Evidence map›Paper›PMID 26418341›Full record

Trial reportAnnals of neurology2015

Simvastatin and vitamin D for migraine prevention: A randomized, controlled trial.

Catherine Buettner, Rony-Reuven Nir, Suzanne M Bertisch, Carolyn Bernstein, Aaron Schain, Murray A Mittleman, Rami Burstein

2 registry-linked trialsOpen access · greenAbstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in Annals of neurology, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to 2 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 49 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
49citing papers in PubMed, 5 pooled it
6.3field-weighted citation impact, top 3% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT06248671 phase2recruitingnot on this mapstarted 2024, after this paper: background citation

EpisodicStatinMig. A Multicentre, Triple Blind, Placebo Controlled, Parallel Group Study of Atorvastatin in Episodic Migraine

TypeinterventionalSponsorSt. Olavs HospitalRan2024 to 2029Enrolled450ConditionsEpisodic MigraineArmsAtorvastatin 40mg, Placebo, Atorvastatin 20mg
NCT06485336 phase2recruitingnot on this mapstarted 2024, after this paper: background citation

ChronicStatinMig. A Multicentre, Triple Blind, Placebo Controlled, Parallel Group Study of Atorvastatin in Chronic Migraine

TypeinterventionalSponsorSt. Olavs HospitalRan2024 to 2029Enrolled300ConditionsChronic MigraineArmsAtorvastatin 40mg, Placebo
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

49 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 155 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
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  5. Vitamin D in migraine headache: a comprehensive review on literature.Neurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology · 2019
    Pooled it
  6. Trial
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  9. Review
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  11. Vitamin D and Brain Health.Advances in experimental medicine and biology · 2026
    Review
  12. Article
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  15. Review
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.

Catherine BuettnerDepartment of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA.
Rony-Reuven NirDepartment of Neurology, Rambam Health Care Campus, and Faculty of Medicine, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel.
Suzanne M BertischDepartment of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA.
Carolyn BernsteinDepartment of Anesthesia, Critical Care and Pain Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA.
Aaron SchainDepartment of Anesthesia, Critical Care and Pain Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA.
Murray A MittlemanDepartment of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA.
Rami BursteinDepartment of Anesthesia, Critical Care and Pain Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA.
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center · USHarvard University · USRambam Health Care Campus · IL

Funding

NCATS NIH HHS UL1 TR001102NCCIH NIH HHS K23 AT005104NCCIH NIH HHS K23AT005104NIAMS NIH HHS K23 AR055664NIAMS NIH HHS K23AR055664NINDS NIH HHS R01 NS069847NINDS NIH HHS R01 NS079678NINDS NIH HHS R21 NS091627NINDS NIH HHS R37 NS079678
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveThe aim of this work was to assess efficacy and tolerability of simvastatin plus vitamin D for migraine prevention in adults with episodic migraine.

methodsWe performed a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial with a 12-week baseline period and 24-week intervention period in 57 adults with episodic migraine. Participants were randomly assigned to simvastatin 20 mg tablets twice-daily plus vitamin D3 1,000 international units capsules twice-daily or matching placebo tablets and capsules.

resultsCompared to placebo, participants using simvastatin plus vitamin D3 demonstrated a greater decrease in number of migraine days from the baseline period to intervention weeks 1 to 12: a change of -8.0 (interquartile range [IQR]: -15.0 to -2.0) days in the active treatment group versus +1.0 (IQR: -1.0 to + 6.0) days in the placebo group, p < 0.001; and to intervention weeks 13 to 24: a change of -9.0 (IQR: -13 to -5) days in the active group versus +3.0 (IQR: -1.0 to + 5.0) days in the placebo group, p < 0.001. In the active treatment group, 8 patients (25%) experienced 50% reduction in the number of migraine days at 12 weeks and 9 (29%) at 24 weeks postrandomization. In comparison, only 1 patient (3%) in the placebo group (p = 0.03) experienced such a reduction. Adverse events were similar in both active treatment and placebo groups.

interpretationThe results demonstrate that simvastatin plus vitamin D is effective for prevention of headache in adults with episodic migraine. Given statins' ability to repair endothelial dysfunction, this economical approach may also reduce the increased risk for vascular diseases among migraineurs.

Indexed as

Outcome Assessment, Health CareAdultCholecalciferolDouble-Blind MethodDrug Therapy, CombinationFemaleHumansHydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase InhibitorsMaleMiddle AgedMigraine DisordersSimvastatinYoung AdultCholecalciferolHydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase InhibitorsSimvastatin

Identifiers

PMID26418341
PMCPMC4715556
OpenAlexW2105922357

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceTDM
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.