant experience. Sometimes a person gets a headache because of the effect of dehydration, or too much sugar, or stress. We are sensitive beings and any change, minor or major, could cause a headache. Most of the time it is not serious and gets easily resolved. Sometimes, it is related to a blow to the head or fever that sprouts from an illness. The fact of the matter is, each one of us at some point in life, experienced a headache.

In women specifically, fluctuating hormone levels are great contributors to migraines and headaches. Hormone levels are constantly in change. Pregnancy, menstrual cycles, menopause, and taking contraceptives or hormone replacement therapies are majorly the cause of many a headache for a woman. Headaches are miserable at best and are just the cherry on the top for women that apart from bloating during the premenstrual cycle and mood changes, also have to suffer from it.

What Are Hormone Headaches?

Both men and women suffer from headaches, but women carry the extra burden of the association between hormonal changes and headaches. Specific changes in progesterone and estrogen levels trigger headaches in many women. Estrogen also has a link to serotonin, a chemical widely connected to a close relation to migraines.

Estrogen controls chemicals in the brain that affect the sensation of pain. When there is a drop in estrogen, a headache is triggered. There are a variety of reasons why hormone levels change. Some of this include:

Menstrual cycle – estrogen and progesterone levels fall to their lowest prior to menstruation

Pregnancy – during pregnancy, estrogen levels rise. Many women do not experience headaches during pregnancy, because estrogen levels rise during pregnancy. After birth, estrogen levels fall significantly

Perimenopause and menopause – fluctuating hormone levels during perimenopause are the main cause of headaches for women. Headaches symptoms seem to lessen when menopause is reached, though some women experience worse headaches

Oral contraceptives and hormone replacement therapy – birth control pills and hormone replacement therapy can influence hormone levels to rise and fall.

Postnatal and postpartum headaches – after giving birth, there is a sudden flux of hormones that also can cause headaches similar to tension headaches

What are the symptoms of hormonal headaches?

The main characteristic of hormonal headaches is the feeling of a pounding explosion in the head. To make it even more unbearable, there are other symptoms at play too that a doctor needs to check out to determine if it truly is hormonal related. These symptoms are:

Fatigue

Lack of appetite

Joint pain

Constipation

Acne

Decreased urination

Lack of coordination

Craving for salt, chocolate, or alcohol

Hormone headaches are similar to normal migraines and might or might not come with the same intensity as a migraine. It normally starts with a throbbing pain on the side of the head. You might also experience sensitivity to light, nausea, and vomiting. The key factor is to treat a hormone headache the sooner the better.

Some women have a hard time dealing with hormone headaches because they cannot tolerate the pain. Because of low pain tolerance, they might experience:

Anxiety

Inability to perform daily routine

Impatience

Low work productivity

Temper problems

It can even go further where they experience a rise in blood pressure or other vital signs. It causes sleep disturbances, depression, and mood swings.

Medical cannabis is an Effective Treatment for Hormonal Headaches

Several studies show that migraines and hormonal headaches are strongly linked to the endocannabinoid system and function. It is already clear that endocannabinoid deficiency can cause migraines. Medical marijuana plays a vital role in the balancing of endocannabinoid deficiency and would, therefore, be an effective way to treat hormonal headaches.

Cannabidiol, or CBD, has analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties proven to treat hormonal migraines effectively. THC also can relieve hormonal headaches because it reduces pain. A good ratio, where CBD is higher than THC, will treat headaches effectively without the heavy effect some THC strains leave. Both THC and CBD together work for hormonal headaches, but if a person does not like the euphoric sensation THC leaves, a full-spectrum CBD oil will also be effective.

Side Effects of Hormonal Headaches Treatable by Cannabis

Medical marijuana is safer than conventional medications to treat hormonal headaches. It is not a newly discovered method to treat these types of headaches. The purpose of cannabis for medicinal usage goes back thousands of years. Symptoms like pain, nausea, anxiety, sleep problems, fatigue, and depression have been treated by cannabis over a long time. Cannabis can alleviate common headache triggers like stress, sleep deprivation, and anxiety, apart from hormonal imbalances.

There are many ways to use cannabis to bring relief for hormonal headaches. It can be inhaled, taken orally or sublingual, or as an edible. Inhalation methods are normally the fastest way to bring relief when it comes to headaches. If it is a constant headache, micro-dosing edibles could bring long term relief.