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More on migraines

More on migraines

Over the past 12 months or so, I have discussed in a number of my newsletters the use of magnesium, Coenzyme Q10 and vitamin B2 for the treatment of headache and migraine.

I am pleased to report latest research further confirms the usefulness and efficacy of these three nutrients in reducing and preventing migraine in children and adults.

Biomedical studies, muscle biopsies, magnetic resonance spectroscopy and DNA analysis have confirmed that migraines are caused by mitochondrial dysfunction. (Mitochondria are the energy producing units found in our cells, often referred to as “cellular power plants” because
they generate the cell’s supply of adenosine triphosphate, ATP.)

Nutrients such as Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), riboflavin (vitamin B2) and magnesium play a vital role in mitochondrial function and I commonly prescribe at least one of these nutrients in treating migraine.

Let’s see how they work.

Coenzyme Q10
An open trial of children and adolescents attending a multidisciplinary tertiary headache clinic, found that low serum CoQ10 was relatively common. Of the 1,150 migraine sufferers tested, 33% showed levels of total serum CoQ10 below the reference range (0.5–1.5 mcg/mL) and 71% below 0.7mcg/mL. Following nine months of treatment with CoQ10 (1–3 mg/kg daily) all subjects showed normal serum levels of CoQ10 and 45% of patients supplemented experienced a reduction in headache frequency.

CoQ10 supplementation has also demonstrated positive results in a study of 40 adult migraine sufferers. This randomized, double-blinded, placebo controlled trial, compared 100 mg of CoQ10 three times per day to placebo over a four-month study period. At the competition of the trial, subjects supplemented with CoQ10 demonstrated a statistically significant reduction in attack frequency and number of days with nausea in comparison to placebo subjects. A reduction was also seen in acute anti-migraine drug consumption. No changes to outcome measures were observed in the placebo group.

Magnesium
Magnesium concentrations in red blood cells, serum, and brain tissue have been found to be significantly lower in adults and children suffering from migraines in comparison to healthy
control subjects.

Not only does magnesium play a crucial role in mitochondrial function, it may also be a valuable treatment tool for migraine sufferers due to its role in cerebral artery relaxation, production of neurotransmitters, along with the release of substance P, a neurotransmitter involved in pain perception. Magnesium deficiency has been implicated in promoting
“cortical spreading depression”, a phenomenon explaining the migraine aura.

Clinical trials demonstrating positive results with magnesium supplementation in adults, show doses of 300–600 mg per day for a minimum of three months is effective at reducing
migraine frequency and severity of attack. Indeed I can certainly vouch for this observation among my many migraine patients. A combination of 300 mg of magnesium amino acid chelate together with 300 mg CoQ10 per day works a treat.

Riboflavin (vitamin B2)
Positive studies with B2 supplementation have shown benefit from 400 mg daily for at least three months. In a double-blind, randomized two parallel group trial of 54 migraine sufferers,
B2 (400 mg/day) was shown to be superior to placebo at reducing migraine attack frequency as well as number of days with migraine. The difference between placebo and riboflavin became statistically significant after three months of supplementation.

So the most important take-home message is migraine can be successfully treated with the above-mentioned supplements, being mindful that this is dose and time dependent.

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