Norwegian scientists find blood pressure drug could transform migraine treatment worldwide

Norwegian researchers have found that an already existing blood pressure drug could have a good effect on migraines, Norwegian broadcaster NRK reported Friday.

The study discovered that the medication normally used to regulate high blood pressure could "change the way migraines are treated worldwide."

"We have been waiting for this study. And now we think that this medicine will be the first choice. This is what we are starting to test preventively," Lise Rystad Oie, leader of the study, said.

The medication called candesartan was tested in the "largest and most thorough study to date," conducted from 2021 to 2024 at nine hospitals in Norway and one in Estonia, involving nearly 500 participants aged 18–64 who experienced two to eight migraine attacks per month.

The results showed that the medication can prevent attacks in people who have fewer than 15 headache days per month.

The researchers noted that candesartan’s effect is comparable to newer, more expensive migraine medications but without the strong side effects that often accompany those treatments.

They also stressed that the medication, already used to treat high blood pressure and available at low cost in Norwegian pharmacies since its patent expired, could now become an affordable migraine treatment worldwide.

"We want to get candesartan on the WHO list of essential medicines. This way, people all over the world can have access to safe and affordable treatment," Oie further added.