Israeli scientists have invented a patch for migraines
At the same time inherent to the drugs negative side effects of the patch do not exist. Description of clinical trials the device was developed by neuroscientists from the medical center Rambam (Haifa, Israel), published in the journal Neurology.
The development is a small flat wireless device, attached to the skin of the shoulder. The electrodes can irritate the nerve endings in the skin and thereby activate in the brain the internal mechanism of the regulation of chronic pain. In the result of pain during a migraine attack is blocked.
As explained by lead author David Jarnicki (David Yarnitsky), the intensity of the electrical impulses of the patch can be controlled using a special app for smartphone. This has four modes of intensity. Electrical stimulation of the skin, on the one hand, should not hurt the hand, and on the other hand should be sufficient to reduce pain in the head or to remove the attack altogether.
Jarnicki and his colleagues have tested their invention on 71 patients with migraine. All participants experienced a monthly basis of two to eight migraines per month and took no medication from the disease at least for two months before the start of the study. Participants attached the patch to the shoulder immediately after felt a fit coming on. The patch had to stay on the skin for 20 minutes, and after his check out to the participants two hours was not allowed to take any medication. The device was programmed so that randomly emitted or “placebo”effects that mimic real, or did conduct electrical stimulation of the skin in one of four modes.
During testing, the patch has been applied in nearly 300 migraine attacks. As a result, 64% of the participants two hours after using the patch for the three most intense modes of stimulation pain decreased by half. For comparison, the placebo stimulation, the same effect was observed in only 26% of participants. Moreover, 30% of those who received the strongest stimulation, did not feel pain at all (with placebo-stimulation, there were only 6%).
As noted Jarnicki for its effectiveness the patch is not inferior to modern tryptanol drugs for migraines, but it completely lacks the side effects of medications. He expects soon to start another clinical trial of its development, which will involve 200 patients, and hopes that in 2018, the device will be approved by the safety Administration food and drug USA and will be released to the American market.
Previously, researchers from Cincinnati Children’s hospital offered to treat migraine vitamins.