on PinterestA new study found that women using semaglutide had a reduction in their use of triptans, a drug commonly prescribed for migraine.
on PinterestA new study found that women using semaglutide had a reduction in their use of triptans, a drug commonly prescribed for migraine. Victor Bordera/Stocksy
- A study has found that treatment with semaglutide led to reduced triptan usage in women.
- However, no significant effect was observed in men with overweight or obesity.
- Experts say reductions in inflammation or intracranial pressure could play a role.
- Sex-related differences in how the body handles semaglutide also appear to be important.
- More research is needed before semaglutide can be recommended as a migraine treatment.
A recent nationwide study in Denmark has revealed that women who start using semaglutide, a popular medication prescribed for weight loss, may experience a decrease in the need for standard migraine treatments.
The researchers found that females using semaglutide had a noticeable reduction in their use of a class of drugs called triptans.
The study has not yet been published in a peer-reviewed scientific journal, but was presented at the European Congress on Obesity (ECO2026) from May 12–15.
The findings add to a growing interest in the potential benefits of semaglutide for migraine. Another recent study found that GLP-1 medications like semaglutide may help reduce migraine severity.
Studying the effects of triptan use after semaglutide
Researchers from the the pharmaceutical company behind semaglutide (marketed as Wegovy for weight loss and Ozempic for diabetes control), to analyze data from Danish health registries.
These registers contain comprehensive health information on the entire population, enabling a detailed examination of medication use patterns.
The study focused on adults who began semaglutide treatment for weight management between December 1, 2022, and June 30, 2024. It included nearly 150,000 people who started semaglutide during the study period, of whom about two-thirds were females.
For each individual, the researchers tracked their use of triptans — the drugs commonly taken for acute migraine relief — for two years before starting semaglutide and for one year afterward. This approach enabled the researchers to observe changes over time and to compare triptan use before and after semaglutide initiation.
The team used statistical models to examine monthly triptan consumption, measured in defined daily doses, among the participants.
They also looked at the number of new triptan users during the study and analyzed differences among people who had already been using triptans before starting semaglutide.
To better understand who was most affected, the researchers broke down the data by sex, age groups, how consistently people remained on semaglutide, and whether they had previously used preventive migraine medications.
Reduced need for migraine drug after starting Wegovy
Overall, around 4.6% of the individuals used triptans during the study period.
Before beginning semaglutide, it was found that triptan use was on the rise among participants.
However, after starting the medication, this trend reversed, and triptan use began to decline gradually over the following year.
At the one-year mark, there was a modest but clear reduction in triptan consumption compared to what would have been expected based on previous trends.
This decrease was mainly seen in people who were already using triptans before starting semaglutide, suggesting that the drug might reduce the need
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