Open label trial of coenzyme Q10 as a migraine preventive.
The objective was to assess the efficacy of coenzyme Q10 as a preventive treatment for migraine headaches. Thirty-two patients (26 women, 6 men) with a history of episodic migraine with or without aura were treated with coenzyme Q10 at a dose of 150 mg per day. Thirty-one of 32 patients completed the study; 61.3% of patients had a greater than 50% reduction in number of days with migraine headache. The average number of days with migraine during the baseline period was 7.34 and this decreased to 2.95 after 3 months of therapy, which was a statistically significant response (P < 0.0001). Mean reduction in migraine frequency after 1 month of treatment was 13.1% and this increased to 55.3% by the end of 3 months. Mean migraine attack frequency was 4.85 during the baseline period and this decreased to 2.81 attacks by the end of the study period, which was a statistically significant response (P < 0.001). There were no side-effects noted with coenzyme Q10. From this open label investigation coenzyme Q10 appears to be a good migraine preventive. Placebo-controlled trials are now necessary to determine the true efficacy of coenzyme Q10 in migraine prevention.
Rozen
T D
TD
Jefferson Headache Center/Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. RozenT@ccf.org
Oshinsky
M L
ML
Gebeline
C A
CA
Bradley
K C
KC
Young
W B
WB
Shechter
A L
AL
Silberstein
S D
SD
D000328:Adult; D003067:Coenzymes; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008499:Medical Records; D008881:Migraine Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology; D013997:Time Factors; D014451:Ubiquinone / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000627:therapeutic use*
D003067:Coenzymes; D014451:Ubiquinone; C024989:coenzyme Q10