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06.05.2024

Migraine attack? PEA is an alternative to ibuprofen

If you regularly suffer from migraines, but would prefer to use as little regular painkillers as possible such as ibuprofen or paracetamol, then you may benefit from PEA supplements. According to a sponsored Australian study, PEA can partially replace regular painkillers for migraines.

Study
In 2024, researchers from the Australian RDC Clinical published a trial in Pharmaceuticals, in which approximately seventy adult test subjects participated. The test subjects regularly suffered from migraines.

The researchers gave half of the test subjects placebo capsules. The other half received capsules with PEA. Each capsule contained 300 milligrams of PEA. The manufacturer of the PEA used paid for the research.

At the first signs of a migraine, the subjects had to take 600 milligrams of PEA - or 2 placebo capsules. If the headache had not gone away after 2 hours, the subjects had to take a second dose. If the attack was not over after another 2 hours - so after 4 hours - the test subjects took their regular pain medication.

After 4 months, the researchers took stock.

Results
The researchers counted approximately the same number of migraines in the placebo group and the PEA group. In the PEA group they resolved significantly more often within 2 hours than in the placebo group.

If the migraine was still present after 4 hours, the subjects used regular painkillers [Medication]. The figure above shows that this was needed significantly less often in the PEA group.

In the PEA group, almost all migraines were over after 8 hours. This was to a lesser extent the case in the placebo group. [Figure]

Mechanism
"PEA is an endocannabinoid-like bioactive signalling lipid that is part of the N-acylethanolamine (NAE) family", write the researchers. "It is a highly lipophilic compound that is synthesised in the lipid bilayer and found in multiple tissues within the body, including the brain."

"[PEA] has been shown to be able to act as an anti-inflammatory and analgesic and displays immunomodulatory and neuroprotective effects. Its broad-spectrum analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects are due to its interaction and binding with peroxisome proliferatoractivated receptor alpha (PPAR-alpha) and transient receptor vanilloid type 1 (TRPV1), as well as inhibiting mast cell activation resulting in the suppression of inflammation."

Conclusion
"Overall, this study supports supplementation with Levagen+ [read: PEA - ed.] being an alternative therapy for migraine pain", the researchers conclude.

"PEA was found to be safe and tolerable amongst participants and in future, could be used more frequently as both a prophylactic and treatment for pain associated with migraines."

Source:
Nutrients. 2023 Oct 20;15(20):4453.

More:
PEA against chronic pain | Metastudy 28.09.2023
Palmitoylethanolamide, a natural painkiller with no side effects 03.11.2016

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