Coenzyme Q10 May Offer Migraine Relief
Researchers at the Cleveland Clinic recently found that
coenzyme Q10 can significantly reduce the number of attacks in migraine
sufferers.
In an open-label study, researchers treated 32 patients suffering from episodic
migraine with 150 mg of coenzyme Q10 a day for three months. The treatment
period was preceded by a 1-month baseline phase.
CoQ10 significantly reduced the average number of days patients experienced
migraines. At baseline, the subjects suffered from an average of 7.34 days with
migraines per month. After treatment, the days with migraines fell to 2.95 days.
More than 61% of the CoQ10-treated patients had a greater than 50% reduction in
the number of days with migraine. In addition, mean migraine frequency fell
after CoQ10-treatment from 4.85 attacks at baseline to 2.81 at the end of the
study. CoQ10 did not cause any side effects.
The researchers had decided to see whether CoQ10 was effective because it is
crucial to the proper functioning of the mitochondria. Other scientists have
theorized that migraines arise due to mitochondrial dysfunction. Since coenzyme
Q10 is widely studied for the treatment of mitochondrial disorders, the
researchers thought it might be effective against migraines. Even so, because
there are few agents that prevent migraines, particularly ones without side
effects, the researchers were impressed. The lead study author emphasized that
their success with CoQ10 indicates a need for future placebo-controlled trials.
Reference:
Rozen TD, et al. Cephalalgia. 2002;22:137-141.
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