Supplements and chronic migraines. What you need to know!
In this convincing study, adults suffering from chronic migraines took the following supplements every day for 3 months:
- 100 mg feverfew,
- 100 mg coenzyme Q10,
- 112.5 mg magnesium
This combination significantly reduced the frequency of headaches by the third month for the majority of the patients in the study. Some patients also reported lower levels of anxiety and depression. If you have chronic migraines this might be worth trying after you get clearance from your physician.
The Research
See comment in PubMed Commons below
BMC Complement Altern Med. 2017 Aug 30;17(1):433. doi: 10.1186/s12906-017-1933-7.
A combination of coenzyme Q10, feverfew and magnesium for migraine prophylaxis: a prospective observational study.
Guilbot A1, Bangratz M2, Ait Abdellah S2, Lucas C3.
1
Pileje Laboratoire, 37 quai de Grenelle, 75015, 15, Paris cedex, France. a.guilbot@pileje.com.
2
Pileje Laboratoire, 37 quai de Grenelle, 75015, 15, Paris cedex, France.
3
Centre d’Evaluation et de Traitement de la Douleur, service de neurochirurgie, Hôpital Salengro, CHRU de Lille, 59037, Lille Cedex, France.
Abstract
BACKGROUND:
Feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium L.), magnesium and coenzyme Q10 are frequently used for migraine prophylaxis. Supplementation with a fixed combination of these three agents (Antemig®, PiLeJe) was investigated in an observational study.
METHODS:
Adult patients suffering from migraine according to the criteria of the International Headache Society were enrolled by general practitioners (≥2 migraine attacks during previous month; exclusion of chronic migraine and medication overuse) and after a one-month baseline phase, supplemented with one tablet of 100 mg feverfew, 100 mg coenzyme Q10 and 112.5 mg magnesium per day for 3 months.
RESULTS:
Supplementation significantly reduced the number of days with migraine headache during third month of supplementation compared to baseline phase (1.3 days ±1.5 versus 4.9 days ±2.6, p < 0.0001; n = 68 intention to treat; primary criterion). The decrease was progressive over the period of supplementation and significant from first month (1st month: -2.5 days ±3.1, p < 0.0001; 2nd month: -3 days ±2.8, p < 0.0001). The proportion of patients with a reduction of at least 50% in the number of days with migraine headache was 75% (51/68) after 3 months, with a progressive increase over the period of supplementation (63.2% [43/68] after 1 month and 70.6% [48/68] after 2 months). The proportion of patients with anxiety and depressive symptoms (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale) decreased between baseline phase and third month of supplementation from 61.9% (39/63 patients with information available) to 35% (21/60) for depression and from 52.4% (33/63) to 30% (18/60) for anxiety. An improvement of quality of life (Qualité de Vie et Migraine questionnaire) was also observed. The combination was well tolerated.
CONCLUSIONS:
Results suggest that the proprietary supplement containing feverfew, coenzyme Q10 and magnesium assessed could be beneficial and safe for the prevention of migraine in adult patients and merits further study.
TRIAL REGISTRATION:
ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT02901756 , retrospectively registered on August 24, 2016.
