How does acupuncture compare with drug treatment for preventing episodic migraine?

Abstract

For adults with episodic migraine with or without aura, moderate‐certainty evidence shows that, compared with prophylactic drug treatment (beta‐blockers, flunarizine, or valproic acid), acupuncture probably slightly reduces headache frequency after treatment and probably leads to a response in more people (≥ 50% frequency reduction) at three and six months of follow‐up (573 vs 460 per 1000 people at three months; 581 vs 525 per 1000 people at six months [all results on average]). Furthermore, fewer people withdrew because of adverse effects with acupuncture than with drug treatment (25 vs 88 per 1000 people), and fewer people experienced adverse effects (92 vs 292 per 1000 people). The number of serious adverse events was low in both groups (~ 1%).