The association between melatonin and episodic migraine: A pilot network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials to compare the prophylactic effects with exogenous melatonin supplementation and pharmacotherapy.
Study Goal
The researchers aimed to compare the efficacy of exogenous melatonin supplementation to other FDA-approved pharmacotherapies for episodic migraine prophylaxis.
Results Summary
The study found that oral melatonin 3 mg/d at bedtime was associated with the greatest improvement in migraine frequency and the second highest response rate compared to placebo, making it the most preferred intervention when considering multiple outcomes.
Population
Patients with episodic migraine (mean age = 36.0 years, mean female proportion = 78.9%).
Effective Dosage
3 mg/d (immediate-release) at bedtime.
Duration
Not specified in the abstract.
Interactions
None mentioned.
| Intervention | Direction | Endpoint | Population | Dosage | Impact | Claim # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
exogenous melatonin supplementation | neutral | episodic migraine prophylaxis | - | - | suggested to be effective | #1 |
oral melatonin 3 mg/d (immediate-release) at bedtime | decrease | migraine frequency | patients with episodic migraine | mean difference = -1.71 days, 95% confidence interval (CI): -3.27 to -0.14 days compared to placebo | associated with the greatest improvement | #2 |
oral melatonin 3 mg (immediate-release) at bedtime | increase | response rate | patients with episodic migraine | odds ratio = 4.19, 95% CI = 1.46 to 12.00 compared to placebo | second highest response rate | #3 |
oral melatonin 3 mg (immediate-release) at bedtime | neutral | improvements in migraine frequency, response rate, dropout rate, and rates of any adverse events | patients with episodic migraine | - | most preferred pharmacological intervention | #4 |
exogenous melatonin supplementation | neutral | episodic migraine prophylaxis | patients with episodic migraine | - | suggests the potential prophylactic role | #5 |
Although exogenous melatonin supplementation has been suggested to be effective for episodic migraine prophylaxis, there is no conclusive evidence comparing the efficacy of exogenous melatonin supplementation to the other FDA-approved pharmacotherapy for episodic migraine prophylaxis. The aim of the current network meta-analysis (NMA) was to compare the efficacy of exogenous melatonin supplementation in patients with episodic migraine. The randomized placebo-controlled trials or randomized controlled trials (RCTs) incorporating a placebo in the study designs were included in our analyses. All of the NMA procedures were conducted under the frequentist model. The primary outcome was changes in frequency of migraine days and response rate after migraine prophylaxis with melatonin supplementation or pharmacological interventions. We included 25 RCTs in total with 4499 patients (mean age = 36.0 years, mean female proportion = 78.9%). The NMA demonstrated that migraine prophylaxis with oral melatonin 3 mg/d (immediate-release) at bedtime was associated with the greatest improvement in migraine frequency [mean difference = -1.71 days, 95% confidence interval (CI): -3.27 to -0.14 days compared to placebo] and the second highest response rate (odds ratio = 4.19, 95% CI = 1.46 to 12.00 compared to placebo). Furthermore, oral melatonin 3 mg (immediate-release) at bedtime was the most preferred pharmacological intervention among all of the investigated interventions when improvements in migraine frequency, response rate, dropout rate, and rates of any adverse events were taken into account. This pilot NMA suggests the potential prophylactic role of exogenous melatonin supplementation in patients with episodic migraine.