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Smoking, whether it’s tobacco products or marijuana, can affect how you experience migraine. But everyone may experience different reactions to these substances.
For most people, smoking cigarettes and other tobacco products makes migraine attacks worse, though a few find that nicotine helps them feel better.
When it comes to cannabis, the results are even more mixed. Some people with chronic migraine find that smoking weed makes them feel better, while others find that it triggers migraine attacks.
Here’s what you need to know about smoking and migraine.
Smoking cigarettes is more common in people diagnosed with migraine than it is in people who don’t smoke. The more frequently a person smokes and the longer they have smoked, the more likely they are to experience migraine attacks.
In one study, people who smoked were 29 percent more likely to have migraine than people who didn’t smoke.
However, there’s a lot we don’t know about the relationship between smoking tobacco products and migraine. Most of the research has been done on people who smoke cigarettes, for example, so we don’t know if other tobacco products affect migraine in the same ways.
Researchers also don’t know why smoking may be linked to migraine. It also may be that people who are diagnosed with migraine may somehow be more likely to start smoking. We simply need more time and research to better understand this relationship.
Some people develop what’s known as a nicotine headache, or a headache whenever they use nicotine (the active and addictive ingredient in cigarettes). They may experience this pain while using nicotine, after using it, or when they try to stop using it.
Nicotine headache is associated with head pain similar to that of a migraine attack. The head may throb or pulse on one side, causing severe pain. It’s unclear if the nicotine is actually triggering a migraine attack or something similar to a migraine attack.
As you quit smoking, you might experience symptoms that trigger a migraine attack. This will depend on your specific triggers. For instance, quitting can make it hard to sleep or cause changes in your mood, especially if you’ve experienced anxiety or depression.
If these factors trigger migraine attacks for you, then quitting smoking may initially worsen attacks. Note that these symptoms will get better over time, so they should trigger fewer migraine headaches once your body is used to being without nicotine.
Everyone’s experience with smoking tobacco and migraine attacks is different.
One MyMigraineTeam member mentioned how much quitting smoking has helped with their migraine. “Thankfully since giving up smoking and cutting down on dairy, I get migraines now only about six to eight times a year,” they shared.
However, the process of quitting isn’t always easy for migraine attacks. Another member said, “Ever since quitting, I’ve noticed this really weird migraine kind of headache thing that I have had continuously for the past two weeks. I think it’s due to withdrawals, but it’s so annoying.”
Some are so sensitive to tobacco smoke that even secondhand smoke can trigger a migraine attack. “The AC repairman was smoking on campus and it brought on a migraine,” one member shared.
Another member explained, “One of my triggers that is definite — no question about it — is tobacco smoke, even stale smoke on someone’s clothes if they are not actually smoking in my vicinity.”
One member had severe attacks from exposure to smoke. They said, “Even if I wait in my car to go in a store, people are always waiting right outside smoking in front of the open doors when I try to leave and I can instantly feel the beginnings of the migraine and have only about 20 minutes to get home before it’s full blown.”
A few people found that nicotine actually helped their migraine attacks improve. “About a month ago I switched to nicotine, with a very low dosage,” one member said. “I found it worked better [than anything else]. In the last month, I’ve had just two migraines.”
No adequate research shows that smoking weed helps migraine symptoms.
Researchers do know that cannabis works on the cannabinoid system in the body, which helps regulate pain, feelings, sleep, appetite, and more. All of these factors can affect migraine symptoms and cause migraine attacks. So smoking cannabis may affect any neurological condition, including migraine.
However, we don’t fully understand the cannabinoid system, so we can’t understand the impact marijuana has on it. Even if cannabis helps in the short term, we don’t know whether it will have negative effects in the long run.
Cannabis is also associated with other conditions that could trigger migraine attacks. This includes panic attacks, more intense sensory experiences, and nausea. If these trigger migraine headache pain for you, it may be a good idea to avoid smoking weed.
Medication overuse headaches (called rebound headaches) can occur in people who use a lot of headache medications, like those living with migraine. Medications that commonly lead to these headaches include opioids and triptans, both of which may be prescribed for people with migraine.
Chemicals in marijuana can bind to the same receptors that opioids bind to in the body. Additionally, it’s common for people who use one of these substances to also use the other.
The end result is that smoking cannabis seems to raise a person’s risk for experiencing a condition similar to medication overuse headache. While it is not a migraine headache, it could trigger one in some people.
Some people find that smoking weed improves their migraine symptoms.
One member of MyMigraineTeam hopes it continues to make them feel better. “I’m afraid to say this but this cannabis is really working. … I hope this will only progress,” they said.
Another member who tried it and felt better shared, “I have tried smoking weed to numb the pain in my head. It has definitely helped at night and taken the ‘banging’ pain away.”
However, others have found that smoking marijuana wasn’t helpful at all. One member explained, “I too have been told to try marijuana. It made me paranoid and did nothing for the pain.”
Others found that even secondhand exposure to cannabis smoke triggered migraine attacks. They said, “Over four months of increasing pain due to people smoking marijuana in our building. I feel like my life is going backwards to when I was in bed daily with migraine attacks.”
Still other members find that smoke in general is such a trigger that they don’t want to try smoking weed at all. “I can’t try medical marijuana because marijuana gives me a migraine. All smoke does,” they shared.
If you want to try smoking tobacco or weed for easing migraine attacks, talk to your healthcare provider first. Be open with your neurologist about which substances you try so they can have a clear picture of your experience.
Regardless of what you decide, track your symptoms and triggers using an app or a journal. Your doctor may recommend another migraine treatment before you try smoking.
If you’re trying to stop using tobacco or marijuana, your neurology team can help you. They can direct you to resources and programs to help you stay on track or medications to reduce cravings. They can also help you manage any migraine attacks connected to marijuana or nicotine withdrawal.
On MyMigraineTeam, people share their experiences with migraine, get advice, and find support from others who understand.
How does smoking tobacco or weed affect your migraine attacks? Let others know in the comments below.
Are your headaches a symptom of migraine? Get a quick assessment.
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