The information that clinicians provide to patients about a medication prescribed for their migraines can influence the magnitude of pain relief induced by the treatment, reports a study published online today in Science Translational Medicine. The findings suggest that patients who receive positive messages about the potential efficacy of their treatment may have better treatment outcomes than patients who receive negative messages.
The study involved 66 patients with recurring migraine attacks, which are characterized by symptoms such as debilitating headaches, nausea, sensitivity to light and even experiencing aura. Some research has linked the condition to ion channel defects in brain cells that cause certain neurons to become overactive.
Patients first recorded their baseline pain intensity on a scale from zero (no pain) to ten (maximal pain) for an untreated migraine attack. Then each study participant received a series of six envelopes containing treatment for six subsequent migraine attacks: two of the envelopes were labeled as “placebo”, two as “Maxalt” (the anti-migraine drug rizatriptan sold by the New Jersey-based pharmaceutical giant Merck) and two as “placebo or Maxalt.” However, for each pair of envelopes with identical labels, one envelope actually contained a placebo pill, whereas the other contained Maxalt.