Weight loss drug has reduced the frequency of migraines in a small study

Beyond the control of diabetes and weight management, GLP-1 could have yet another advantage: helping with migraines.

In a small study, a GLP-1 medication reduced the number of days that people spent with a migraine of almost half in a given month.

Presented at the European Congress of the Academy of Neurology in Helinski, Finland, June 21, the results suggest promising future uses of popular obesity and diabetes.

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According to the World Health Organization (WHO), nearly 40 million Americans treat migraines – and for many, they are more than a simple headache.

Migraines are the second cause of disability in the world, the above agency states, with symptoms such as serious headaches, nausea and light sensitivity often disturbing daily activities.

Previous studies have shown that GLP-1 can reduce pressure within the skull, which is a possible cause of migraines, according to several health organizations. (istock)

Previous studies have shown that GLP-1 can reduce pressure within the skull, which is a possible cause of migraines, according to several health organizations.

The neurologist and the leading study Simone Braca of the University of Naples Federico II in Italy, as well as his colleagues, explored if the Liraglutide, a previous version of the Glucagon Peptide-1 receptors (GLP-1 RAS), could help the victims of migraines.

“Most patients felt better in the first two weeks and reported that the quality of life has improved considerably.”

Thirty -one adults, including 26 women, received daily injections from Liraglutide for 12 weeks. Participants, who all met the obesity criteria, also continued to take their current migraine medicines.

At the start of the experience, the participants reported headache about 20 days over a month. After 12 weeks of Liraglutide, the average number fell at around 11 days.

“Most of the patients felt better in the first two weeks and reported that the quality of life has improved considerably,” said Braca in a press release for the study, which was published in the review Maux de Tête last month.

The weight of the participants remained almost the same during the test, which suggests that the headache reductions were not linked to weight loss. (istock)

The relief of migraines lasted the entire three -month observation period, noted the researcher, although weight loss is “modest and statistically non -significant”.

The weight of the participants remained almost the same during the test, which suggests that the headache reductions were not linked to weight loss.

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“Liraglutide is a” average age “GLP-1, with Ozempic and Mounjaro more recent,” Dr. Sue Decotiis, a triple specialist in certified weight loss in New York, told Fox News.

Decotiis, which has not been involved in the study, said that Liraglutide is not as effective as its more recent cousins ​​for weight loss or diabetes, and is not frequently used for these purposes.

At the start of the experience, the participants reported headache about 20 days over a month. After 12 weeks of Liraglutide, this number fell at 11. (istock)

“Many pharmacies do not even store it due to the drop in demand, but it penetrates enough into the brain to reduce migraines,” she noted.

Potential limitations

The test did not include a comparison group, and the participants and the researchers all knew that everyone had received Liraglutide, the researchers noted.

Light gastrointestinal side effects (mainly nausea and constipation) occurred in 38% of participants, but did not lead to stopping treatment.

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Additional research may include other groups, such as control groups and people without obesity, to compare the effects of the drug.

“The study was very small,” confirmed Decotiis to Fox News Digital.

“The advantage lasted the entire three -month observation period, even if the weight loss was modest and statistically non -significant,” said the study researcher. (istock)

Given its size and brief duration, the results could be limited until new research is carried out, according to the expert.

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Researchers also tested only one medication, Liraglutide, “which is not used as frequently in the general population as semaglutide or shooting,” added Decotiis.

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Then, the team provides for a randomized double blind trial which will also measure the pressure inside the skull.

“We also want to determine if other GLP-1 drugs can offer the same relief, perhaps even fewer gastrointestinal side effects,” Braca said in the same press release.