Clinical Trial Finds THC and CBD Combination Far More Effective Than Placebo for Treating Acute Migraine

A randomized clinical trial published in the journal Headache finds that a combination of THC and CBD was significantly more effective than placebo for relieving acute migraine pain, offering some of the strongest clinical evidence to date supporting marijuana-based treatments for migraine attacks. The study was conducted by researchers from the University of California San Diego Health System and enrolled 92 adults diagnosed with migraine. Participants treated up to four separate migraine attacks using vaporized marijuana flower in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover design. Each participant used four formulations across different attacks: THC-dominant marijuana containing 6% delta-9 THC, CBD-dominant marijuana containing 11% CBD, a combined formulation containing both 6% THC and 11% CBD, and a placebo cannabis flower. Each treatment was separated by a washout period of at least one week.

Across 247 treated migraine attacks, the THC and CBD combination produced significantly better outcomes than placebo. At the two-hour mark following vaporization, 67.2% of attacks treated with the combined formulation achieved pain relief, compared with 46.6% in the placebo group. Pain freedom was also more common with the combination treatment, reported in 34.5% of attacks versus 15.5% with placebo. Participants were also more likely to experience freedom from their most bothersome migraine symptom, such as nausea, light sensitivity, or sound sensitivity.

The THC-dominant formulation alone improved pain relief but did not significantly outperform placebo for complete pain freedom or relief of the most bothersome symptoms. The CBD-dominant formulation did not show a meaningful benefit compared with placebo on any of the primary or secondary endpoints.

Notably, the benefits of the THC and CBD combination extended beyond the initial two-hour window, with sustained pain relief and symptom reduction reported at 24 and 48 hours. No serious adverse events were observed, suggesting the treatment was generally well tolerated.

Researchers concluded that vaporized marijuana containing both THC and CBD may offer a viable acute treatment option for migraine, marking an important step forward in clinical migraine research involving cannabinoids.