Treatment Optimization with Add-On Kampo Therapy in Highly Refractory Migraine Patients with Inadequate Response or Re-Worsening During CGRP Monoclonal Antibody Therapy: A Real-World Treatment Episode Analysis.

This study looked at patients with migraines who didn't get enough relief from CGRP monoclonal antibody (CGRP-mAb) treatments. Researchers wanted to see if adding Kampo therapy could help. They included 39 patients who received Kampo therapy while on CGRP-mAb treatment. In total, they analyzed 55 treatment episodes. The main goal was to see how many headache days patients had after one month of Kampo therapy. Secondary goals included measuring migraine frequency, headache-related disability, quality of life, and work productivity. A patient was considered a responder if they had at least a 30% reduction in headache days. The patients were mostly chronic migraine sufferers, with 79.5% experiencing chronic migraines and many having medication-overuse headaches. The results showed that adding Kampo therapy improved outcomes for these patients, suggesting it could be a valuable addition to their treatment plan. Clinical relevance: This research indicates that adding Kampo therapy may enhance migraine treatment effectiveness for patients struggling with inadequate responses to CGRP monoclonal antibodies.