Gum gel may help fight migraine

Rubbing anti-inflammatory gel on to your gums could prove to be an effective new treatment for migraine, which affects one in eight Britons.

The gel, which is based on a drug already used to treat painful joints and back pain, is being prescribed to patients in two clinical trials to analyse its benefits for preventing and treating migraines.

Previous research has suggested it may be effective at preventing migraines when used once a day for three months. It is thought the gel interferes with pain signals as they travel along a key nerve, which has branches that run through the gums.

Though it's not understood exactly how migraines are triggered, it is thought to be associated with changes in blood flow — due to narrowing of the blood vessels.

Once this has occurred, it is believed the trigeminal nerve, the major sensory nerve in the head and face, transmits migraine pain signals. Scientists think that interfering with the signal transmission could block the sensations of pain.

In the trials, doctors are using a gel based on ketoprofen, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID).

The drug blocks the production of prostaglandins — compounds that are involved in producing inflammation and pain. In the migraine trials, a swab loaded with the gel is pressed on to the patient's gum and held in place above two back molars for two minutes.

Researchers are studying its effectiveness in preventing and treating migraine attacks.

In the prevention trial, the gel will be given once a day to 100 people with a history of four or more migraines a month. They will be asked to record how often they have an attack and how much medication they use. In the treatment trial, patients will rub on the gel when an attack begins and can repeat the treatment 20 minutes later.

"The research is interesting," says Dr Andrew Dowson, head of headache services at Kings College Hospital, London. "NSAIDs are excellent anti-inflammatories and painkillers. This is a novel delivery method that avoids taking tablets.