Cabergoline as a Preventive Treatment for Chronic Migraine
Status:
Recruiting
Trial end date:
2025-05-01
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
Headache disorders constitute a major global disease burden, and migraine - with a one-year
prevalence of 15 % - is the sixth most disabling condition. Though a common disease, the
pathogenesis is still unclear. Thus, the treatments have different mechanisms of action and
preventive treatments are only effective in approximately 50% of chronic migraine patients.
Recent evidence from mice models and a study of prolactine-associated headaches have
indicated that dopamine agonists such as cabergoline might be used as a treatment of
migraine.
The aim of this study is to test the hypothesis that the dopamine agonist cabergoline can be
used as a treatment of chronic migraine. A randomized controlled trial of 24 patients with
chronic migraine will be conducted, comparing cabergoline to placebo as an add-on medication
to the patients' migraine treatment over a 12 weeks period. The primary outcome is change in
migraine frequency, but also headache-related hospital contacts, and quality of life as well
as prolactin levels and biomarkers of the pituitary-gonadal-axis. The results of the study
will help understand the pathogenesis of migraine and might also introduce a more effective
and affordable preventive migraine treatment.