Researchers have made a promising discovery in the fight against migraines, with an obesity drug reducing the number of days patients experienced severe migraines by almost half. The study, published in the journal Headache and presented at the European Academy of Neurology conference, suggests that liraglutide, a drug used to treat obesity and diabetes, may also be effective in treating migraine.
The trial involved 31 patients with obesity and high-frequency or chronic migraine who took 0.6 milligrams of liraglutide daily for one week, followed by 1.2 mg daily for the next 11 weeks. After 12 weeks, nearly half of the patients reported a significant reduction in headache days per month, from an average of 20 to nine.
One patient even experienced complete disappearance of migraines, while seven others saw their headache days drop by 75%. The participants did not shed weight during the study, suggesting that the improvement in migraine wasn’t linked to weight loss. Instead, researchers propose that liraglutide may reduce pressure inside the skull by lowering cerebrospinal fluid production, which could lead to a reduction in CGRP, a molecule released during migraines.
While more research is needed to confirm these findings and exclude the placebo effect, this breakthrough offers new hope for patients with chronic migraine who have not responded to other treatments. The study’s small size and lack of a placebo group are significant limitations, but if confirmed, the results could guide treatment for patients with migraine.
Source: https://www.livescience.com/health/medicine-drugs/drug-slashes-migraine-days-by-half-in-early-trial-and-it-may-work-with-completely-new-mechanism