Treatment effective for preventing headache in adults with episodic migraine
MONDAY, Oct. 5, 2015 (HealthDay News) — In adults with episodic migraine, the combination of simvastatin and vitamin D3 seems effective for prevention of headache, according to a study published online Sept. 29 in the Annals of Neurology.
Catherine Buettner, M.D., M.P.H., from the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, and colleagues examined the efficacy and tolerability of simvastatin plus vitamin D for migraine prevention. Fifty-seven adults with episodic migraine were randomized to simvastatin 20 mg tablets twice daily plus vitamin D3 1,000 IU capsules twice daily or matching placebo tablets and capsules during a 24-week intervention period.
The researchers found that, compared with placebo, participants using simvastatin plus vitamin D3 demonstrated a greater decrease in number of migraine days from the baseline period to intervention weeks one to 12 (−8.0 versus +1.0 days; P < 0.001) and to intervention weeks 13 to 24 (−9.0 versus +3.0 days; P < 0.001). In the active treatment group, 25 and 29 percent of patients experienced a 50 percent reduction in the number of migraine days at 12 and 24 weeks post randomization, respectively. Only 3 percent of patients experienced such reduction in the placebo group (P = 0.003). The treatment and placebo groups reported similar adverse events.
“Given statins ability to repair endothelial dysfunction, this economical approach may also reduce the increased risk for vascular diseases among migraineurs,” the authors write.
Two authors disclosed financial ties to the pharmaceutical industry; two authors and their institution have applied for a patent for the combination of statin and vitamin D as prophylactic treatment for migraine.
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