Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2023 Dec;308(6):1749-1754.
doi: 10.1007/s00404-022-06872-y. Epub 2022 Dec 10.

Assessing the efficacy of magnesium oxide and riboflavin as preventative treatment of migraines in pregnancy

Genevieve R Mazza  1 , Claribel Solorio  2 , Alice M Stek  3 , Laura A Kalayjian  4 , Melissa L Wilson  5 , Brian J Gordon  3
Affiliations

Assessing the efficacy of magnesium oxide and riboflavin as preventative treatment of migraines in pregnancy

Genevieve R Mazza et al. Arch Gynecol Obstet. 2023 Dec.

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to assess the efficacy of magnesium oxide (MgO) alone and, secondarily, MgO plus riboflavin as preventive treatment of migraines in pregnancy. We hypothesize that MgO alone will be effective for the majority of patients and, when clinically indicated, the addition of riboflavin will result in further benefit.

Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study of pregnant patients treated for migraines between 2015 and 2020. We evaluated pre-/post-differences in the following primary outcomes: migraine frequency, severity, and duration. Secondary outcomes included associated migraine symptoms.

Results: Of 203 total patients, 117 received MgO alone and 86 received MgO plus riboflavin. There were no significant differences in baseline demographics between the two groups. There was a statistically significant decrease in migraine frequency, severity, and duration in the groups receiving MgO alone and MgO plus riboflavin (p < 0.01 for all). In total, 154 patients reported migraine-associated symptoms, of which 119 (77%) improved after treatment, 18 (12%) did not improve, and 17 (11%) patients' data were missing. The MgO plus riboflavin group had a lower gestational age at treatment initiation and was more likely to receive treatment prior to pregnancy (p < 0.01). Significant differences were observed for several baseline migraine symptoms, including photophobia, phonophobia, nausea, and vomiting, which were more common in the group receiving MgO plus riboflavin (p < 0.05 for all).

Conclusion: Migraine frequency, severity, and duration all decreased with MgO alone and MgO plus riboflavin in this pregnancy cohort. Associated symptoms also significantly decreased for both groups.

Keywords: Headaches; Magnesium oxide; Migraines; Pregnancy; Riboflavin.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Nezvalová-Henriksen K, Spigset O, Nordeng H (2009) Maternal characteristics and migraine pharmacotherapy during pregnancy: cross-sectional analysis of data from a large cohort study. Cephalalgia 29(12):1267–1276. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2982.2009.01869.x - DOI - PubMed
    1. Burch R (2019) Headache in pregnancy and the puerperium. Neurol Clin 37(1):31–51. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ncl.2018.09.004 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Contag S, Bushnell C (2010) Contemporary management of migrainous disorders in pregnancy. Curr Opin Obstet Gynecol 22(6):437–445. https://doi.org/10.1097/gco.0b013e3283404e06 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Marcus D, Scharff L, Turk D (1999) Longitudinal prospective study of headache during pregnancy and postpartum. Headache J Head Face Pain 39(9):625–632. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1526-4610.1999.3909625.x - DOI
    1. Marcus DA (2008) Managing headache during pregnancy and lactation. Expert Rev Neurother 8:385–395 - DOI - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources