Taking the medication ubrogepant at the first signs of a migraine attack can prevent debilitating headaches before they start and help people go about their daily lives with little or no symptoms, finds a new U.S. study published in the journal Neurology.
The study included 518 participants who experienced two to eight migraine attacks per month. All the participants experienced signs that a migraine was about to happen, such as sensitivity to light and sound, fatigue, neck pain or stiffness or dizziness. Participants were divided into two groups and asked to treat two migraine attacks during a two-month period.
The first group received a placebo at the first sign of pre-headache symptoms of migraine, and then ubrogepant before the second migraine event. The second group received ubrogepant before the first event and the placebo before the second migraine event.
About 24 hours after taking the pill, 65 per cent of those who took ubrogepant reported that they had little to no limitations on their activity, compared with 48 per cent of those who took a placebo. Those who took ubrogepant were 73 per cent more likely to report that they had no disability and were able to function normally within a couple of hours post medication compared with those who took the placebo.
"Based on our findings, treatment with ubrogepant may allow people with migraine who experience early warning signs before a migraine occurs to quickly treat migraine attacks in their earliest stages and go about their daily lives with little discomfort and disruption," said the study.