Key clinical point: Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), used with standard prophylactic pharmacotherapy, significantly reduced migraine headache days (MHD) and migraine attacks in patients with chronic migraine (CM).
Major findings: The score relating to headache impact was significantly lower in the EPA vs placebo group at weeks 4 ( P = .017) and 8 ( P = .042). At 8 weeks, EPA treatment led to a greater reduction in mean MHD (−9.76 vs −4.60; P < .001) and mean number of attacks per month (3 vs 4; P = .012) than placebo. In the EPA group, only three patients experienced nausea and gastrointestinal upset.
Study details: This randomized controlled trial included 60 adult patients with CM who received 1000 mg EPA or placebo twice daily for 8 weeks and continued their first-line preventive pharmacotherapy throughout the trial.
Disclosure: The study was supported by the research committee of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Iran. The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
Source: Mohammadnezhad G , Assarzadegan F, Koosha M, Esmaily H. Eicosapentaenoic acid versus placebo as adjunctive therapy in chronic migraine: A randomized controlled trial. Headache. 2024 (Sept 2). doi: 10.1111/head.14808 Source