The antiepileptic drug levetiracetam (Keppra(R)) significantly reduced the frequency and impact of headaches in patients diagnosed with transformed migraine, according to a new study presented today at the 56th annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology (AAN).
The study is one of the first to specifically evaluate a daily medication for the prevention of transformed migraine, one of the most common types of chronic daily headache and one that can have a major, negative impact on a person's ability to function and their quality of life.
"Transformed migraine is very challenging to treat, and there are currently no medications approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for prevention of these headache attacks," said lead investigator Alan M. Rapoport, M.D., founder and co-director, The New England Center for Headache, Stamford, CT, and clinical professor of neurology at Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons, New York. "Our findings suggest that levetiracetam is a promising drug for the treatment of transformed migraine," he said. Levetiracetam is currently approved by the F.D.A. for the adjunctive treatment of partial-onset seizures in adults.
The study showed that three months of treatment with levetiracetam significantly improved various headache measures compared to baseline. It reduced: