Popular weight-loss drugs show promising new power against debilitating migraines

In a small study, a GLP-1 drug shrank the number of days people spent with a migraine by almost half in a given month.

Migraines are the second-leading cause of disability worldwide, the above agency states, with symptoms including severe headaches, nausea and sensitivity to light often disrupting daily activities. 

Previous studies have shown that GLP-1s can reduce pressure inside the skull, which is a possible cause of migraines, according to multiple health organizations.

Neurologist and study lead Simone Braca of the University of Naples Federico II in Italy, along with his colleagues, explored whether liraglutide, an earlier version of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs), could help migraine sufferers. 

At the start of the experiment, participants reported headaches about 20 days out of a month. After 12 weeks of liraglutide, the average number dropped to about 11 days.

"Most patients felt better within the first two weeks and reported quality of life improved significantly," said Braca in a press release for the study, which was published in the journal Headache last month.

Participants' weight stayed about the same during the trial, suggesting that the headache reductions weren't tied to weight loss.

Decotiis, who was not involved in the study, said that liraglutide is not as effective as its newer cousins for weight loss or diabetes, and is not frequently used for these purposes.

The trial didn't include a comparison group, and participants and researchers all knew that everyone received liraglutide, the researchers noted. 

Further research may include other groups, such as control groups and people without obesity, to compare the drug's effects.

"The study was very small," Decotiis confirmed to Fox News Digital.

The researchers also tested only one drug, liraglutide, "which is not used as frequently in the general population as semaglutide or tirzepatide are," Decotiis added.

Next, the team is planning a randomized, double-blind trial that will also measure pressure inside the skull. 

"We also want to determine whether other GLP-1 drugs can deliver the same relief, possibly with even fewer gastrointestinal side effects," Braca said in the same press release.