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CBD for migraine

The one controlled trial found CBD alone was no better than placebo for a migraine attack. No trial has tested CBD for preventing migraine.

Facts checked 13 November 20264 min readHow we research
Trials show no benefit

In the only controlled trial, vaporised cannabis flower containing 11% CBD was no better than placebo on any 2-hour outcome. No trial has tested CBD for migraine prevention, so that question is open.

How we grade evidence

The only controlled trial found that CBD on its own was no better than placebo for treating a migraine attack. A mix of THC and CBD did better than placebo in the same trial, but that is a result for a THC product. No trial has tested CBD for preventing migraine.

What the research shows

The key study was run by Schuster and colleagues at the University of California San Diego. It was a crossover trial, meaning each person tried the different treatments on different migraine attacks. Ninety-two people treated 247 attacks with one of four vaporised options:1

Treatment (vaporised) Result at 2 hours
Cannabis with 6% THC Tested as its own arm
Cannabis with 11% CBD Not better than placebo on any outcome
THC and CBD mix Pain relief in 67.2% of attacks
Placebo Pain relief in 46.6% of attacks

The authors wrote that “CBD only was not superior to placebo for any outcomes at 2 hours”. The THC and CBD mix did beat placebo for pain relief at two hours.1

Two points help put this in context.

  • The placebo result was high. Nearly half of placebo-treated attacks had pain relief at two hours.1 This is why personal reports of CBD easing a migraine cannot show that CBD was the cause.
  • It is one trial. A single study of a single dose form is not the last word. But it is the only fair test so far, and CBD did not pass it.

Prevention

Many people want to know whether taking CBD every day leads to fewer migraines. No trial of CBD for migraine prevention was found in our research. For prevention the honest grade is “not enough evidence”.

What doses were tested

The trial used vaporised cannabis flower with 11% CBD, inhaled at the start of an attack.1 It did not test CBD oil, capsules or any swallowed product, and it did not test daily dosing.

Inhaled and swallowed CBD behave differently in the body. Inhaled CBD reaches its peak in the blood within 5 to 10 minutes, while swallowed CBD is absorbed slowly and poorly, with about 6% reaching the bloodstream on an empty stomach.2 So this trial’s result cannot simply be carried over to oils. See ways to take CBD compared.

What Australian medical bodies say

No Australian medical body recommends CBD for migraine.

  • The TGA says medicinal cannabis should be considered only when registered medicines have been tried and have failed. The clinical evidence in its guidance dates to 2017.3
  • RACGP (the GPs’ college) says the evidence base for medicinal cannabis is “limited and inconclusive” and does not recommend or encourage it.4
  • The Faculty of Pain Medicine says the evidence for cannabinoids in chronic non-cancer pain “remains insufficient to justify endorsement of their clinical use”.5

See what Australian medical bodies say about CBD.

Risks to know about

  • THC and driving. The arm of the trial that beat placebo contained THC. In an on-road study, cannabis containing THC impaired driving, while CBD-dominant cannabis did not differ from placebo.6 THC is also what roadside saliva tests look for. See CBD and driving.
  • Interactions. CBD blocks several liver enzymes that process other medicines, so it may change the levels of medicines you already take for migraine or anything else.7 No trial has studied CBD together with migraine medicines. See CBD drug interactions.
  • Sleepiness and stomach upset. Drowsiness, reduced appetite and diarrhoea are the commonly reported side effects of CBD.7
  • Pregnancy. The TGA says medicinal cannabis is not appropriate for women who are pregnant, planning pregnancy or breastfeeding.8 See CBD in pregnancy and breastfeeding.

If you are considering it

  • See your GP or neurologist about your migraines first. There are established treatments for both attacks and prevention.
  • If cannabis medicines come up, ask whether the product contains THC and what that means for driving and work.
  • Ask what evidence exists for the exact product and dose form being suggested.
  • Keep a headache diary so that any change can be judged against your own baseline.

See talking to your GP about CBD for more questions to ask.

Footnotes

  1. Schuster NM et al. Vaporized cannabis versus placebo for acute migraine: a randomized controlled trial. University of California San Diego. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/89m6r4pt ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4

  2. World Health Organization Expert Committee on Drug Dependence. Cannabidiol (CBD) critical review report, 2018. https://cdn.who.int/media/docs/default-source/controlled-substances/whocbdreportmay2018-2.pdf ↩

  3. Therapeutic Goods Administration. Guidance for the use of medicinal cannabis in Australia: overview. https://www.tga.gov.au/resources/resource/guidance/guidance-use-medicinal-cannabis-australia-overview ↩

  4. Royal Australian College of General Practitioners. Medical cannabis position statement (2019 update). https://www.racgp.org.au/advocacy/position-statements/view-all-position-statements/clinical-and-practice-management/medical-cannabis ↩

  5. Faculty of Pain Medicine, ANZCA. Medicinal cannabis (patient information on statement PS10(PM), 2021). https://www.anzca.edu.au/patient-information/about-pain-medicine/medicinal-cannabis ↩

  6. Arkell TR et al. Effect of cannabidiol and THC on driving performance: a randomized clinical trial. JAMA, 2020. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2020.21218 ↩

  7. Epidiolex (cannabidiol) US prescribing information, DailyMed, revised 2026. https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/drugInfo.cfm?setid=8bf27097-4870-43fb-94f0-f3d0871d1eec ↩ ↩2

  8. Therapeutic Goods Administration. Guidance for the use of medicinal cannabis in Australia: patient information. https://www.tga.gov.au/sites/default/files/guidance-use-medicinal-cannabis-australia-patient-information.pdf ↩

Common questions

Does CBD help migraines?

The one controlled trial says no for treating an attack. In 92 people treating 247 migraine attacks, vaporised CBD-dominant cannabis was not better than placebo on any outcome at two hours. Whether regular CBD prevents migraines has not been tested.

Does medicinal cannabis with THC work for migraine?

In the same trial, a vaporised mix of THC and CBD gave pain relief at two hours in 67.2 percent of attacks, compared with 46.6 percent for placebo. That is one trial of an inhaled product that causes intoxication and affects driving. It does not show that CBD works.

Can CBD oil prevent migraines if taken daily?

Nobody knows. No trial of CBD for migraine prevention was found in our research. Evidence from a single-attack trial of vaporised cannabis cannot be applied to a daily oil.

This page is general information, not medical or legal advice. Laws and evidence change; we show the date we last checked the facts at the top of every page. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist before starting, stopping or changing any medicine.

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