Fresh hope for migraine sufferers
There's fresh hope for millions of migraine sufferers with world-first research at Griffith University delivering dramatic results.
The trial of the vitamin-based remedy is entering its final stage, and scientists believe it could soon lead to a new treatment.
It's the ticking time bomb that 10 per cent of Australians live with every day.
Every few weeks Ms Ladley suffered debilitating migraines that would last for days.
"You'd go blind, get a headache, you'd vomit and you'd just have to wait for the whole thing to pass.
"You don't feel confident getting a job, you knew at any minute you might get a migraine you can't precisely tell when they were going to happen," she said.
Until she took part in a world-first trial at Griffith University
"It took about 3 weeks and I thought 'this is working, this is bizarre'," she said.
The answer could be as simple as vitamins.
"It's just a Vitamin B6, B12 and folate supplement. yep," Dr Bridget Maher from Genomics Research Centre at Griffith University said.
A blood test can identify a genetic variant in about 20 per cent of migraine sufferers - this inhibits an enzyme, responsible for blood flow around the brain.
The vitamin treatment helps reverse that process. Research participants report a 50 per cent reduction in severe symptoms.
"It's nice when we find something that does have a simple, I guess a simple solution like this," Dr Maher said.
Researchers are now looking for hundreds more participants for a nationwide trial. If this phase goes as well as the others - a new migraine treatment could be available in a couple of years.
"We're looking for female participants between the ages of 18 and 65 who experience migraine with aura," Dr Maher said.
"I feel good, I'm very happy to think I don't have to be at the mercy of these things - you've got some control over your life."
For more information call the Genomics Research Centre at Griffith University on (07) 5552 9201.
