Atorvastatin with sodium valproate can reduce migraine attacks and reduce pain severity

Adding atorvastatin to treatment with sodium valproate may reduce the number of acute migraine attacks and the severity of pain in patients with migraines with aura. This is evident from study results published in the Journal of Pharmaceutical Health Care and Sciences.

Migraines are a common cause of headaches and have a significant negative impact on patients’ daily activities. Treatment options, however, are limited to relieving headaches or reducing the frequency and severity of seizures. Because statins can improve vasomotor and vascular function, the study’s researchers hypothesized that this treatment could prevent migraine headaches.

The aim of the current study was to investigate the potential benefit of adding atorvastatin to sodium valproate in the prevention of migraine attacks in patients with migraines with aura.

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In the prospective, randomized, triple-blind, placebo-controlled study, atorvastatin was compared with placebo to prevent migraine attacks after correction with vitamin D supplementation in patients with vitamin D3 deficiency.

The study included 68 patients with migraines with aura who randomly received 20 mg atorvastatin with 500 mg sodium valproate (mean age 37.2 years; 66.6% women) or placebo with sodium valproate (mean age 36.4 years; 67.7% women ) received. Given once a day for 2 months. The study researchers rated the frequency and severity of migraine attacks before and after treatment.

During the 8 weeks of treatment, the mean value of pain severity on the visual analog scale was 5.87 in the placebo group and 3.27 in the intervention group (P = 0.0001). Treatment with atorvastatin also reduced the frequency of migraine attacks compared to placebo (P = 0.0001). The mean scores for migraine attacks in the atorvastatin group were 1.61 compared to 3.61 in the placebo group.

There were no differences between the groups with regard to possible side effects. The most common side effects were gastrointestinal symptoms, joint or skeletal pain, myalgia, and rash or itching.

Patient satisfaction with their medication was significantly higher in the participants in the atorvastatin group than in the participants in the placebo group (90.9% versus 51.6%), and the difference between the groups remained significant after controlling for various confounding factors (odds ratio 9.83; P =) .001).

The study had several limitations, including the lack of therapeutic monitoring of serum valproic acid levels, the small number of patients, and the limited number of side effects.

“Adding atorvastatin to migraines with an aura prevention regimen can help reduce the number of acute attacks and the severity of pain without causing significant side effects, and result in better patient satisfaction,” the study’s researchers concluded.

reference

Ganji R., Majdinasab N., Hesam S., Rostami N., Sayyah M., Sahebnasagh A. Does atorvastatin have a potentiating effect with sodium valproate in the prevention of migraines with auric attacks? A triple blind controlled clinical trial. J Pharm Health Care Sci. 20211; 7 (1): 12. doi: 10.1186 / s40780-021-00198-8