Warning about New Migraine Meds and Small Vessel Disease

Researchers publishing in the journal Cephalalgia are warning about the use of CGRP related medications for patients suffering from small vessel disease (SVD).

According to the Mayo Clinic:

Small vessel disease is a condition in which the walls of the small arteries in the heart are damaged. The condition causes signs and symptoms of heart disease, such as chest pain (angina).

Small vessel disease

We’ve learned that the calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) is related to the pain process in migraine, and that suppressing the CGRP can help some people alleviate their symptoms. But as you may guess, CGRP is in your body for a reason, so this treatment must be done with care.

The concern of the researchers is this. CGRP seems to be very important to the way that the cardiovascular system regulates itself. If that “safeguard” isn’t working properly, there could be further danger of stroke and related issues.

We’ve talked about the SVD called CADASIL before, and its relationship to migraine. Although not common, it may be linked to migraine for many patients, and so further trials need to be done to see which CGRP related medications can be used safely in these patients. (SVD is also more common in women, and more common in smokers.)

To read the summary, see: The potential danger of blocking CGRP for treating migraine in CADASIL patients

For more on SVD, see What is Small Vessel Disease (SVD)? (For an interesting discussion of SVD and migraine, see the video linked at the bottom of the page).