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Will new Migraine Med fight Obesity and Diabetes?

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The high expectations for CGRP-blocking migraine medications could turn into a craze before they even get to the market.  New research has raised the hope that this type of medication could fight obesity and diabetes, and help the patient to live longer in general.

New Migraine meds and obesity

Before you start looking to these new meds as the fountain of youth, there are a few things you should know about the study, published this May in the journal Cell.

First, this is a very early study, using mice, not humans.  And it all revolves around TRPV1 pain receptors.

When these pain receptors were destroyed, the mice actually did better as they aged.  In fact, they lived 14% longer than the other mice.  More insulin became available, and blood glucose lowered.

What would that mean for a human being?  Less chance of obesity of type 2 diabetes, because your body would easily be able to get rid of sugar.

What does this have to do with the new series of migraine drugs that researchers are working on?  Well, the calcitonin gene-related peptide neurotransmitter – CGRP – is blocked using the new medications.  CGRP is triggered by the TRPV1 pain receptor.  Meaning that the blocking of CGRP may be the real key.

Interestingly, this particular pain receptor is sometimes called the “capsaicin receptor”, because it’s activated by capsaicin, the active ingredient in hot peppers.  When the receptors are activated enough by capsaicin, they can stop working – and so pain messages are interrupted in the body.

Capsaicin has been a common treatment for headache and migraine in the past.  Could it be that they work the same way – by blocking CGRP in the body?  If so, we may have more evidence than ever that these medications will work.

Expect to hear more and more about these meds as they get closer to market.  The promotion machine will go into full gear.  But remember, they are unlikely to work for everyone.  Our hope is that they will help a few people that haven’t been able to find help so far, or those who have found help but are dealing with side effects.  And maybe instead of weight gain (a common side effect in many migraine medications) they can enjoy some weight loss.

Meanwhile – pass the peppers.

For more:

Capsaicin – A Little Cayenne with your Migraine?

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You might have heard of capsaicin – the "active" ingredient in hot peppers – as a pain causer but also a pain reliever.  How can that be?  And, could it be useful to fight a migraine?

Capsaicin for Migraine?

Here’s the short story.  Capsaicin is a proven pain-reliever.  However, the evidence that it will specifically fight migraine is not as strong.  However, some people do feel it helps them, and it is a natural option that you might want to try.

Capsaicin creams are often used for arthritis and cluster headache.  As you might expect, it causes a slight burning feeling – particularly at first (with repeated use it gets better).  But then something surprising happens – it may actually relieve pain.  Why?

Capsaicin, it seems, has the ability to interrupt pain messages going to the brain.  The effect is not long term, but for many people it’s long enough.

Cluster headache patients sometimes apply this cream to the nostrils.  Arthritis patients put the cream over the area that hurts.  It can be used several times a day.

Strangely enough, taking capsaicin supplements (such as Nature’s Way CapsiCool Controlled Heat) or even putting cayenne or other peppers in your food may help fight migraine, indirectly.  Such supplements are believed to help with digestion, fight heart disease, fight bacteria, and act as an antioxidant.

You may have heard of the popular Sinus Buster products as well, which deliver the capsaicin in a nasal spray.  I’ve been a little biased against Sinus Buster, partly because more than once someone has spammed me trying to promote it.  Also, I have yet to see good evidence for their new product, Headache Buster, which adds feverfew and peppermint to the mix.  (Don’t get me wrong – feverfew is an excellent migraine preventative.  But the evidence is for specific formulations of feverfew taken as a supplement).

However, taking capsaicin in this form is an option, and it has helped some.  You could try the original Sinus Buster for migraine.

Capsaicin could be tried both as an abortive or preventative for migraine.  One short study on capsaicin in 2003 suggested that daily administration to the nostrils (the same as with cluster headache patients) did bring about an improvement in migraine symptoms.

If you’re thinking about using capsaicin, as always, talk to your doctor.  You may want to start with a mild cream (apply using gloves to avoid irritating the skin on your hands – and don’t get it in your eyes!  Ouch!) and then go to something stronger.  Intranasal civamide is another newer option you can ask your doctor about.

Some available options:

Read more about capsaicin at WebMD.

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Every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of each article, and to point you to further sources of information. However, this site is for informational purposes only and should never replace a visit to your doctor.