Omega 3 in childhood migraines: A double blind randomized clinical trial

The effect of using omega-3 to prevent migraine attacks has been raised in
recent studies. The majority of these studies have been conducted in adults.
Conversely, other studies have yet to confirm the effect of omega-3. The main
purpose of this study was to assess the effects of omega-3 in the prevention of
migraine attacks in children.
Materials & Methods
In this study, children aged 5–15 years with a diagnosis of migraine were
randomly assigned to case and control groups. The case group was treated
with sodium valproate and 1 g of omega-3; the control group was treated
with sodium valproate and a placebo for 2 months. The severity of attacks
was evaluated before and after the treatment using PedMIDAS and parental
satisfaction (CGI) using a 7-point Likert scale.
Results
In this study, 12 cases and 13 controls were enrolled. The average number
of headache attacks per month decreased significantly in both groups after
starting the treatment but there was no significant difference between the two
groups. The severity of attacks decreased significantly in both groups after
starting the treatment but it was not significant between them. Examination of
the CGI average showed the average was 6.08 (SD = 0.52) in the case group
and 6.07 (SD = 0.65) in the control group.
Conclusion
The present study indicated that omega-3 with a dose of 1 mg per day has no
effect in reducing the severity and frequency of migraine attacks in children.
Sodium valproate was effective in reducing the frequency and severity of
attacks.