NIH Awards Wake Forest University School of Medicine $3.2 Million to Study Non-Opioid Migraine Treatments

Newswise — WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – July 31, 2024 – Researchers at Wake Forest University School of Medicine have received a five-year, $3.2 million grant from the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to study the effectiveness of non-pharmacological treatments for migraine.

“More than 45 million Americans have migraine, which can be severely debilitating,” said Rebecca Erwin Wells, M.D., M.P.H., professor of neurology at Wake Forest University School of Medicine and a neurologist at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist. “There’s an urgent need to find effective and safe non-opioid treatments.”

According to Wells, who is also director of Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist’s Comprehensive Headache Program, nearly half of those people with migraine require bedrest for relief, part of why migraine is the world’s second leading cause of disability.

Despite recommendations against opioid use due to risks of medication overuse and addiction, a third of Americans with migraine turn to opioids for acute relief. Wells’ research is investigating non-opioid, non-pharmacological migraine treatments. 

With the support of the grant, the research team, led by Wells, will evaluate two non-drug, virtual treatment options in a randomized clinical trial. Both interventions involve eight weekly virtual sessions along with an online platform with additional content and learning. The study does not require any in-person visits by participants, so anyone in the United States may participate. Participants can keep taking all their current medications while in the study. 

The virtual delivery format is designed to increase access and availability to diverse populations. Participants will keep an online daily log and complete several online surveys throughout the study, which is titled Be WELL With Migraine. 

Wells said both treatment options are designed to improve the lives of patients with migraine. 

“Our goal is to identify migraine therapies that target disability and long-term efficacy and safety,” Wells said.

The research team is currently enrolling people with migraine into the clinical trial. Those who would like to learn how to live well with migraine and want more information may go to: https://redcap.link/BEWELL.