FRIDAY, June 27, (News Locale) - A migraine is no ordinary headache. People afflicted with one often cannot complete any work and although drugs alleviate pain, they provide temporary relief. Two new devices may be on hand after researchers revealed success in combating migraine pain in clinical trials. 

The first study involved using a handheld magnetic device which was used to stimulate the back of the head at the begining of a migraine attack. Some 164 patients aged 16 to 68, participated in the trial. They were either treated with the transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) device or a sham device.

The transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) device delivers two magnetic pulses into the brain that are believed to interrupt the abnormal electrical activity that occurs in the brain at the onset of a migraine.  In this study around 39 percent of patients in the TMS group reported little or no pain after two hours as compared with 22 percent in the sham device group.

The TMS device is manufactured by Neuralieve.

Lead author Dr. Stephen Silberstein, director of the Jefferson Headache Center at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia revealed the study demonstrated there were non-medical, non-drug treatments available to tackle migraine.

The second study involved 61 patients who were given occipital nerve stimulation. Among them 28 were implanted with an adjustable neurostimulator, 16 implanted with a non-adjustable neurostimulator and 17 patients received standard medication therapy without any implant.

In the first group 40 percent patients experienced a 50 percent reduction in the number of days they suffered migraine pain each month. In the second group just 6 percent reported similar results, while there was no response in the drug group.

The implants are manufactured by Medtronic.

Both studies are due to be presented at the annual meeting of the American Headache Society.

According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, "People who get migraines often describe the pain as pulsing or throbbing in one area of the head. During migraines, people are very sensitive to light and sound. They may also become nauseated and vomit."

Migraine is three times more common in women than in men. It is estimated that 20 percent of all women experience migraine at some time or the other during their life. Some people can tell when they are about to have a migraine because they see flashing lights or zigzag lines or they temporarily lose their vision. This is called an aura.

Migraine is caused by anxiety, stress or hormonal changes. "Medicines can help prevent migraine attacks or help relieve symptoms of attacks when they happen. For many people, treatments to relieve stress can also help,” NINDS revealed.