Medicines to
prevent or treat migraines in adults are not effective in stopping the headaches
in children, according to two studies that suggest doctors may want to
re-evaluate the use of the drugs in pediatric patients.
Two new broad
reviews of pediatric migraine research point to a troubling conclusion: There is
no clear evidence that drugs currently used to treat and prevent headaches among
adults do anything much to help similarly afflicted children (adult efficacy
rate is about 35%).
The
finding stems from a pediatric migraine-treatment investigation conducted by the
U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and a pediatric migraine-prevention
study out of the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee. The results of both
analyses are published online Jan. 28 in JAMA Pediatrics.
In the first
study from the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee, the researchers
analyzed 21 trials of migraine medicines that included children and adolescents.
Of those, 13 included a group that received a placebo rather than study drug.
They found
that Topamax and trazodone reduced episodic
migraines less than one headache a month when compared to placebo, while
clonidine, for high blood pressure; flunarizine, a calcium channel blocker;
pizotifen, a migraine drug; propranolol, for high blood pressure; and valproate,
an anticonvulsant, were no more effective than placebo.
These were
not new trials; rather the studies used existing data from drug trials,
including those conducted by the maker of Topamax and other drugs.
The report showed that the trials had revealed there was "limited
evidence" to support use of Topamax in children's migraines and it fared no
better than a placebo. The shame is that this has been known and available to
doctors for many years and yet Topamax has continued to be prescribed by doctors
for young people - and done so in spite of warnings and known adverse side effects published by the FDA.
Also
disturbing is that "these medicines are kind of nasty," said Jeffrey Jackson, a
study author and professor of medicine at the Medical College of Wisconsin.
"Some cause dry mouth, or fatigue, or problems with concentrating. They're not
really medicines you would want your vibrant teen to be on if they're not
working." Read more
about Topamax for migraines.
"There's
not a single FDA-approved medicine specifically for the prevention of headaches
in children or teens," said Dr. Jennifer Bickel, a neurologist and
board-certified headache specialist with Children's Mercy Hospitals and Clinics
in Kansas City, Mo.
"What
has proven to as effective for children and teens as it has been for adults is
the natural migraine prevention formula, Tuliv
Migraine Defense," adds Lyle Henry, Tuliv MD Research Director. "We
have many cases where children who were no longer able to attend school due to
the severity of their migraine condition have been able to
return to school and participate fully, including extracurricular
activities, after being on Tuliv Migraine Defense."
Tuliv Migraine Defense is the leading
non-prescription treatment for the prevention of migraines. To learn more about
migraine prevention with Tuliv Migraine Defense, see Tuliv.com
Contact Tuliv if you have
questions or would like to visit more about children with migraines.
Please email us
at Questions@Tuliv.net or call 1-866-367-5953.
