Goodbye to migraines: a drug discovered that could reduce the number of days of pain by half.

Liraglutide , a drug widely used in the treatment of type 2 diabetes and obesity, has shown a significant effect in reducing chronic migraine headaches, according to a preliminary study presented at the recent European Academy of Neurology congress. This research suggests that the drug could reduce the number of days of pain by almost half in patients with persistent migraines resistant to previous treatments.

The study, led by neurologist Simone Braca at the University of Naples Federico II, included 31 obese individuals with frequent or chronic migraines. For 12 weeks, the patients received liraglutide in escalating doses : first 0.6 milligrams daily, then 1.2 milligrams. At the end of the trial, the average number of headache days was observed to have decreased from 20 to 9 per month.

The results were especially encouraging among those who had not experienced improvement with standard therapies . In seven patients, the frequency of episodes was reduced by 75%, and in one case, migraines disappeared completely. Furthermore, the benefit was found not to be associated with weight loss, a particularly relevant factor, as it rules out that this was the cause of the clinical improvement.

Researchers believe this effect could be due to liraglutide's ability to reduce intracranial pressure , possibly by decreasing the production of cerebrospinal fluid. It is also speculated that the drug may influence the release of the peptide CGRP, a substance linked to pain during migraine attacks.

A breakthrough for patients who have not responded to other treatments

An alternative line suggests that the drug's efficacy may be due to its influence on glucose metabolism , given that previous studies have linked glycemic disturbances to the onset of migraines. Although the study did not directly measure these mechanisms, the authors consider it a priority avenue for future trials.

Dr. Alex Sinclair , a neurologist at the University of Birmingham, hailed the finding as " a very interesting line of research ," although she cautioned about the study's limitations. "It's a small sample size and didn't include a placebo group, so we have to be cautious," the specialist explained.

The lack of a control group is a significant weakness, especially in migraine studies, where the placebo effect can have a considerable influence . However, Braca's team argues that the magnitude of the improvement and the history of previous treatment failures reinforce the robustness of the results.

From the Mayo Clinic, Dr. Chia-Chun Chiang also highlighted the importance of the data: "This type of progress can open new doors for those who have not achieved results with current treatments," she stated. The possibility of using GLP-1 agonists as a therapeutic alternative represents a novel approach that, if confirmed, could change current migraine treatment protocols.