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Dr Orrange received her BA in Biology at the University of California San Diego and a Masters Degree in Health Sciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health She received her MD from the USC Keck School of…
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Five Natural Treatments for the Prevention of Migraine Headaches
For those who suffer from frequent, long lasting migraine headaches there are many options for prevention of migraines. The goal of prophylactic treatment is reducing attack frequency, severity and duration. There are many medications that have been shown to be effective including beta blockers, calcium channel blockers, antidepressants, and anticonvulsants but these carry side effects. Some interesting data has emerged on natural therapies for migraine prophylaxis and with little downside they are probably worth a try.
1) Butterbur- An extract of Butterbur (Petasites hybridus) root is an herbal medicine that is marketed as a pharmaceutical medicine in Germany (Petadolex). At least 2 clinical trials have found Petasites extract to be effective for migraine prevention. In the larger of these studies, Petasites at a dose of 75 mg but not 50 mg daily was effective and well tolerated as preventive therapy for migraine. It is important to know that parts of butterbur are carcinogens so only consume the parts of the petasites plant in commercial products.
2) Coenzyme Q10- In a small trial of 42 patients with migraine, CoQ10 was effective for migraine prevention. Patients treated with CoQ10 100 mg three times a day experienced a 50% reduction in the frequency of migraines. CoQ10 is also well tolerated.
3) Feverfew - The herbal remedy most studied for the prevention of migraine is Feverfew. Several trials have shown it to be effective for prevention of migraine. The dose to take it not so clear, some studies looked at capsules of 100 mg a day and these were capsules of freeze dried leaves. Other studies used 143 mg capsules with an alcoholic extract of feverfew.
4) Riboflavin (Vitamin B2) - A trial of 55 patients found that riboflavin at a dose of 400 mg a day as compared to placebo resulted in a significant number of people with greater than 50% improvement in the frequency of headaches. The benefits were apparent after 3 months of therapy.
5) Magnesium - Several studies have found 600 mg of magnesium daily for 12 weeks reduces headache frequency significantly. The duration and intensity of the headache attack was also reduced. The word of caution here is that 18% of those taking 600 mg of magnesium a day experience diarrhea but it does appear to be effective for prevention of migraine.
Dr O.
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