Migraine medication can promote weight loss by suppressing appetite

The study shows that a frequently prescribed class of migraine medications called triptans may also be useful in helping people lose weight and treat obesity.

In studies on obese mice, a daily dose of the migraine drug caused the animals to eat less food and lose weight within a month, the report said.

"We have shown that there is real potential to repurpose these drugs, which are already known to be safe, for appetite suppression and weight loss," says study leader Chen Liu, M.D., associate professor of internal medicine and neurology and researcher at the Peter O'Donnell Jr. Brain Institute.

More than 41% of all adults in the U.S. are obese. Obesity significantly increases the risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, some cancers, and even depression, so the news of a new appetite suppressant will be welcome news to many.

Treating obesity usually focuses on improving eating habits and physical activity - but migraine medication offers a scientific alternative.

Serotonin, a chemical messenger present throughout the brain and body, plays a key role in appetite. However, there are 15 different types of serotonin receptors, and so researchers tried to understand the role of each serotonin receptor in appetite.

This means that previous drugs targeting certain individual receptors, including phen-phen and lorcaserin (Belviq), have been withdrawn from sale due to side effects.

However, triptans that target another receptor, the serotonin 1B receptor (Htr1b), have not previously been well studied in the context of appetite and weight loss, Dr. Liu explains.

Triptans can lead to significant weight loss in less than a month

In this study, scientists tested six prescription triptans on obese mice fed a high-fat diet for seven weeks.

Mice that received two of these triptans ate about the same amount, while mice that received the other four drugs ate less. After 24 days, mice that received a daily dose of the drug frovatriptan lost an average of 3.6% of their body weight. Mice that were not given triptans gained an average of 5.1% of their body weight.

Dr. Liu and his colleagues got similar results when they implanted devices that gave animals a constant dose of frovatriptan for 24 days.

"We found that these drugs, and one in particular, can reduce body weight and improve glucose metabolism in less than a month, which is pretty impressive," Dr. Liu says.

Triptans are usually prescribed for short-term use during migraines, so patients do not notice the long-term effects on appetite and weight.

Triptans cause weight loss by acting on serotonin receptor 1B

To determine exactly how frovatriptan affects food intake and weight, the researchers constructed mice lacking Htr1b or Htr2c. In mice without Htr1b, frovatriptan no longer reduced appetite or caused weight loss, while disabling Htr2c had no effect. This confirmed that the drug acts on the serotonin 1B receptor.

"This discovery could have important implications for drug development," states Dr. Liu. "Not only have we shed light on the potential for repurposing existing tryptans, but we have also drawn attention to Htr1b as a candidate for treating obesity and regulating food intake."

The team demonstrated which neurons in the brain were most important for Htr1b's role in appetite regulation, focusing on a small group of cells in the brain's hypothalamus.

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