I4B,

Clearly food for thought...  It appears the folks at Arteaus Therapeutics may be on to the same mechanism of action in preventing migraine headaches by inhibiting calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) we think is occurring when taking vitamin D3 as a cluster headache and migraine preventative.

Omega 3 Fish Oil and vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) are well documented as having anti-inflammatory properties (4)(5).  It is possible these properties counteract the neurogenic inflammation present in the cluster headache syndrome and migraine.

In addition, at least two studies have pointed to the capacity of vitamin D3 to suppress or down-regulate the production CGRP and vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP).  Both of these peptides are elevated during a cluster headache and migraine (6)(7). 

Finally, roughly 20% of the 25(OH)D produced in the liver is further metabolized in the kidneys and consumed in maintaining calcium homeostasis.  As the remaining 80% of this substrate is metabolized extrarenal (outside the kidneys) at the cellular level throughout the body in the autocrine/paracrine path of 25(OH)D metabolism to 1,25(OH)2D3 , calcitriol (8), it is also possible that the autocrine/paracrine path of 25(OH)D metabolism to 1,25(OH)2D3 results in some form of genetic expression that may be playing a role in preventing CH.(9)

Ref:

4. Maroon JC, Bost JW. Omega-3 fatty acids (fish oil) as an anti-inflammatory: an alternative to nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for discogenic pain. Surg Neurol. 2006 Apr;65(4):326-31.

5. Wheeler SD, Gang BR, Taylor FR. Vitamin D, Migraine, and Health - Medical Complications: Optimize Therapy!  ACHE, American Headache Society, Multimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or

6. Durham PL, Sharma RV, Russo AF, Repression of the Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide Promoter by 5-HT1 Receptor Activation. The Journal of Neuroscience, December 15, 1997, 17(24):9545–9553.

7. Goadsby PJ, Edvinsson L. Human in vivo evidence for trigeminovascular activation in cluster headache Neuropeptide changes and effects of acute attacks therapies. Oxford Journals>Medicine Brain>Volume117, Issue3 Pp. 427-434.

8. Heaney R. Vitamin D in Health and Disease. Clin J Am Soc Nephrol. 2008 Sep;3(5):1535-41

9. Prakash S, Shah ND. Chronic tension-type headache with vitamin D deficiency: casual or causal association? Headache. 2009;49(8):1214-1222.

I'm just guessing... but I suspect preventing cluster headache and migraine with vitamin D3 and the cofactors is going to be far less expensive than taking LY2951742 from Arteaus Therapeutics.

Take care,

V/R, Batch