PEMBROKE PARK, Fla. – Nearly 40 million Americans are living with migraines, pain so great it leaves many unable to function for hours, even days, on end.
Whoopi Goldberg with ABC’s “The View” was one of those people until she found a new FDA-approved acute treatment of migraines called Nurtec, an orally dissolving tablet.
“I called my doctor and asked if it was something I should try and he said ‘try anything’ and I will tell you this was a game-changer, it meant I had my day back, it meant I had my life back,” Goldberg said.
As with any medication, there are potential side effects to the drug.
The most common is nausea, which was reported by about 2% of patients.
And a new study found cannabis was tied to rebound headaches in those with chronic migraines, which is defined as 15 or more episodes per month.
Cannabis affects an area of the brain which plays a role in pain processing, but researchers in California said overuse of the drug appears to be connected to the rebound effect.
To the contrary, researchers from Washington state recently found that inhaled cannabis reduced self-reported migraine severity by almost 50-percent but noted that patients were using larger doses of the drug over time, indicating possible tolerance.