New generation weight loss drugs can do more than reducing the waist.
A new study suggests that a drug to the same family as Ozempic could reduce the number of days that people suffer from migraines in more than half.
“Most patients felt better during the first two weeks and reported that the quality of life improved significantly,” said Dr. Simone Braca, a neurologist at the University of Naples Federico II and the main author of the study.
The researchers tested the liraglutide, a drug that mimics the GLP-1 hormone, which helps regulate blood sugar, to suppress the appetite and to help digestion.
Currently, the drug is marketed as a victo for type 2 diabetes and as a saxenda for long -term weight management in obesity people.
The researchers gave Liraglutid 31 adults with chronic obesity and migraines, defined as 15 days or more of the month.
Before joining the study, each participant had tested at least two unsuccessful migraine prevention medicines.
After taking a daily dose of 1.8 milligrams of liraglutide for three months, his days of headache fell from 20 to nine a month.
The participants also saw a drop of 35 points in the disability evaluation test of migraine, which indicates a significant improvement in their working, school and social life.
“The benefit lasted the full three -month observation period, although the weight loss was modest and statistically non -significant,” said Braca.
Instead of the loss of weight that relieves migraines, researchers believe that the drug works by reducing the pressure of cephalorrachid fluid: the liquid that surrounds the brain and spinal cord.
“An augmented pressure from the spinal fluid in the brain can be one of the mechanisms underlying migraine,” Braca told ABC News. “If we direct this mechanism, this preliminary evidence suggests that it can help migraine.”
The drug was generally well tolerated, with about 38% of participants who reported slight side effects such as nausea and constipation, but none stopped treatment due to them.
“Our findings show that Liraglutid can be effective in treating stubborn, high frequency migraines in obesity patients and that this effect is independent of weight loss,” concluded headache researchers: head newspaper and face pain.
The team plans a larger tracking study to measure brain pressure more directly.
“We also want to see if other GLP-1 drugs can provide similar relief, possibly with less gastrointestinal side effects,” Braca said.
More than a headache
At least 39 million Americans suffer from migraines, but the American Migraine Foundation estimates that the true number is greater because many are not diagnosed.
The weakening neurological condition causes pain to the head that can last hours or even days, often accompanied by nausea, vomiting, changes in vision and sensitivity to light and sound.
Migraines can seriously affect daily life, often leading to work or lost school, reduced productivity, tense relationships and even withdrawal social events and hobbies.
In addition, migraines are strongly related to depression, anxiety and other mental health challenges, and are associated with a higher risk of stroke, heart disease and other chronic diseases.
Scientists still do not know exactly what migraines are causing, but genetics plays an important role: up to 80% of patients have a member of the nearby family who also has the condition, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
There is still no cure for migraines. Although some medicines may relieve symptoms, they do not work for everyone. That is why this new study has experts.
“These patients dealt with at least 15 days of headache and, on average, had 11 days less after taking the medication for only three months,” Dr. Luis Felipe Tornas, a neurologist, told Medical News.
“This changes life for someone who lives with almost constant pain,” he added, saying that the possible role of the drug in reduced brain pressure “opens a completely new way of thinking about the treatment of migraines.”
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