Suffering from Migraines? Your Doctor May Prescribe a GLP-1 Drug

If you've ever experienced a migraine, you know it's far more than just a bad headache. For the approximately 36 million Americans who suffer from migraines, these neurological episodes can be debilitating, disrupting daily life with intense pain and a range of accompanying symptoms.  

Medications are available to help ease migraine pain and prevent episodes, but they don’t work for everyone. Fortunately, hope is on the horizon for migraine sufferers. GLP-1 drugs, used to treat diabetes and obesity, seem to be a promising new treatment that helps target the root causes of migraine pain.  

What Is a Migraine?  

Migraine is a complex neurological condition that goes beyond simple head pain. In addition to episodes of intense headache pain, you can also experience sensitivity to light, sound, smell, or touch. Without treatment, most migraine episodes last between 4 and 72 hours; however, rare complications can extend symptoms even longer.  

If you’re getting intense headaches along with some of these other symptoms, talk to your doctor. They will use your symptoms and health history to diagnose you with migraines and/or rule out other conditions.  

Types of Migraine  

There are many types of migraines. Understanding the differences in migraines can help you recognize your own patterns.  

Migraine without Aura is the most common form, and it’s usually described as an intense headache without warning signs.  

Migraine with Aura is an intense headache that comes with an advanced warning through visual disturbances such as flashing lights, blind spots or zigzag lines. Auras can also involve sensory changes or difficulty speaking.  

Chronic Migraine is used to describe those experiencing headaches 15 or more days per month for at least three months. Chronic migraines can evolve from episodic migraines.  

Menstrual Migraine is tied to a woman's menstrual cycle, typically occurring before, during or after menstruation.  

Vestibular Migraine adds dizziness and balance problems to the intense headache. These types of migraines can lead to vertigo, which can be just as problematic as the headache.  

Retinal Migraine is a rare but serious type of migraine that causes temporary vision loss or blindness in one eye. While it usually resolves on its own, you should be evaluated by a physician.  

Who Gets Migraines and Why?  

A handful of variables influence your likelihood of developing migraines. Of course, age plays a role; most sufferers are between 20 and 50 years old. And your genetics are in the mix, as migraines tend to run in families, suggesting a hereditary component.  

However, gender is one of the most significant factors. Women are three to four times more likely than men to experience migraines, as hormones appear to play a key role. Transgender women taking hormonal therapy have migraine rates like cisgender women, further highlighting the hormonal connection.  

The Inflammation Connection  

Recent studies found a link between migraines and inflammation. Inflammation is part of your body’s defense system. It reacts to “foreign invaders” (or germs), helping protect your body from infections. It also cleans up wound-related debris, which helps your body heal after an injury. However, inflammation can also be problematic, particularly when it lacks purpose, such as fighting off a virus or infection. This is known as chronic inflammation.  

Studies have linked chronic inflammation to many conditions, including migraines. Neurogenic inflammation (inflammation that affects the peripheral nervous system, a network of nerves that runs throughout the head, neck, and body) and neuroinflammation (inflammation that affects the brain and spinal cord) are involved in migraines with and without auras and chronic migraines, according to a study published in the journal FASEB BioAdvances.  

Inflammation that affects the peripheral nervous system (a network of nerves that runs throughout the head, neck and body), also referred to as neurogenic inflammation, and inflammation that affects the brain and spinal cord, also known as neuroinflammation, are involved in migraines with and without auras and chronic migraines.  

Another inflammation-related cause is pro-inflammatory cytokines. Cytokines are small proteins that play an important role in immune responses, such as regulating inflammation and blood cell production. They help the immune system fight diseases such as cancer and ward off infections.  

However, your body can produce pro-inflammatory cytokines, which are part of the normal immune response but can exacerbate conditions and contribute to migraine development. In fact, proinflammatory cytokines are often released during the headache phase of a migraine by the major pain-signaling pathway in the brain, known as the trigeminovascular system. Pro-inflammatory cytokines can be triggered after having multiple infections or injuries, developing an autoimmune disorder, living a stressful lifestyle, being obese for years, smoking, eating a poor diet and going through treatments such as immunotherapy can trigger proinflammatory cytokines. These cytokines are a part of a normal immune response but promote inflammation and play a role in migraine development.  

Preventing and Controlling Migraines  

There are medications and lifestyle tactics that can help prevent and control migraines. Lifestyle behaviors include staying hydrated, avoiding the 5 Cs, taking aspirin, losing weight and using progressive muscle relaxation. Even newer approaches, for example, green light therapy, can help migraine sufferers.  

But these methods don’t work for everyone, particularly those struggling with high-frequency or chronic migraines. And many of these people are turning to GLP-1 drugs.    

GLP-1 Receptor Agonists  

Yes, it may sound odd to use a drug known for managing type 2 diabetes and obesity to treat migraines, but the medication may also address the inflammatory roots of migraine.  

GLP-1 receptor agonists, including liraglutide, semaglutide and dulaglutide, have so far shown remarkable potential. Results from a small pilot study with 31 adult participants showed a nearly 50% reduction in monthly migraine days. This is because they’re able to suppress the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, according to a study published in Therapeutic Advances in Endocrinology and Metabolism.  

Working with Your Doctor

Currently, GLP-1s are not approved for migraines. They also have side effects and are expensive, especially when used off-label. But the potential is there. Researchers have also found GLP-1s to help manage mental health disorders and addictions.  

You should never start taking a new drug or supplement without consulting with your doctor. If you don’t have a primary care physician, consider joining an MDVIP-affiliated practice. MDVIP-affiliated physicians like me have more time to help you in your pursuit of a healthier lifestyle.  

For instance, MDVIP-affiliated physicians have time to help you figure out and monitor your migraine triggers and help you change lifestyle behaviors that may be linked to migraines. They also provide the MDVIP Wellness Exam, which includes screeners for inflammation.  

Find a physician near you and begin your partnership in health.»