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New Patch For Migraine Relief Being Tested

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MIAMI (CBSMiami) - For people who get migraines it's often a waiting game, suffering through debilitating pain while the medication kicks in.

Now researchers in Massachusetts are testing a new patch that could help patients get relief faster with fewer side effects.

Glen Brown has been battling migraines since he was a teenager.

"A really bad throbbing headache, lots of times behind my eyes, sometimes they are moderate, sometimes more severe," he said. "Between work, house stuff, and the kids, life is busy so if you have a migraine you are out of commission

With three or four attacks a month, the 49-year-old relies on oral migraine medications which can take time to work. But then his doctor told him about an experimental patch that could provide relief quicker.

"A medication taken in tablet form doesn't really get absorbed well enough or rapidly enough to provide effective headache relief," said Dr. Egilius Spierings with Tufts Medical Center.

Spierings says Zosano Pharma Works is testing out a new patch which uses tiny needles coated with medication to deliver a migraine drug right into the bloodstream.

"Once the patch is applied to the skin, these microneedles will penetrate the skin, generally not even deep enough to hit the nerve, so it's not a painful procedure. But deep enough to bring the medication into the circulation," he explained.

Brown has been using the patch for six months. He says it provides relief in just 20 to 45 minutes and he doesn't feel as sluggish.

"It makes a huge difference because then you can get back to your day, whatever you are doing," he said.

So far, researchers say patients are tolerating the patch system well and no serious side effects have been reported. Currently, about 250 patients are enrolled in the study testing the new patch system.

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