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Butterbur root extract and music therapy in the prevention of childhood migraine: an explorative study
Rieke Oelkers-Ax1, Anne Leins, Peter Parzer
1Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University of Heidelberg, Blumenstrasse 8, D-69115 Heidelberg, Germany. rieke_oelkers@med.uni-heidelberg.de
Background:
Migraine is very common in school-aged children, but despite a number of pharmacological and non-pharmacological options for prophylaxis, randomized controlled evidence in children is small. Evidence-based prophylactic drugs may have considerable side effects.
Objective:
This study was to assess efficacy of a butterbur root extract (Petadolex) and music therapy in primary school children with migraine.
Design:
Prospective, randomized, partly double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group trial.
Methods:
Following a 8-week baseline patients were randomized and received either butterbur root extract (n=19), music therapy (n=20) or placebo (n=19) over 12 weeks. All participants received additionally headache education ("treatment as usual") from the baseline onwards. Reduction of headache frequency after treatment (8-week post-treatment) as well as 6 months later (8-week follow-up) was the efficacy variable.
Results:
Data analysis of subjects completing the respective study phase showed that during post-treatment, only music therapy was superior to placebo (p=0.005), whereas in the follow-up period both music therapy and butterbur root extract were superior to placebo (p=0.018 and p=0.044, respectively). All groups showed a substantial reduction of attack frequency already during baseline.
Conclusion:
Butterbur root extract and music therapy might be superior to placebo and may represent promising treatment approaches in the prophylaxis of paediatric migraine.