New drugs have made a world of difference for people who suffer from the debilitating effects of migraines. But which of these marvels works best? A study being done at AMR aims to find out.

Dr. Michael Rausch, primary investigator at the AMR branch in El Dorado, said this is an unusual study in that it pits two drugs currently on the market head-to-head. One of the drugs is injectable and the other is in tablet form. Both are known to be very effective at treating or preventing migraines with virtually no side effects.

“Both are superior to what we’ve had in the past,” Rausch said. “This is an unusual study in that you compare two good products. There’s going to be a winner and a loser — but the real winner is the participant, because they get to try a medication that is known to be effective at no cost to themselves.”

Both medications are fairly expensive, but participants in the drug trial will receive one of the two drugs at no cost. Participants will also receive compensation for taking part in the study.

AMR is currently recruiting candidates aged 18 and up who suffer from migraines. “We want people who are naive to the medication, so if you’ve already been exposed to these medications you may not be eligible,” Rausch said. “But you may still be eligible for other migraine studies that are ongoing.”

Rausch said there is no placebo in this study, so participants are guaranteed to receive a known, effective drug that treats migraines. However, the blind study is designed so that participants won’t know which drug they’re receiving. “The interesting thing is, they will appear to get both drugs. They’ll get a fake shot and a real pill, or a real shot and a fake pill,” said Rausch, a physician at Rausch Medical Clinics in Augusta and El Dorado.

He said that his team at AMR was involved in the trial for one of the two products several years ago and helped bring it to market, so Rausch knows how effective it is. “I’ve used it quite a bit, and I’m more biased toward the one I know because I have firsthand knowledge of it. But the other is extremely effective as well,” he said. “If you haven’t been exposed to the newer medications for your migraines, this is a nice way to get paid to get to use a known, effective product. Anybody involved in this study will be a winner, no matter which drug they receive. It’s a winning proposition.”