Efficacy of the herbal medicine Chotosan following treatment with Western medications for migraine accompanied by tension-type headache

Abstract

Background Chotosan is herbal medicine that is effective for tension-type headache (TTH). This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of Chotosan following treatment with Western medications for migraine accompanied by TTH. Methods This was a single-center, single-arm, and retrospective observational study. Chotosan was prescribed in the following situations: responded to Western medications but effects weakened; could not continue taking Western medications due to side effects; responded to Western medications but still had frequent headaches; and refused to take antidepressants. The primary endpoint was to determine whether monthly headache days (MHDs) were decreased 1 month after starting Chotosan treatment. The efficacy of Chotosan was defined as meeting two criteria: MHDs decreased by 33% or more, and the patient was willing to take and actually continued taking the medication. The efficacy rate of Chotosan, changes in monthly migraine days, changes in monthly triptan and nontriptan tablet usage, and incidence of side effects were also evaluated. Results Of 1,030 migraine patients, 51 patients were included in the analysis. Chotosan significantly reduced MHDs from a median of 19.0 [14.8–25.8] days to 14.0 [7.8–23.8] days, with an efficacy rate of 52.9%. Median monthly migraine days also decreased significantly from 3.0 [0.0–6.0] days to 1.0 [0.0–3.8] days. The median amounts of triptan and non-triptan tables decreased significantly from 6.0 [2.0–9.8] tablets to 4.0 [1.0–7.0] tablets, and median 10.0 [0.8–17.3] tablets to 5.0 [0.8–18.5] tablets, respectively. The incidence of side effects was 3.9%. Conclusion For patients with migraine accompanied by TTH who have not responded adequately to Western medications, Chotosan is a treatment option worth considering.

Affiliated Institutions

• National Hospital Organization JP
• Nagoya Medical Center JP
• Nagoya University JP

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