A medication commonly used for pain relief and depression may help alleviate migraine pain in patients who have not been helped by other treatments, a study has found.

The study of 61 patients found that almost 75 percent experienced an improvement in their migraine intensity after a three-to seven-day course of inpatient treatment with ketamine.

The drug is used to induce general anaesthesia, but also provides powerful pain control for patients with many painful conditions in lower doses than its anaesthetic use.

Also Read: If You Thought Ketamine Was Only About Rave Parties, Think Again

An estimated 12 percent of the US population suffers from migraines — recurring attacks of throbbing or pulsing moderate to severe pain.

A subset of these patients, along with those who suffer from other types of headaches, do not respond to treatment.

During a migraine, people are often very sensitive to light, sound and may become nauseated or vomit. Migraines are three times more common in women than in men.

The researchers reviewed data for patients who received ketamine infusions for intractable migraine headaches — migraines that have failed all other therapies.

On a scale of 0-10, the average migraine headache pain rating at admission was 7.5, compared with 3.4 on discharge.

The average length of infusion was 5.1 days, and the day of lowest pain ratings was day 4. Adverse effects were generally mild, researchers said.

Also Read: Migraine Is Not Just a Bad Headache, Not Even Close!

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