Can vitamins really help with migraine?

It's a fair question, and we asked it too. Migraine is not just a bad headache. It affects 1 in 7 people in the world, and it is associated with specific nutritional deficiencies. Dozens of clinical trials have tested whether vitamins, minerals and herbs can reduce how often migraines come and how intense they are. This page links to the ones we used to make Mighty, so you can read them yourself.

49 published studiesEach one linked to PubMed
A jar of Mighty with its golden capsules

A migraine brain makes and uses energy differently

Research links migraine to a metabolic disorder in the brain. That difference makes people with migraine more likely to run low on key nutrients, and those deficiencies make migraines worse.

1

The brain's energy supply works differently

Brain scan and biochemical studies have found lower energy production together with higher energy use in people with migraine.

2

Key nutrients run low

People with migraine are more likely to be low in magnesium, riboflavin, CoQ10 and vitamin D, which the brain uses to make energy.

3

Running low makes migraines worse

That is why researchers have run trials that give these nutrients back and count what happens to people's migraine days.

Sources: Gross et al., Nature Reviews Neurology, 2019 and Cevoli et al., Current Medicinal Chemistry, 2019.

Neurologists have rated these ingredients too

In 2012 the American Academy of Neurology and the American Headache Society reviewed the published trials of complementary treatments for migraine and rated each one. Read the guideline on PubMed.

The same year, the Canadian Headache Society published its own guideline for preventing migraine. It gave riboflavin, CoQ10 and magnesium citrate a strong recommendation. Read the Canadian guideline on PubMed.

RiboflavinRated probably effective
MagnesiumRated probably effective
FeverfewRated probably effective
CoQ10Rated possibly effective

What the trials found

Three of the trials we get asked about most, each against a placebo. Every study below links to its PubMed page.

Riboflavin

People who cut their headache days at least in half

Riboflavin
59%
Placebo
15%
55 people, 400 mg a day for 3 months. Neurology, 1998. Read the study

CoQ10

People who cut their migraine attacks at least in half

CoQ10
47.6%
Placebo
14.4%
42 people, 300 mg a day for 3 months. Neurology, 2005. Read the study

Magnesium

How much the number of attacks dropped

Magnesium
41.6%
Placebo
15.8%
81 people, 600 mg a day for 12 weeks. Cephalalgia, 1996. Read the study

Magnesium

Randomized trial

Prophylaxis of migraine with oral magnesium: results from a prospective, multi-center, placebo-controlled and double-blind randomized study

Attacks dropped 41.6% on magnesium, against 15.8% on placebo. Days with migraine also went down.

81 people12 weeks600 mg a day
Peikert et al. Cephalalgia, 1996PubMed 8792038
Meta-analysis

Effects of Intravenous and Oral Magnesium on Reducing Migraine: A Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

Ten trials of magnesium taken by mouth, pooled. It reduced how often migraines came and how intense they were.

10 trials789 people
Chiu et al. Pain Physician, 2016PubMed 26752497
Randomized trial

The effects of magnesium prophylaxis in migraine without aura

In people who have migraine without aura, magnesium reduced how often attacks came and how severe they were.

600 mg a day
Köseoglu et al. Magnesium Research, 2008PubMed 18705538
Randomized trial

The effects of magnesium, L-carnitine, and concurrent magnesium-L-carnitine supplementation in migraine prophylaxis

Magnesium on its own, and magnesium with L-carnitine, each reduced how often attacks came and how severe they were.

500 mg a day
Tarighat Esfanjani et al. Biological Trace Element Research, 2012PubMed 22895810
Randomized trial

Improvement of migraine symptoms with a proprietary supplement containing riboflavin, magnesium and Q10: a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, multicenter trial

Gaul et al. Journal of Headache and Pain, 2015PubMed 25916335
Randomized trial

Comparative study of magnesium, sodium valproate, and concurrent magnesium-sodium valproate therapy in the prevention of migraine headaches: a randomized controlled double-blind trial

Khani et al. Journal of Headache and Pain, 2021PubMed 33827421
Review

Magnesium as an Important Factor in the Pathogenesis and Treatment of Migraine-From Theory to Practice

Domitrz et al. Nutrients, 2022PubMed 35268064
Randomized trial

Efficacy of intravenous magnesium sulfate in the treatment of acute migraine attacks

Magnesium given through an IV during an attack reduced migraine symptoms.

Demirkaya et al. Headache, 2001PubMed 11251702
Randomized trial

Intravenous magnesium sulphate in the acute treatment of migraine without aura and migraine with aura. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study

Magnesium given through an IV during an attack improved pain and other symptoms.

Bigal et al. Cephalalgia, 2002PubMed 12110110
Randomized trial

MAGraine: Magnesium compared to conventional therapy for treatment of migraines

Kandil et al. American Journal of Emergency Medicine, 2021PubMed 33041146
Randomized trial

Oral magnesium oxide prophylaxis of frequent migrainous headache in children: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial

In children, magnesium oxide did not do better than placebo.

Children
Wang et al. Headache, 2003PubMed 12786918

Riboflavin (B2)

Randomized trial

Effectiveness of high-dose riboflavin in migraine prophylaxis. A randomized controlled trial

59% cut their headache days at least in half, against 15% on placebo. Attacks also came less often.

55 people3 months400 mg a day
Schoenen et al. Neurology, 1998PubMed 9484373
Meta-analysis

Effect of Vitamin B2 supplementation on migraine prophylaxis: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Nine studies pooled. 400 mg of vitamin B2 a day for three months reduced migraine days, duration, frequency and pain scores.

9 studies673 people
Chen et al. Nutritional Neuroscience, 2022PubMed 33779525
Open-label study

High-dose riboflavin as a prophylactic treatment of migraine: results of an open pilot study

The first pilot study of high-dose riboflavin. Migraine symptoms improved.

400 mg a day
Schoenen et al. Cephalalgia, 1994PubMed 7828189
Open-label study

High-dose riboflavin treatment is efficacious in migraine prophylaxis: an open study in a tertiary care centre

Riboflavin reduced how often attacks came.

400 mg a day
Boehnke et al. European Journal of Neurology, 2004PubMed 15257686
Randomized trial

Effectiveness of Vitamin B2 versus Sodium Valproate in Migraine Prophylaxis: a randomized clinical trial

Vitamin B2 reduced migraine attacks in a trial that compared it with a prescription preventive.

400 mg a day
Rahimdel et al. Electronic Physician, 2015PubMed 26516440
Comparative study

Prophylactic treatment of migraine with beta-blockers and riboflavin: differential effects on the intensity dependence of auditory evoked cortical potentials

Sándor et al. Headache, 2000PubMed 10759900
Clinical trial

Mitochondrial DNA haplogroups influence the therapeutic response to riboflavin in migraineurs

Di Lorenzo et al. Neurology, 2009PubMed 19414726
Randomized trial

A combination of riboflavin, magnesium, and feverfew for migraine prophylaxis: a randomized trial

A low 25 mg dose of riboflavin did about as well as the combination of riboflavin 400 mg, magnesium 300 mg and feverfew 100 mg.

Maizels et al. Headache, 2004PubMed 15447697
Retrospective study

Riboflavin prophylaxis in pediatric and adolescent migraine

In children and teenagers, riboflavin reduced how often migraines came.

Children and teenagers200 mg a day
Condò et al. Journal of Headache and Pain, 2009PubMed 19649688
Randomized trial

High-dose riboflavin for migraine prophylaxis in children: a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial

In children, riboflavin had no significant effect on migraine symptoms.

Children200 mg a day
MacLennan et al. Journal of Child Neurology, 2008PubMed 18984840
Randomized trial

Medium-dose riboflavin as a prophylactic agent in children with migraine: a preliminary placebo-controlled, randomised, double-blind, cross-over trial

In children, a 50 mg dose made no significant difference to how often migraine attacks came.

Children50 mg a day
Bruijn et al. Cephalalgia, 2010PubMed 20974610

CoQ10

Randomized trial

Efficacy of coenzyme Q10 in migraine prophylaxis: a randomized controlled trial

47.6% cut their attacks at least in half, against 14.4% on placebo. Headache days and days with nausea also went down.

42 people3 months300 mg a day
Sándor et al. Neurology, 2005PubMed 15728298
Meta-analysis

Coenzyme Q10 supplementation for prophylaxis in adult patients with migraine-a meta-analysis

Six trials pooled. CoQ10 reduced how often attacks came and how long they lasted. It did not change how severe they were.

6 trials371 people
Sazali et al. BMJ Open, 2021PubMed 33402403
Observational study

A combination of coenzyme Q10, feverfew and magnesium for migraine prophylaxis: a prospective observational study

CoQ10, feverfew and magnesium in one tablet. 75% of people cut their migraine days at least in half by the third month. This study had no placebo group.

68 people3 months
Guilbot et al. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2017PubMed 28854909
Open-label study

Open label trial of coenzyme Q10 as a migraine preventive

CoQ10 reduced how often migraine attacks came.

150 mg a day
Rozen et al. Cephalalgia, 2002PubMed 11972582
Clinical trial

Effectiveness of coenzyme Q10 in prophylactic treatment of migraine headache: an open-label, add-on, controlled trial

Added to people's usual preventive treatment, CoQ10 reduced how often attacks came and how severe they were.

100 mg a day
Shoeibi et al. Acta Neurologica Belgica, 2017PubMed 27670440
Randomized trial

Oral coenzyme Q10 supplementation in patients with migraine: Effects on clinical features and inflammatory markers

Dahri et al. Nutritional Neuroscience, 2019PubMed 29298622
Randomized trial

The synergistic effects of nano-curcumin and coenzyme Q10 supplementation in migraine prophylaxis: a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind trial

Parohan et al. Nutritional Neuroscience, 2021PubMed 31241007
Review

Role of magnesium, coenzyme Q10, riboflavin, and vitamin B12 in migraine prophylaxis

Bianchi et al. Vitamins and Hormones, 2004PubMed 15196887
Clinical trial

Coenzyme Q10 deficiency and response to supplementation in pediatric and adolescent migraine

In children and teenagers with low CoQ10 levels, supplementing raised their levels and headaches came less often.

Children and teenagers
Hershey et al. Headache, 2007PubMed 17355497
Randomized trial

A randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled, crossover, add-on study of CoEnzyme Q10 in the prevention of pediatric and adolescent migraine

Children and teenagers100 mg a day
Slater et al. Cephalalgia, 2011PubMed 21586650

Feverfew

Randomized trial

Efficacy and safety of 6.25 mg t.i.d. feverfew CO2-extract (MIG-99) in migraine prevention: a randomized, double-blind, multicentre, placebo-controlled study

People started at about 4.8 attacks a month. Attacks fell by 1.9 a month on the feverfew extract and by 1.3 on placebo.

170 people16 weeks
Diener et al. Cephalalgia, 2005PubMed 16232154
Randomized trial

The efficacy and safety of Tanacetum parthenium (feverfew) in migraine prophylaxis: a double-blind, multicentre, randomized placebo-controlled dose-response study

No overall difference from placebo. In people with at least four attacks a month, attacks fell by 1.8 a month on the middle dose, against 0.3 on placebo.

147 people12 weeks
Pfaffenrath et al. Cephalalgia, 2002PubMed 12230594
Randomized trial

Randomised double-blind placebo-controlled trial of feverfew in migraine prevention

Murphy et al. Lancet, 1988PubMed 2899663
Randomized trial

Efficacy of feverfew as prophylactic treatment of migraine

Johnson et al. BMJ, 1985PubMed 3929876

Ginger

Randomized trial

Double-blind placebo-controlled randomized clinical trial of ginger (Zingiber officinale Rosc.) addition in migraine acute treatment

Ginger extract added to standard treatment during an attack. People on ginger responded better at 1, 1.5 and 2 hours than people on placebo.

60 people400 mg ginger extract
Martins et al. Cephalalgia, 2019PubMed 29768938
Meta-analysis

The efficacy of ginger for the treatment of migraine: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled studies

Three trials pooled. More people on ginger were pain free at 2 hours, and pain scores were lower.

3 trials
Chen et al. American Journal of Emergency Medicine, 2021PubMed 33293189
Randomized trial

Comparison between the efficacy of ginger and sumatriptan in the ablative treatment of the common migraine

Maghbooli et al. Phytotherapy Research, 2014PubMed 23657930

Other nutrients

Randomized trial

Zinc supplementation affects favorably the frequency of migraine attacks: a double-blind randomized placebo-controlled clinical trial

Zinc. Attack frequency fell by 2.55 on zinc and by 0.42 on placebo. The duration of attacks did not change.

80 people8 weeks
Ahmadi et al. Nutrition Journal, 2020PubMed 32928216
Randomized trial

A randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled, parallel trial of vitamin D(3) supplementation in adult patients with migraine

Vitamin D3. Monthly headache days went from 6.1 to 3.3 on vitamin D, and from 5.7 to 4.9 on placebo. Severity did not change.

48 people24 weeks100 mcg a day
Gazerani et al. Current Medical Research and Opinion, 2019PubMed 30182753
Randomized trial

The effects of vitamin supplementation and MTHFR (C677T) genotype on homocysteine-lowering and migraine disability

Folic acid, B6 and B12. The share of people disabled by migraine went from 60% to 30% after six months, with no reduction on placebo.

52 people with aura6 months
Lea et al. Pharmacogenetics and Genomics, 2009PubMed 19384265
Randomized trial

The effect of 1 mg folic acid supplementation on clinical outcomes in female migraine with aura patients

Menon et al. Journal of Headache and Pain, 2016PubMed 27339806
Randomized trial

The effects of folic acid and pyridoxine supplementation on characteristics of migraine attacks in migraine patients with aura: A double-blind, randomized placebo-controlled, clinical trial

Askari et al. Nutrition, 2017PubMed 28526386
Review

Vitamin supplementation as possible prophylactic treatment against migraine with aura and menstrual migraine

Shaik et al. BioMed Research International, 2015PubMed 25815319

How migraine works

Review

The metabolic face of migraine - from pathophysiology to treatment

Describes migraine as a gap between the brain's energy reserve and its workload, and covers the brain scan, biochemical and genetic evidence that energy metabolism works differently in people with migraine.

Gross et al. Nature Reviews Neurology, 2019PubMed 31586135
Review

Energy Metabolism Impairment in Migraine

Several biochemical and brain scan studies have found lower energy production together with higher energy use in the brains of people with migraine.

Cevoli et al. Current Medicinal Chemistry, 2019PubMed 29932030
Guideline

Evidence-based guideline update: NSAIDs and other complementary treatments for episodic migraine prevention in adults: report of the Quality Standards Subcommittee of the American Academy of Neurology and the American Headache Society

After reviewing the published trials, the panel rated riboflavin, magnesium and feverfew as probably effective and CoQ10 as possibly effective.

Holland et al. Neurology, 2012PubMed 22529203
Guideline

Canadian Headache Society guideline for migraine prophylaxis

The Canadian Headache Society gave a strong recommendation to 11 preventive treatments. Riboflavin, CoQ10 and magnesium citrate are three of them.

Pringsheim et al. Canadian Journal of Neurological Sciences, 2012PubMed 22683887

This is not the full list

We have many more studies than fit on one page. These are the ones we share most often. If you'd like the source for something specific, or the longer list, email hello@joinmelina.com and we'll send it.

The studies above tested single ingredients or small combinations, and some used a different dose or form than Mighty does. A few found no benefit, and we list those too.

Mighty puts 13 ingredients in one daily dose

We built Mighty from this research and refined the formula with headache specialists. Every dose is on the label, so you can compare it with the studies and take it to your doctor.

  • 4 capsules a day, with food
  • The forms your body absorbs well, like magnesium glycinate and methylated B vitamins
  • Designed to be taken on its own or alongside migraine medication. Check with your doctor first.
Shop Mighty
Riboflavin (vitamin B2)400 mg
Feverfew extract300 mg
Magnesium (glycinate)250 mg
Coenzyme Q10100 mg
Acetyl-L-carnitine100 mg
Ginger root100 mg
Vitamin B1 (thiamin)50 mg
Pantothenic acid (B5)20 mg
Vitamin B6 (P5P)10 mg
Zinc (picolinate)5 mg
Folate (methylfolate)400 mcg DFE
Vitamin B12 (methylcobalamin)100 mcg
Vitamin D363 mcg

Tested before it goes in, and again before it ships

Supplements are lightly regulated, so it is up to each company to do the right thing. This is what we do.

Made in the USA

Mighty is made in a cGMP-certified facility in Washington state.

Every raw ingredient is tested

Each one is quarantined when it arrives and tested for microbes, heavy metals and potency.

Every batch is tested again

Once blended, each batch goes to an independent lab that re-tests the finished product for the same three things.

From people who were skeptical too

★★★★★ 4.8 average rating
Read all reviews
Carnisha B.Verified buyer
★★★★★

This stuff is GREAT!!! I have been suffering from migraines for years. I have had spent money on doctors, prescriptions, hospital bills, and etc. I came across this back in December and after taking it for a week I noticed an immediate change. At first I was skeptical but this stuff has changed my life I wish could give them a big hug!!! Thank Y’all So Much!!!

Roberta S.Verified buyer
★★★★★

I was skeptical about the impact of this supplement but after taking them for a month, I felt better and was far less dizzy. After an additional month of taking these supplements I was rarely dizzy, which was my initial reason for taking them.

Karen
★★★★★

I was skeptical that a supplement could make a big difference for my hormonal migraines. But I gave this a shot and was amazed that my severe menstrual migraines were reduced to mild tension headaches after a few weeks. This formula works differently than anything I've tried, because it's so comprehensive and targets multiple causes. No harsh side effects either. I recommend giving it at least 2 months to work. So grateful I found something natural that helps!

Read the research, then see how Mighty feels for you

You have 90 days to ask for a refund if you're not satisfied. You can email us at hello@joinmelina.com, and we'll make things right for you.

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These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.