Help may be on the way for people who experience migraines but haven’t found any relief from pain medications. An experimental handheld device that delivers pulses of magnetic energy to the back of the head may be effective at warding off migraines in some patients, according to a new study funded by the device’s manufacturer.
The technique, known as transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), could be the first effective non-drug treatment for the excruciating headaches, as well as the first treatment with the potential to prevent migraine before the pain begins.
The study participants were instructed to give themselves two pulses to the back of the head within an hour after experiencing an aura, the visual disturbances that signal an oncoming migraine in up to 30% of patients.
The device may be a good option for people who want to avoid taking medication, or who have contraindications, side effects, or lack of response to available medications.
Neuralieve, a start-up company based in Sunnyvale, Calif., manufactured the devices used in the study. The company also funded the study, and Dr. Lipton and several of his co-authors have stock options in Neuralieve, or other financial connections to it.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not yet approved the device, but if it does earn approval, migraine patients could use it as an alternative to drugs, or in conjunction with medications.
The FDA has already approved a TMS device to treat depression. Unlike that device, which is heavy and found only in doctor’s offices, the migraine device could be used at home.
Dr. Lipton says he’s not sure how much the device would cost, but that people probably would be able to lease or rent it inexpensively, before buying, to see if it worked for them.
In the study, published in the Lancet, 82 people who suffer from migraines with aura received a TMS device, and the same number received a fake (or “sham”) version of the device, which looked—and vibrated—just like the real thing, but did not deliver the magnetic pulses.
