IV aspirin treatment for migraines in the pipeline
Researchers in Britain recently published an article in the journal Neurology about the use of IV aspirin for chronic migraines.
They did a five-year study on 168 patients with severe, frequent migraines.
The patients were given IV aspirin for 15 days a month for three months. Over the ensuing five years, 25 percent of the patients experienced a dramatic improvement in headache severity and frequency, and 40 percent had a moderate improvement.
Two patients dropped out of the study. One had “needle phobia,” while the other had worsening of her asthma from the aspirin.
The researchers speculated that the aspirin helped reset the pain receptors for headache to a less fragile state.
Currently, the therapy is not available in the U.S., but researchers are moving to make application to the FDA for approval of its use.