Drug promises end to migraine misery

"A British doctor is leading a drugs trial that could spell the end of the misery endured by thousands of migraine sufferers. John Chambers, a consultant cardiologist at Guy's Hospital London, says that when, on a mere hunch, he tested clopidogrel, a simple clot-busting drug, on five patients plagued by migraines, it worked, in some cases, 'spectacularly well' .

Now a wider trial on 280 patients is under way with the results expected next year. If the drug proves similarly effective, it could mean an end to the throbbing head, nausea and flashing lights that characterise a typical attack.

Migraines affect at least one in 10 people in the UK and attacks can last as long as three days. Sufferers often feel drained of energy for a couple of days after an attack and, on average, experience 13 attacks a year.

Currently, migraines are treated with beta blockers, to lower blood pressure and regulate the heart, as well as anti-depressants. Other treatments include aspirin, paracetamol and stronger pain killers, such as Migraleve, which contains paracetamol, codeine phosphate and buclizine hydrochloride.

Dr Chambers's treatment is based on the hypothesis that migraines can be caused by tiny blood clots that form in the heart and travel to the brain, disrupting the blood flow and causing the t"