Diabetes drug may cut migraine days in half with little weight loss: Study
Drugs in the same family as Ozempic and Wegovy are known for treating diabetes and helping with weight loss, but a small, early-stage study suggested they might also ease migraines -- even when there's no weight loss.
The benefit appears to come from lowering pressure in the brain, Dr. Simone Braca, a neurologist at the University of Naples Federico II and lead author of the study, explained to ABC News.
“This study is very interesting in that the GLP 1s are hypothesized to lower brain pressure, which can then lower your chance of getting a headache or a migraine,” Braca said.
The small, 12-week study tracked 26 adults with obesity who had chronic or frequent migraines. Published in Headache -- the official journal of the American Headache Society -- and presented at this week’s European Academy of Neurology meeting in Finland, it tested liraglutide, a type of GLP-1 drug commonly used for diabetes and weight loss.
After taking a daily 1.8 mg dose of liraglutide for three months -- the amount typically used to treat diabetes -- their average number of headache days per month dropped from 20 to about nine. Participants also reported less disability from migraines, with scores on a standard headache impact scale cut by more than half.
Although some participants lost a small amount of weight, Braca said the few lost pounds were not meaningful enough to explain the improvement in migraines.
Instead, Braca pointed to pressure from cerebrospinal fluid -- the liquid that surrounds and cushions the brain and spine. He said he believes that even slight buildups of this fluid can press on nearby veins and nerves in the brain, potentially triggering migraines.
“An increased pressure of the spinal fluid in the brain may be one of the mechanisms underlying migraine,” Braca said. “And if we target this mechanism, this preliminary evidence suggests that it may be helpful for migraine.”
Nearly half of patients reported at least a 50% reduction in headache days, according to the Headache paper. About 40% experienced mild side effects like nausea or constipation. None stopped taking the medication.
With such promising results, Braca and his research team, led by Dr. Roberto De Simone, are already planning larger trials. Future studies will measure brain pressure more directly and explore whether other GLP 1 drugs might also offer the same relief but with fewer side effects.
“There are still a substantial portion of migraine patients that face an unmet need and that live with its burden,” he said. “New drugs that could target other pathways, I think that could be reassuring to those patients and give them hope.”
The study adds to growing evidence that GLP-1 drugs may have benefits beyond diabetes and weight loss. Researchers are already studying these medications for a range of other conditions, including reducing the risk of heart disease and stroke, easing symptoms of addiction and treating Alzheimer’s disease.
Paul Hanona, M.D., is an oncologist, content creator @doctordiscover, and a member of the ABC News Medical Unit.
