Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation to treat migraine
ANother interesting study from this years 50th American Headache Society Meeting.
Dr Richard Lipton presented data on the use of a magnetic stimulator to try and abort a migraine attack. The patients studied all had migraine with aura. About 100 were to try active stimulation. The other 100 used the device, but unknown to them it had been inactivated. This was an excellent randomised, blinded study - a good method.
The results of this study are notable - first the device carries virtually no detectable side effect. Second, 39% of those with active stimulation were pain free after 2 hours, compared to 22% in the “sham” stimulation group. The absolute difference was therefore 17%, which can be translated into the following statement
..for every 7 people who use a transcranial magnetic stimulator to treat a migraine attack, 1 person will pain free at 2 hours..
These results are not nearly as good as standard anti-migraine drugs, such as aspirin, anti-emetics, triptans or today’s latest addition telcagepant. However, this is a painless, almost foolproof without the concerns associated with drug treatment. It deserves further attention, especially in an increasingly medicine-averse world.