Medium-dose riboflavin as a prophylactic agent in children with migraine: A preliminary placebo-controlled, randomised, double-blind, cross-over trial
- 26 March 2010
- journal article
- research article
- Published by SAGE Publications in Cephalalgia
- Vol. 30 (12), 1426-1434
- https://doi.org/10.1177/0333102410365106
Abstract
Background: Riboflavin seems to have a promising effect on migraine in adults. The present study examines whether riboflavin has a prophylactic effect on migraine in children. Objective: To investigate whether riboflavin in a dosage of 50 mg/day has a prophylactic effect on migraine attacks in young children. Subjects and methods: This randomised, placebo-controlled, double-blind, cross-over trial included 42 children (aged 6–13 years) with migraine of whom 14 children were also suffering from tension-type headache. Following a 4-week baseline period, all children received placebo for 16 weeks then riboflavin for 16 weeks (or vice versa) with a washout period of 4 weeks in between. The primary outcome measure was reduction in mean frequency of migraine attacks and tension-type headache in the last 4 weeks at the end of the riboflavin and placebo phase, compared with the preceding baseline or wash-out period. Secondary outcome measures were mean severity and mean duration of migraine and tension-type headaches in the last 4 weeks at the end of the riboflavin and placebo phase, compared with the preceding baseline or wash-out period. Results: No significant difference in the reduction of mean frequency of migraine attacks in the last month of treatment was found between placebo and riboflavin ( P = 0.44). However, a significant difference in reduction of mean frequency of headaches with a tension-type phenotype was found in favour of the riboflavin treatment ( P = 0.04). Conclusions: In this group of children with migraine, there is no evidence that 50 mg riboflavin has a prophylactic effect on migraine attacks. We found some evidence that 50 mg riboflavin may have a prophylactic effect on interval headaches that may correspond to mild migraine attacks or tension-type headache attacks in children with migraine.Keywords
This publication has 22 references indexed in Scilit:
- Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study to Evaluate the Efficacy and Safety of Topiramate for Migraine Prevention in Pediatric Subjects 12 to 17 Years of AgePEDIATRICS, 2009
- Prophylactic Treatment of Migraine in Children. Part 2. A Systematic Review of Pharmacological Trials∗Cephalalgia, 2006
- Prophylactic Treatment of Migraine in Children. Part 1. A Systematic Review of non-Pharmacological Trials∗Cephalalgia, 2006
- Symptomatic Treatment of Migraine in Children: A Systematic Review of Medication TrialsPEDIATRICS, 2005
- Practice Parameter: Pharmacological treatment of migraine headache in children and adolescents [RETIRED]Neurology, 2004
- Effect of high-dose vitamins, coenzyme Q and high-fat diet in paediatric patients with mitochondrial diseasesJournal of Inherited Metabolic Disease, 2004
- High-Dose Riboflavin as a Prophylactic Treatment of Migraine: Results of an Open Pilot StudyCephalalgia, 1994
- 31 P‐Magnetic resonance spectroscopy in migraine without auraNeurology, 1994
- Abnormal brain and muscle energy metabolism shown by 31 P magnetic resonance spectroscopy in patients affected by migraine with auraNeurology, 1992
- Preliminary observations on brain energy metabolism in migraine studied by in vivo phosphorus 31 NMR spectroscopyNeurology, 1989