Anyone tried Candesartan for migraine?

[silkbook]

My GP has just proscribed this to see if it helps me. I'm a bit concerned as I've tried beta blockers before and they didn't help and I felt sluggish on them. GP says the candesartan is an excellent medication with a host of benefits for long term health i.e. neuro protective, heart protective, stress reducing as well as reducing migraine. I don't have high blood pressure but I have about 15 migraines a month.

Anyone tried these? How did you find them?

Edit: Candesartan is mainly used to lower blood pressure.

Well I take candesartan for high blood pressure and have been a migraine sufferer for a very long time.. Now that you brought this up i realised I haven't had one whilst on the medication.... Been about a year on the meds..

@Shesellsseashellsnotinmystreet Well that sounds positive! I wonder have you had to change your diet when taking the tablets i.e. avoid certain fruits or veg due to potassium content?

Nothing was mentioned so I haven't!

That's good to know, I saw it mentioned online but other sources say unless you have certain kidney issues you don't need to avoid potassium rich foods.

I'm also on candesartan (for cardiomyopathy) and not been told to avoid any foods, but do have annual check of kidney function. Didn't realise it helped migraines, but just realised I used to suffer from visual aura migraines and now can't remember the last time I had one....

I've taken pretty much every medication available for migraine prevention and candesartan was one of the more effective ones and had no side effects unlike most other ones...beta blockers didn't help me at all.

I was prescribed it and took it for three months. It was meant as a ‘reset’ treatment. I was having at least weekly migraines with significant postdrome. It worked well for the time I was on it but didn’t work as the intended ‘reset’. Your GP might have a longer term plan for you. I didn’t have any BP issues when I went on it.

I’m currently on Topiramate, have been since October, and apart from an aura when I missed a dose, I haven’t had a migraine since.

This so useful for me to read as I’m currently trying pizotifen and candesartan is next on the list. I was worried it might make my blood pressure too low and you have to have a blood test for kidney function first so seemed a bit faffy. But sounds like people have had positive effects reading this

It was one of five preventives I tried for migraine and it didn’t work. Have you asked for a referral to a neurologist. If not, get that ball rolling. The wait times are horrendous, over two years in some areas.

I'm currently taking it for chronic daily migraine, I was stuck in a loop of migraine every day to the point of actual collapse and shut down.
I've been slowly increasing the dose but I jumped too quickly from 8-14mg as my migraines started coming through so currently feeling off with low BP symptoms.

My neurologist said I'd be on it for at least 10 months which included getting up to full dose and then stabilising.

@Bananararity I was on Topiramate in the past after seeing a neurologist but developed Todd's Syndrome on it and had to stop, I never even got to a proper preventative dose. I'm glad it is working well for you, hopefully I'll get a decent result from the Candesartan.

@fashionqueen0123 I tried pizotifen in the past and it was amazing for migraine prevention but I developed hypersomnia on it so I can't use it again unfortunately.

@Roadtripitis I was under a neuro in the past and I still have a neuro nurse appointment so I could request to see the consultant again through them I think. I've tried a lot of things in the past that never worked so hopefully there are better options now.

I have suffered from migraines since childhood, they have affected my life enormously, so when my GP suggested Candesartan I was more than willing to try it. Unfortunately, I felt really unwell within a couple of days, I had hyper-insomnia, nausea, a horrible, constant headache, needing to go to the loo all through the night and Tinnitus. My GP said to stop taking it immediately. Unfortunately, even though I stopped taking it quite quickly, I still suffer from Tinninus, which is a disturbing and stressful condition as I can no longer enjoy peace and quiet.

That’s a shame. I find the first few days I felt SO tired but then I get used to it. I went to a higher dose but the weight gain was awful. So I came off it. Now got a low dose and felt tired today but hoping the weight issue will be better and tiredness will go away again . If not then candesartan is next…

Did anything work in the end?

GP says the candesartan is an excellent medication with a host of benefits for long term health i.e. neuro protective, heart protective, stress reducing as well as reducing migraine

Interesting to know, I'm on it for high blood pressure for which it seems to have worked well.

I'm now on my fourth of the new migraine specific drugs. They are amazing but most stop working for me after a few months

That’s frustrating.

@Orangesandlemons77 Yeah I was reading up on it earlier and some people consider it a new possible longevity drug in that it can preserve telomere length, help prevent glycation, boost collagen and elastin and stop it becoming crosslinked and stiff as we age, this is also why its good for the heart. It can help prevent metabolic syndrome, improve blood lipids, brain inflammation, help prevent dementia, possibly certain cancers! Obviously I am not sure how this works in practice on the dose I will be on but it is interesting.

Are these very new drugs? What are the names?

Blimey! Maybe I need to try it 🤣

It is used to treat high blood pressure. I didn't think it was licensed in UK for migraine treatment. It isn't a painkiller. Obviously, that is not the case.

@llizzie It isn't a pain killer but pain killers aren't used as Migraine preventatives and pain killers can actually make migraines worse. The headache pain of migraine is just the main symptom of migraine migraine is actually a neurological disorder with wide ranging effects.

According to Chat GPT Candesartan works to prevent migraine in this way:

Mechanism of Action for Migraine Prevention

1. Inhibition of the Renin-Angiotensin System (RAS):
2. Candesartan blocks the angiotensin II type 1 (AT1) receptor.
3. Angiotensin II can contribute to neuroinflammation, vasoconstriction, and oxidative stress—all of which are believed to play a role in migraine pathophysiology.
4. By inhibiting this system, candesartan may reduce these migraine-promoting factors.
5. Neuroprotective and Anti-Inflammatory Effects:
6. Blocking AT1 receptors may reduce neurogenic inflammation, which is a key feature in migraines.
7. It may also help regulate cerebral blood flow, particularly in the trigeminovascular system, which is involved in migraine pain.
8. Central Nervous System Modulation:
9. Candesartan can cross the blood-brain barrier to some extent.
10. It may act on central angiotensin receptors, modulating pain processing pathways and lowering the sensitivity of the brain to migraine triggers.