Coenzyme Q10
There are several recent studies that showed encouraging results with coenzyme Q10 in preventing the migraine attacks.
- Thirty-two migraine patients (26 women, six men) were given coenzyme Q10 (150 mg a day) in an open-label study. Coenzyme Q10 reduced migraine frequency by 55% at the end of three months.
- Forty-two migraine patients were given either coenzyme Q10 (three doses of 100 mg a day) or placebo. This study showed that coenzyme Q10 was superior to placebo treatment in reducing the attack frequency, the number of headache days, and the number of days with nausea.
- Among 1,550 pediatric and adolescent migraine suffers, about one-third was found to have coenzyme Q10 deficiency. The researchers treated those with low coenzyme Q10 with one to three mg/kg per day of coenzyme Q10 in a liquid gel capsule, resulting in significant reduction in headache frequency and disability.
Butterbur
This herb is known to have anti-inflammatory and antispasmodic effects on blood vessels. Recent clinical studies showed encouraging results in the prevention of migraine headache:
- Thirty-three migraine patients took 25 mg butterbur twice daily and 27 patients took placebo treatment. Butterbur treatment reduced the number of migraine attacks from 3.4 before treatment to 1.8 after three months of treatment, as compared to placebo group (2.9 before and 2.8 after).
- In a study conducted in 108 youngsters, they were given 50 to 10 mg of butterbur root extract over four months. A reduction of the attack frequency was reported in 63% of migraine patients.
- The effect of butterbur and music therapy was conducted in 39 school children with migraine. This study showed that both music and butterbur led to the reduction of headache frequency.
In the next part, I will look at two more supplements and give my closing thoughts.