Long-Term Effects of Intervention on Vestibular Migraine: A Preliminary Study

Vestibular migraine is a common cause of vertigo. Intervention often includes preventive and/or rescue medications. Lifestyle modifications are often used along with medications but can be used as the sole intervention. There is lack of clarity regarding the long-term benefits of these interventions.

The purpose of this study was to determine long-term effects of intervention types on dizziness in patients with vestibular migraine.

Twenty-three participants were grouped based on intervention into preventive medication plus lifestyle modifications, rescue medication plus lifestyle modifications, or lifestyle modifications only. Outcomes were determined at ~372 days post intervention by comparing pre- and post-Dizziness Handicap Inventory scores. A difference of ≥18 points was considered a change and we also evaluated change in severity scale on this measure.

Using the group mean change score, only the rescue medication plus lifestyle modification group was significantly improved at 372 days of intervention. Considering all individual participants, 30% of the participants had improvement in dizziness at this point, regardless of intervention. Fifty percent of the rescue medication plus lifestyle modification group had significant reduction in dizziness, while the preventive medication plus lifestyle modification and the lifestyle modification only groups performed similarly using this criterion. Considering change in severity category, 43% of all participants improved by at least one category. The rescue medication plus lifestyle modifications and the lifestyle modifications only groups performed similarly with 50% of their respectively groups exhibiting improvement by at least one category. Notably, there was no worsening of dizziness for any participant in the lifestyle modification only group.

Our findings suggest that improvement in dizziness is maintained at ~372days of intervention in patients with vestibular migraine. Intervention using rescue medications plus lifestyle modifications had the best outcomes, followed by lifestyle modifications only. There was no worsening in dizziness for the lifestyle modification only intervention. More work is needed to better understand intervention effects, but it is encouraging that effects are maintained at greater than one year.