What does the research say?
92 people took part in the acute migraine study; 73 of them tried different products across a total of 247 attacks: cannabis containing THC, CBD-dominant cannabis, cannabis containing both THC and CBD, and an inactive product (placebo). The products were vaporized and inhaled; neither the participants nor the researchers knew which one was being used. When THC and CBD were inhaled together, 67.2% had pain relief at 2 hours, compared with 46.6% with placebo. When THC and CBD were inhaled together, the share of attacks in which the pain went away completely was also higher (34.5% vs. 15.5%), and some benefits lasted 24–48 hours. In the group that inhaled THC alone, the share with relief at 2 hours was also higher than with placebo (68.9%), but there was no difference in the pain going away completely. In the group that inhaled the CBD-dominant product alone, there was no clear difference from placebo at 2 hours; in an additional measurement at 1 hour, relief was more common in this group too (59% vs. 37%), but this was not the study's main outcome.
This result is important but should be interpreted with care. The positive effect came from an inhaled product containing THC; it cannot be applied to CBD oil taken by mouth. Inhaled products containing THC can cause a high or mental fogginess; this can let participants figure out which product they took and make the results look better than they are. The researchers measured this as well: in attacks where THC and CBD were inhaled together, participants' guesses were mostly at the level of chance, and the result did not change when the feeling of being high was taken into account; however, this measurement was done in small groups. The study tested each product in only one attack; the benefits and risks of regular or long-term use were not studied.
A 2026 review rated the evidence for THC and CBD together in acute migraine as moderate; the CBD-dominant product showed no clear benefit. No controlled human study published as a full article was found that examined the effect of pure CBD taken by mouth to prevent migraine or during an attack; the positive results of a small preliminary study in Argentina comparing CBD with placebo in 30 people with chronic migraine were presented only as a short abstract at a scientific conference in 2025 and could not be verified; according to its ClinicalTrials.gov record, a study in Canada examining the effect of oral CBD capsules versus placebo in preventing chronic migraine started enrolling patients in 2026. In other types of headache, the only controlled study with cannabinoids is small: in 30 people with headache caused by overusing pain relievers (medication overuse headache), a synthetic THC-like medicine (nabilone) reduced pain and daily pain reliever use more than an ordinary pain reliever (ibuprofen); there was no difference in the number of headache days, and no placebo group was used. No controlled study with cannabinoids was found in cluster headache or tension-type headache. In chart and registry studies following migraine patients prescribed cannabis, attack frequency or the impact of headache on daily life decreased; however, these studies had no comparison group, and most of the products contained THC.
No completed study with cannabinoids for treating migraine in children and adolescents was found. In Canada, according to its ClinicalTrials.gov record, a study examining the safety of a CBD-rich cannabis extract (THC one twenty-fifth of the CBD) without a comparison group, in 20 teenagers aged 14–17 with chronic migraine who had not benefited from or could not tolerate at least two treatments, was enrolling patients in May 2025; as of October 2026, its results have not been published. Documents from professional societies do not recommend cannabinoids either: the 2022 medication overuse headache guideline of the German Society of Neurology and the German Migraine and Headache Society states that the small cannabinoid study in this area gives no firm conclusion because of weaknesses in its methods and cannot be recommended; in the Canadian Headache Society's 2024 migraine prevention guideline, cannabinoids are not among the treatments assessed. There is also no Cochrane review of cannabinoid use in headache.
Strength of evidence: ○○○○ Insufficient evidence. Finding: Not studied enough. What does this mean?
Ongoing research on this topic
Trials testing CBD for this topic on ClinicalTrials.gov: 6 under way (3 recruiting). A trial being under way does not show that CBD works.
- NCT07093138: Phase 4, recruiting, target 30 participants
- NCT05961501: Phase 2/3, enrolling by invitation, target 42 participants
- NCT07624279: Phase 2, not yet recruiting, target 80 participants
Possible side effects and drug interactions
No serious side effects were reported in the acute migraine study; the share of people reporting side effects was 5% with placebo, 20% with the CBD-dominant product and with THC and CBD together, and 31% with THC alone, and euphoria and fogginess in thinking were seen most with THC. In studies of healthy volunteers, CBD increased the risk of diarrhea; a non-significant trend toward more abdominal pain and headache was also seen. Nervous system and mental health side effects are reported more often with products containing THC.
The migraine studies did not specifically examine drug interactions. However, CBD can slow the breakdown of some medicines in the body; this matters for people who take medicines regularly.
Interactions with medicines used for this condition
Interactions reported for these medicines in peer-reviewed publications and official prescribing information. A medicine that is not listed can still interact with CBD; tell your doctor about every medicine you take.
| Medicine | Importance | Warning | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amitriptyline (tricyclic) (Laroxyl) | Caution | Amitriptyline: In healthy volunteers, a single 30 mg dose of CBD oil raised the blood level (AUC) of amitriptyline by 13% and its peak level by 17%; the effect is said to possibly be larger with ongoing use. Tell your doctor or pharmacist. | PMID 41398552 |
| Topiramate | Caution | Other epilepsy medicines: With epilepsy medicines, CBD can change the blood levels of some of them. Your doctor may monitor your drug levels and side effects. | PMID 28782097, PMID 33541771, PMID 37593907, PMID 31211851, PMID 30791225 |
| Propranolol (Dideral) | Information | Propranolol: No study has looked at propranolol and CBD together. In healthy volunteers, CBD slowed some of the enzymes that break down propranolol (CYP1A2, CYP2C19); whether propranolol levels change is not known. Because CBD can lower blood pressure by a few mmHg, watch for dizziness and tell your doctor. | PMID 37313955, PMID 28614793 |
To check interactions with the medicines you take: CBD drug interaction checker.
How was CBD used in studies?
In the acute migraine study, the products were inhaled once per attack with a handheld vaporizer, in four puffs guided by an app. The products' content was given as percentages (6% THC, 11% CBD or both together); no dose in milligrams was reported. Because CBD oil taken by mouth has not been tested in migraine in a study published as a full article, there is also no verified CBD oil dose used in studies (the preliminary study presented as a conference abstract did not report the daily amount). In the medication overuse headache study, the synthetic THC-like medicine nabilone was used as a 0.5 mg capsule per day (study dose; not a personal recommendation).
Study details (for health professionals)
No controlled human study in migraine with pure CBD oil published as a full article was found. A small preliminary study in Argentina comparing CBD with placebo for 3 months in 30 people with chronic migraine reported a reduction in monthly migraine days compared with placebo at the European Headache Congress in December 2025; however, it was presented only as a short abstract: the number of people in each group, confidence intervals, how the product was taken, whether it contained THC and the daily amount were not stated, no full article or study registration was found, and 4 of the 10 authors are from the research department of the pharmaceutical company that supplied the product. A 79-person study (2017) comparing oral drops containing THC and CBD with a migraine medicine (amitriptyline) for migraine prevention also exists only as a conference abstract. Because neither abstract could be verified, they were not counted as evidence and were not included in the table. In the only placebo-controlled study in acute migraine (92 people enrolled, 73 treated a total of 247 attacks), CBD-dominant vaporized and inhaled marijuana was not clearly different from placebo at 2 hours; the mixture containing both THC and CBD reduced pain at 2 hours. The positive result came from an inhaled product containing THC; it does not count as evidence for CBD oil taken by mouth. The other controlled study is small and indirect: in a 30-person study in medication overuse headache (headache caused by overusing pain relievers) comparing the synthetic THC-like medicine nabilone with ibuprofen, nabilone reduced pain and pain reliever use more, while there was no difference in the number of headache days; no placebo group was used. Observational studies without a comparison group (charts of 121 patients in the US and 32 in Italy, and a 203-person patient registry in the United Kingdom) reported fewer complaints, but cannot separate out the placebo effect and spontaneous improvement; in the charts of 368 patients with chronic migraine, medication overuse headache was more common among cannabis users (an association; cause and effect not shown). There are no controlled studies in cluster headache or tension-type headache. On ClinicalTrials.gov, the results of two studies have not been published: one completed in 2007 (inhaled dronabinol, acute migraine) and one that stopped enrolling after an interim analysis and ended in 2025 (CBD, CBG and low THC, chronic migraine). Two small studies done in other conditions that tracked headache as a secondary outcome (nabilone in chronic musculoskeletal pain, an intraoral CBD gel in teeth clenching) were not counted because they were not done in migraine patients. October 2026 search (PubMed, Cochrane, ClinicalTrials.gov): 2 controlled studies and 3 systematic reviews of cannabinoid treatment on this topic were found (no Cochrane review); the two controlled studies and the two most comprehensive reviews are in the table below, and the third review, which includes only observational studies and overlaps with these two reviews, was not included in the table. A second search on October 28, 2026 (including child and adolescent migraine, oral, inhaled and sublingual products, nabilone and dronabinol, patient registries, ClinicalTrials.gov results, guidelines and conference abstracts) found no new study to add to the table; a 2024 network meta-analysis comparing treatments for medication overuse headache included the nabilone study but did not give a separate result for nabilone. None of the guidelines and position statements reviewed recommend cannabinoids: the 2022 medication overuse headache guideline of the German Society of Neurology and the German Migraine and Headache Society states that the small study with cannabinoids gives no firm conclusion because of weaknesses in its methods and that this treatment cannot be recommended; the Brazilian Academy of Neurology's 2021 position statement (written before the acute migraine study) states that there are no clinical studies supporting cannabinoid use in primary headaches; the Canadian Headache Society's 2024 migraine prevention guideline did not assess cannabinoids.
Evidence assessment: Pure CBD: Insufficient
CBD alone
There is no controlled study in migraine with pure CBD oil published as a full article; the positive results of a small 30-person preliminary study in chronic migraine appeared only in a conference abstract and could not be verified, so they were not counted as evidence. The CBD-dominant product tested in the only controlled study in acute migraine was also not an oil but inhaled marijuana (it also contained 0.35% THC), and it was not clearly different from placebo at 2 hours; in an additional measurement at 1 hour, relief was more common in this group (59% vs. 37%), but this was not the study's main outcome.
Products containing THC
Vaporized and inhaled marijuana containing THC and CBD eased pain more than placebo at 2 hours in acute migraine (67.2% vs. 46.6%); inhaled marijuana containing THC alone also eased pain (68.9%), but was no different from placebo for the pain going away completely. Inhaled products containing THC can cause a high and mental fogginess; these effects can let participants figure out which group they are in and make the result look better than it is (in the study's measurement, guesses in the THC and CBD group were mostly at the level of chance). In medication overuse headache, the synthetic THC-like medicine nabilone reduced pain and pain reliever use more than ibuprofen in a 30-person preliminary study (no placebo group). Registry studies without a comparison group following migraine patients prescribed cannabis reported fewer complaints; in the charts of patients with chronic migraine, medication overuse headache was more common among cannabis users (81% vs. 41%); this is an association, and it was not shown that cannabis caused it.
Evidence: THC+CBD: Moderate (acute migraine, inhaled; single controlled study); nabilone: Very weak (medication overuse headache; single 30-person study, no placebo)
Dose range in studies
In the acute migraine study, vaporized and inhaled marijuana (11% CBD and/or 6% THC); amount not reported in mg; in medication overuse headache, oral nabilone 0.5 mg/day
Starting dose and titration
Not reported in detail in the studies.
These are doses researchers gave under medical supervision; they are not a recommended dose for you. "mg/kg/day" means milligrams per kilogram of body weight per day.
| Study | Participants | Product | Dose and titration | Duration | Result | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Schuster 2026 Double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover randomized study | 92 randomized; 73 people treated a total of 247 attacks; 234 attacks (71 people) with 2-hour data were analyzed Adults aged 21–65 with 2–23 migraine days per month (episodic and chronic migraine; US, single center); moderate or severe attack, within 4 hours of onset | Vaporized and inhaled marijuana: 6% THC / 11% CBD / 6% THC + 11% CBD / placebo (marijuana with THC and CBD removed); the CBD-dominant product also contained 0.35% THC | Not reported in mg; a single session per attack: with a handheld vaporizer at 180 °C, 4 puffs guided by an app (each a 5 s draw, 10 s hold) | A single use per attack, at least 1 week apart | THC+CBD brought pain relief at 2 hours (67.2%; placebo 46.6%). The share of attacks in which the pain was completely gone (34.5% vs. 15.5%) and in which the most bothersome symptom was gone (60.3% vs. 34.5%) at 2 hours was also higher with THC+CBD; 24-hour pain freedom was also more common (28% vs. 11%). THC alone brought relief at 2 hours (68.9%) but was no different from placebo in pain freedom and the most bothersome symptom. The CBD-dominant group was not clearly different from placebo at 2 hours (relief 59% vs. 37% in an additional measurement at 1 hour). Each product was tested in only one attack; single center; done with foundation and public support, without pharmaceutical industry involvement (according to the disclosure, the lead author has consulted for several companies) Side effects: No serious side effects. Reporting any side effect: placebo 5%, CBD 20%, THC+CBD 20%, THC 31%; euphoria at 1 hour 36% with THC, 29% with THC+CBD, 9% with CBD, 7% with placebo | PMID 41469488, doi:10.1111/head.70025, NCT04360044, PMID 38405890 |
| Costa-Oliveira 2026 Systematic review (5 RCTs, 1,072 people; low back pain + headache) | 1,072 Adults with low back pain, migraine and medication overuse headache (double-blind RCTs only) | Various cannabinoid products | THC+CBD in acute migraine 'moderate certainty'; the CBD-dominant formulation showed no clear benefit; in medication overuse headache and chronic musculoskeletal pain, the signal for nabilone is positive but the evidence is 'very uncertain'; according to the authors, an effect of cannabinoids as a class in headache has not been shown; with inhaled products containing THC, intoxicating side effects and a risk of participants figuring out their group | PMID 42773786, doi:10.1177/25785125261490003 | ||
| Pini 2012 Double-blind, randomized crossover study compared with an active medicine (ibuprofen); no placebo | 30 randomized; 26 completed Adults aged 35–65 with medication overuse headache (headache caused by overusing pain relievers) for at least 5 years and at least 3 failed attempts to stop medicines (Italy, Modena) | Nabilone (synthetic THC-like cannabinoid, oral capsule) | Nabilone 0.5 mg/day; comparison ibuprofen 400 mg/day | 8 weeks on each medicine with a 1-week break in between; 20 weeks in total (follow-up 2 weeks after the medicines were stopped) | On the primary outcomes, there was no difference between the two medicines in headache day frequency and pain duration; pain intensity (7.9 at baseline; 5.7 points with nabilone, 6.6 with ibuprofen) and daily pain reliever use (0.89 vs. 1.34) decreased more with nabilone (p < 0.05). The medication dependence score, a secondary outcome, was also lower with nabilone (9.2 vs. 13.8; p < 0.05); a small improvement from baseline on quality-of-life scales was seen only with nabilone. Both medicines brought improvement from baseline. No placebo (the ethics committee did not allow placebo); small preliminary study; the benefit of ibuprofen was seen only when it was taken in the first period, and the effect of nabilone carried over from the second period into follow-up Side effects: Mild and temporary: 11 side effects with nabilone and 8 with ibuprofen (dizziness, vomiting, weakness, dry mouth, nausea, etc.); 1 person stopped each medicine because of side effects (with nabilone, attention and memory problems, which resolved within a month) | PMID 23070400, doi:10.1007/s10194-012-0490-1 |
| Okusanya 2022 Systematic review, narrative synthesis (12 publications: 7 peer-reviewed articles, 5 conference abstracts; the only randomized study only as a conference abstract) | 1,980 (12 publications) Adults with migraine (studies in Italy and the US) | Medical cannabis (inhaled, oral, topical; most containing THC) | All the peer-reviewed articles included were retrospective chart reviews, app data or surveys; the authors found no well-conducted prospective experimental study. Reductions in attack frequency and severity were reported, but the evidence is not enough to make recommendations with confidence; tolerance and an association with medication overuse headache stood out as concerns. The search ended in January 2022; the 2026 acute migraine RCT is not included Side effects: Mostly mild side effects in 43.75% of those using oral cannabis preparations (from Baraldi 2022); an association between cannabis use and medication overuse headache in chronic migraine (from Zhang 2021) | PMID 35711271, doi:10.3389/fneur.2022.871187 | ||
| Hooper 2026 (UK Medical Cannabis Registry) Case series from a prospective patient registry; no control group and no blinding | 203 (80 people with a measurement at month 24; measurements missing for 123 people, 60.6%) Adults with a primary diagnosis of migraine who had not benefited enough from approved migraine medicines (United Kingdom; 56% male; 59% were already using cannabis before the prescription) | Prescription cannabis products: oil (35%), vaporized and inhaled flower (24%) or both (41%); later pastilles and vape cartridges | Median CBD 20 mg/day and THC 19 mg/day (baseline); at month 24, CBD 25.5 mg/day and THC 134 mg/day Doses were increased over time (especially THC) | 24 months | The impact of headache on daily life (HIT-6) fell from 67.5 to 61.3 at month 24 (still in the 'severe impact' range, above 60, at month 24); it was lower than baseline at every measurement (p < 0.001). Migraine-related disability (MIDAS) decreased up to month 12 and was no different from baseline at months 18 and 24. Even though doses were increased, the share of people with meaningful improvement tended to decrease over time (according to the authors, this may be tolerance or the natural course of the disease). Those in the highest THC dose quartile were more likely to improve on MIDAS than those in the lowest quartile (OR 4.03; 95% CI 1.07–17.31). No control group; at month 24, measurements were missing for 61% of patients, and the results rely on an analysis that statistically fills in the missing values (multiple imputation); the registry was set up and is run by a cannabis clinic, and most of the authors work there Side effects: 31 patients (15.3%) reported a total of 249 side effects; the most commonly reported was headache (22 reports), followed by dry mouth, difficulty concentrating, tiredness and nausea. 57 reports were classified as severe and 3 as life-threatening or disabling (sleepiness, delirium, confusion); their relationship to the medicine was not assessed | PMID 41943196, doi:10.1002/brb3.71323, PMID 36722292, headache disorders, 97 patients, 6 months, improvement in HIT-6 and MIDAS, side effects in 17.5% of patients), the patients very likely overlap |
| Rhyne 2016 Retrospective chart review; no control group | 121 Adults with a primary diagnosis of migraine for whom a doctor recommended medical marijuana for migraine (US, two medical marijuana clinics in Colorado) | Medical marijuana: inhaled, edible and other forms (most patients used more than one form) | not reported (in the abstract); most patients used it every day to prevent attacks | Records from January 2010–September 2014 (with at least one follow-up visit) | Monthly migraines fell from 10.4 to 4.6 (p < 0.0001). 39.7% of patients reported a positive effect (most often fewer attacks, 19.8%; stopping an attack, 11.6%); inhaled forms were used more during attacks. No comparison group; a cause-and-effect relationship cannot be shown (the authors recommend prospective studies) Side effects: 11.6% of patients reported negative effects; most often sleepiness (2 patients) and difficulty controlling the timing and intensity of the effect (2 patients), both only with the edible product; edible products were associated with more negative effects | PMID 26749285, doi:10.1002/phar.1673 |
| Baraldi 2022 Retrospective cohort (patient charts); no control group | 32 (number not in the abstract; from the tables of Okusanya 2022 and Lo Castro 2022) Chronic migraine patients given cannabis preparations as off-label use (Italy) | Oral medical cannabis preparations: FM2, Bedrocan or Bediol (standard cannabis varieties dispensed by prescription in Italy; THC and CBD ratios not given in the abstract) | At most 1 mL (25 drops) per day (from the Okusanya 2022 table; not in the abstract) | Up to 6 months (assessment at months 3 and 6) | Monthly migraine days at months 3 and 6 did not differ from baseline (p = 0.1182). Pain intensity (p = 0.0004), the monthly number of pain relievers (p = 0.0006) and the number of days pain relievers were taken (p = 0.0004) decreased. There was no difference between the three preparations. According to the authors, the effect was modest; no comparison group Side effects: In 43.75% of patients, mostly mild | PMID 34347088, doi:10.1093/pm/pnab245 |
| Zhang 2021 Case-control (case-referent) study; retrospective electronic health record review | 368 chronic migraine patients (212 with medication overuse headache, 156 without) Adults with chronic migraine for at least 1 year (US, headache clinics) | Cannabis products (inhaled and oral; types not detailed in the abstract) | not reported (in the abstract) | Clinical records from 2015–2019 | Medication overuse headache in 81% (122/150) of current cannabis users and 41% (90/218) of non-users; adjusted OR 6.3 (95% CI 3.56–11.1; p < 0.0001). In the preprint, the same analysis was adjusted for age, sex, migraine frequency, duration of chronic migraine and use of opioids, butalbital and benzodiazepines (OR 5.99); the list of variables in the published version could not be verified. Cannabis use was also associated with opioid use. As reported by Okusanya 2022, in an analysis limited to those who developed medication overuse headache after starting cannabis, OR 2.6 (1.52–4.42). Retrospective chart study in a single institution's headache clinics; charts were searched with terms related to 'medication overuse' and cannabis. Shows an association, not cause and effect: sicker patients turning to cannabis more often could also explain this difference; the benefit of cannabis was not measured | PMID 34370866, doi:10.1111/head.14195, Preprint: Research Square, February 8, 2021, doi:10.21203/rs.3.rs-185874/v1, OR 5.99 in the preprint) |
Reported side effects
- In healthy volunteers, CBD increased the risk of diarrhea (RR 5.85); non-significant trend toward more abdominal pain and headache (Sawaira 2026, PMID 41789242)
- Psychiatric and nervous system side effects more common with products containing THC (Filippini 2022, PMID 35510826); the likelihood of side effects increased with any cannabinoid (OR 1.75; Wilson 2026, PMID 41856154)
- In healthy volunteers, headache was among the side effects tracked; the increase was not significant (RR 1.56; 95% CI 0.40–6.14; Sawaira 2026, PMID 41789242). In a UK registry of migraine patients, the most commonly reported side effect was headache (22 of 249 reports; no control group; Hooper 2026); in chronic migraine, medication overuse headache was more common among cannabis users (adjusted OR 6.3; association, cause and effect not shown; Zhang 2021); recreational cannabis use has been linked to reversible narrowing of brain blood vessels (RCVS), which comes with a sudden, very severe headache, and is the most commonly reported trigger among illegal substances (case-level evidence; Short 2021, PMID 33868555)
Who should be careful
- High doses and market doses cannot be compared: in low-dose (≤175 mg/day) studies, plasma levels were 5–100 times lower than with a 20 mg/kg Epidiolex dose (Warren 2026, PMID 42473010)
- Anyone taking long-term medication should consult a doctor before starting; the studies on this page did not systematically assess drug interactions
- The positive result came from an inhaled product containing THC; it cannot be cited as evidence for CBD oil sales in Turkey
Drug interactions
- The migraine studies on this page did not systematically assess drug interactions. CBD can slow the breakdown of some medicines in the body; if you take medicines regularly, talk to your doctor or pharmacist.
Abbreviations: RCT, randomized controlled trial (a study in which participants are assigned to groups by chance); placebo, an inactive substance; SMD, OR and RR, effect measures used in analyses that pool studies; CYP, liver enzymes that break down medicines.
If you are considering CBD
- Do not stop the migraine medicines you use on your own; there is no evidence that CBD can replace them.
- If you take medicines regularly, review CBD with your doctor or pharmacist; checking for drug interactions is important.
- Check the product's label and certificate of analysis; find out whether it contains THC.
- Remember that the positive result in the study came from an inhaled product containing THC and does not count as evidence for CBD oils.
Choose your age group, medicines and situation to prepare a short summary you can take to your doctor. Nothing you enter is sent anywhere.
Bottom line
The picture for CBD in migraine is not yet clear. The only study comparing treatment with placebo in migraine attacks used vaporized and inhaled marijuana containing THC and gave a positive result; CBD oil taken by mouth has not yet been tested in migraine patients in a controlled study published as a full article (there is only an unverifiable conference abstract of a small 30-person preliminary study). A study that started in 2026, comparing oral CBD with placebo for preventing migraine, may give a clearer answer to this question.
Frequently asked questions
Does CBD oil work for migraine?
We don't know, because CBD oil taken by mouth has not yet been tested in migraine in a controlled study published as a full article; there is only a conference abstract of a small 30-person preliminary study, and its results could not be verified. In the only well-designed placebo-controlled study in migraine attacks, the positive result came from vaporized and inhaled marijuana containing THC and CBD. In the group that inhaled the CBD-dominant product alone, no clear difference was seen compared with an inactive product (placebo).
Which product worked in the study?
Vaporized and inhaled marijuana containing both THC and CBD increased the share of people with pain relief at 2 hours (67.2% vs. 46.6% with placebo) and roughly doubled the share of attacks in which the pain went away completely (34.5% vs. 15.5%). Marijuana containing THC alone also brought relief at 2 hours, but was no different from placebo in making the pain go away completely; CBD-dominant marijuana was no different from placebo at 2 hours. Because this product contains THC, it can cause a high or mental fogginess, and the result cannot be applied to CBD oil.
Does CBD prevent migraine attacks?
No controlled human study published as a full article was found that examined the effect of CBD in preventing migraine. A small preliminary study in Argentina comparing CBD with placebo for three months in 30 people with chronic migraine reported a reduction in monthly migraine days at a scientific conference in 2025; however, this is only a short abstract: the number of people in each group, how the product was taken and the daily amount were not stated, no full article or registration was found, and 4 of the 10 authors are from the company that supplied the product. For this reason, it cannot be said that CBD reduces attacks. In registry studies following patients prescribed cannabis products, attack frequency or the impact of headache on daily life decreased; however, most of these products also contained THC, and there was no comparison group. A study comparing oral CBD with placebo for preventing chronic migraine started enrolling patients in Canada in April 2026; according to its record, the estimated completion is December 2028.
Can CBD cause headaches?
In studies of healthy volunteers, a trend toward more headaches was seen, but this increase was not significant. The most noticeable side effect in these studies was diarrhea. In a United Kingdom registry following migraine patients using cannabis-based medicines (most also contained THC), the most commonly reported side effect was headache (22 of 249 side effect reports); because there was no comparison group, it is not known whether this came from the medicine or from the migraine itself. In the charts of patients with chronic migraine, headache caused by overusing pain relievers was more common among cannabis users; this is an association, not evidence of cause and effect.
Can I use CBD together with my migraine medicine?
The migraine studies did not specifically examine drug interactions. Because CBD can slow the breakdown of some medicines in the body, if you take medicines regularly, it is a good idea to talk to your doctor or pharmacist.
Can CBD oil be obtained with a prescription for migraine in Turkey?
In Turkey, products derived from cannabis are regulated by the Kenevirden Elde Edilen Ürünlere Dair Yönetmelik (Regulation on Products Derived from Hemp) dated January 31, 2026. These products, including CBD, can be sold only in pharmacies. Those classified as medicines and health products are dispensed with a prescription; the regulation does not state a prescription requirement for supplement products and cosmetics with a THC content of at most 0.3%. As of October 2026, there is no approved CBD medicine in Turkey. If you are thinking of using it, talk to your doctor first.
References
Show 8 references
- Schuster 2026. Double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover randomized study. PMID 41469488, doi:10.1111/head.70025, NCT04360044, PMID 38405890
- Costa-Oliveira 2026. Systematic review (5 RCTs, 1,072 people; low back pain + headache). PMID 42773786, doi:10.1177/25785125261490003
- Pini 2012. Double-blind, randomized crossover study compared with an active medicine (ibuprofen); no placebo. PMID 23070400, doi:10.1007/s10194-012-0490-1
- Okusanya 2022. Systematic review, narrative synthesis (12 publications: 7 peer-reviewed articles, 5 conference abstracts; the only randomized study only as a conference abstract). PMID 35711271, doi:10.3389/fneur.2022.871187
- Hooper 2026 (UK Medical Cannabis Registry). Case series from a prospective patient registry; no control group and no blinding. PMID 41943196, doi:10.1002/brb3.71323, PMID 36722292, headache disorders, 97 patients, 6 months, improvement in HIT-6 and MIDAS, side effects in 17.5% of patients), the patients very likely overlap
- Rhyne 2016. Retrospective chart review; no control group. PMID 26749285, doi:10.1002/phar.1673
- Baraldi 2022. Retrospective cohort (patient charts); no control group. PMID 34347088, doi:10.1093/pm/pnab245
- Zhang 2021. Case-control (case-referent) study; retrospective electronic health record review. PMID 34370866, doi:10.1111/head.14195, Preprint: Research Square, February 8, 2021, doi:10.21203/rs.3.rs-185874/v1, OR 5.99 in the preprint)
Points that could not be verified from the full text
- Laino 2025 (19th European Headache Congress, Lisbon, December 2025; abstract OP008, The Journal of Headache and Pain 2026 supplement): a preliminary study in Argentina, reported as randomized and double-blind, comparing CBD at two strengths with placebo for 3 months in 30 people with chronic migraine. According to the abstract, monthly migraine days fell by 68% and 79% in the CBD groups compared with the placebo group; the most common side effect was sleepiness. Conference abstract only: no full article or study registration was found; the number of people in each group, how these rates were calculated, confidence intervals, how the product was taken, THC content and the daily CBD amount are not stated; 4 of the 10 authors are from the research department of the pharmaceutical company that supplied the product and the placebo. Because it could not be verified, it was not counted as evidence and was not included in the table (October 28, 2026).
- Nicolodi 2017 (European Academy of Neurology Congress abstract, European Journal of Neurology 2017 supplement): as reported by a 2022 systematic review (Okusanya 2022), a randomized study in Italy in 79 people with migraine comparing oral drops containing THC and CBD with a medicine used for migraine prevention (amitriptyline); the reduction in the number of attacks was reported as similar in both groups (40.4% vs. 40.1%). No placebo group; the THC and CBD ratio was not reported. Conference abstract only; the abstract itself could not be accessed and no full article was found. Because it could not be verified, it was not counted as evidence and was not included in the table (October 28, 2026).
Research history
Here we record what changed on this page, when and why, with dates. The newest change is at the top.
This page's result label was changed from 'No effect found' to 'Not studied enough.' The second search on October 28, 2026 confirmed that neither CBD oil nor any other oral CBD product has been tested in migraine patients in any controlled study published as a full article. Apart from inhaled marijuana, the only data comparing CBD with placebo in migraine is a conference abstract of a small preliminary study in 30 people with chronic migraine; because it could not be verified, it was not counted as evidence. In the only placebo-controlled acute migraine study (Schuster 2026), the CBD-dominant product tested was not an oil but vaporized and inhaled marijuana that also contained a small amount of THC; it was tested in only one attack, was no different from placebo on the main outcome (2 hours), and relief was more common in an additional measurement at 1 hour. This picture means 'not yet tested enough,' not 'tested and found ineffective.' The strength of evidence remained 'Insufficient' for CBD (the only fully published study testing a CBD-dominant product used an inhaled product in a single attack) and 'Moderate' for products containing THC.
Studies that led to the change: Schuster 2026, published February 2026 (PMID 41469488, doi:10.1111/head.70025, NCT04360044, PMID 38405890); Costa-Oliveira 2026, published September 22, 2026 (PMID 42773786, doi:10.1177/25785125261490003)
On October 28, 2026, a second, broader search was done (child and adolescent migraine, oral, inhaled and sublingual products, nabilone and dronabinol, patient registries, ClinicalTrials.gov results, guidelines and conference abstracts); no new study to add to the table was found. Added to the text: that a 30-person preliminary study comparing CBD with placebo in chronic migraine and a 79-person study comparing oral THC and CBD with a migraine medicine exist only as conference abstracts and could not be verified, an ongoing safety study in teenagers, and that the guidelines reviewed do not recommend cannabinoids; the wording 'oral CBD has not been tested in a controlled study' was clarified to 'there is no controlled study published as a full article.' The wording of the drug interaction notes was corrected. The strength of evidence did not change.
In October 2026, PubMed, Cochrane and ClinicalTrials.gov were systematically searched; 6 studies were added: a small study in medication overuse headache comparing the synthetic THC-like medicine nabilone with ibuprofen (Pini 2012), a systematic review (Okusanya 2022) and four observational studies (Hooper 2026, Rhyne 2016, Baraldi 2022, Zhang 2021). The result of the group that inhaled THC alone, secondary outcomes, side effect rates and the number of people who treated attacks (73 of 92) were added to the acute migraine study's row, and the medication overuse headache finding was added to the review's row; 'single study' wording in the texts was corrected. Two small studies done in other conditions that tracked headache as a secondary outcome were not included in the table because they were not done in migraine patients. The conclusion and the strength of evidence did not change.
Related studies: Pini 2012, published November 2012 (PMID 23070400, doi:10.1007/s10194-012-0490-1); Okusanya 2022, published May 30, 2022 (PMID 35711271, doi:10.3389/fneur.2022.871187); Hooper 2026 (UK Medical Cannabis Registry), published April 2026 (PMID 41943196, doi:10.1002/brb3.71323, PMID 36722292, headache disorders, 97 patients, 6 months, improvement in HIT-6 and MIDAS, side effects in 17.5% of patients), the patients very likely overlap); Rhyne 2016, published May 2016 (PMID 26749285, doi:10.1002/phar.1673); Baraldi 2022, published February 1, 2022 (PMID 34347088, doi:10.1093/pm/pnab245); Zhang 2021, published September 2021 (PMID 34370866, doi:10.1111/head.14195, Preprint: Research Square, February 8, 2021, doi:10.21203/rs.3.rs-185874/v1, OR 5.99 in the preprint))
Older changes (3)
The names of the result labels were simplified: the "No benefit found" label on this page became "No effect found." The assessment did not change.
Technical terms in the For clinicians section were simplified; it was noted that the "CBD-dominant" group in one study used an inhaled product, not pure CBD oil. The year of one publication named on the page was corrected to the journal's print year instead of the online publication year. The conclusion and the strength of evidence did not change.
Page published. This first review examined 2 studies.