Can you kill Migraine Pain with Ginger instead of Triptans?
It was only last month that we talked about taking ginger to fight the pain of headache and migraine, as well as other symptoms. Actually, ginger has long been a popular treatment for nausea, which is used regularly by doctors.
But a recent study in the journal Phytotherapy Research set out to investigate ginger specifically as a migraine abortive.
In a study of 100 patients, each patient received either sumatriptan (ie Imitrex) or ginger powder. They did not know which one they were getting.
This was an abortive treatment, taken for 5 migraine attacks. So what were the results?
- After 2 hours: with either treatment, there was a significant decrease in “mean headaches severity”. Both treatments helped about the same amount.
- Patient satisfaction: About the same for either treatment.
- Side effects: Fewer in ginger, more in sumatriptan.
In the end, then, the treatments were very similar. It would be interesting to know more about individual symptoms. For example, did ginger help more with nausea? Inflammation?
But the main benefit of ginger seems to be the lack of side effects, although that doesn’t mean you can just take all the ginger you want without checking with your doctor (especially if you’re diabetic, have a heart condition, or are pregnant).
Ginger powder capsules may be worth a look (such as these standardized ginger capsules), especially for those who haven’t been helped by triptans, or those who are concerned about side effects and long term effects of triptans.
Study abstract: Comparison Between the Efficacy of Ginger and Sumatriptan in the Ablative Treatment of the Common Migraine
nzandrea
15 May 2013 @ 6:33 pm
@migraine_blog ginger instead of triptans- that would be good. Chocolate instead of triptans would be better 😉
15 May 2013 @ 7:08 pm
Has anyone tried this as an abortive? Does it work?
KimmyDarling
15 May 2013 @ 7:17 pm
@migraine_blog James, this is really interesting. How much ginger were the patients given?
15 May 2013 @ 8:37 pm
I’m going to try it, the only thing that worked for me (Cafergot) is no longer available.
Nikki_Albert
15 May 2013 @ 8:42 pm
@migraine_blog I try it for nausea and vertigo… Can’t say I have much luck with even for that. Maybe I need a boatload more of it!
Nikki_Albert
16 May 2013 @ 12:41 am
I have mentioned the use of ginger for nausea and vertigo. And that for me it only works for the mild cases. More… http://t.co/9d6HxKODnF
InfiniteKnot
16 May 2013 @ 7:55 am
@migraine_blog If only it were that easy!
16 May 2013 @ 1:40 pm
This is a problem because I don’t like ginger 🙁
17 May 2013 @ 2:06 pm
And Zeina Ahmed, the good news is that you can take supplements instead of just eating ginger! Although I admit, I did have ginger in my dinner last night (complete coincidence, naturally). 🙂
17 May 2013 @ 2:07 pm
I had a lot of comments and questions about this study, so I’ve posted a few more details about this and previous research here: http://headacheandmigrainenews.com/ginger-and-sumatriptan-more-information/
17 May 2013 @ 2:17 pm
🙂
Kp1832
19 May 2013 @ 1:14 pm
@migraine_blog I feel like take aspirin every day just to prevent and headaches from starting .?RT
21 May 2013 @ 10:38 pm
Rhiannon, I’d recommend going to a compounding pharmacy to have them make you Cafergot. They can combine the active ingredients of that medication for you.
21 February 2014 @ 9:32 pm
This is great, I will have to try it, since the only triptan that works for me, Maxalt (and it works WONDERS) is no longer covered by my insurance 🙁
21 November 2021 @ 8:23 pm
I was getting rebound headaches and read somewhere that a person suggested ginger so i tried using 1/8th teaspoon of ground ginger in water every day. It has only been 2 months but have only used imigran twice in the two months instead of maybe 25 to 30 times. It has worked for me and wished i had found it earlier.