Effect of Acupuncture on Reducing Migraine Pain and Medication Use: A Meta-Analysis
Main Article Content
Abstract
Background: Migraine is a common neurological disorder that significantly affects quality of life and daily functioning. Despite this, the existing evidence remains inconsistent and requires further clarification through comprehensive analysis. The aim of this study was to analyze and estimate the effectiveness of acupuncture in reducing migraine pain score and medication use.
Methods: This is a systematic review and meta-analysis of twelve Randomized Control Trial studies. The data used for this study sourced from following database: PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar between 2015-2024. The data selection was carried out using PRISMA flowchart. The statistical analysis was conducted with Review Manager 5.4.1. Effect sizes were pooled using a random-effects model to account for heterogeneity across studies.
Results: Result of meta-analysis showed that acupuncture can reduce migraine pain intensity (SMD= -1.05; 95% CI= -1.73 to -0.37; p=0.002) and medication use (SMD= -1.61; 95% CI= -2.99 to -0.23; p=0.02).
Conclusion: Acupuncture is effective in reducing both migraine pain intensity and medication use, indicating its potential as a non-pharmacological treatment option for migraine management. Acupuncture may be considered as an adjunct therapy in clinical practice for migraine patients, and further high-quality randomized controlled trials are recommended to strengthen the evidence base.
Article Details
How to Cite
References
Amiroh, E. D., Badri, S., & Mutiah, N. (2023). Jin’s three needle acupuncture and moxibustion reduce pain intensity in gastritis. Jurnal Keterapian Fisik, 8(2), 106–113. https://doi.org/10.37341/jkf.v8i2.495
Anggraini, D., & Albana, R. (2022). Efficacy and safety of acupuncture compared with standard treatment in migraine without aura: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials. Almakki Health Informatics Journal, 236–247.
Biçer, M., Bozkurt, D., Çabalar, M., Işıksaçan, N., Gedikbaşı, A., Bajrami, A., & Aktaş, İ. (2017). The clinical efficiency of acupuncture in preventing migraine attacks and its effect on serotonin levels. Turkish Journal of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 63(1), 59–65. https://doi.org/10.5606/tftrd.2017.45578
Borenstein, M. (2023). How to understand and report heterogeneity in a meta-analysis: The difference between I-squared and prediction intervals. Integrative Medicine Research, 12(4), 101014. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.imr.2023.101014
Dong, L., Dong, W., Jin, Y., Jiang, Y., Li, Z., & Yu, D. (2025). The global burden of migraine: A 30-year trend review and future projections. Pain and Therapy, 14(1), 297–315. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40122-024-00690-7
Fan, L. (2025). Efficacy and safety of acupuncture for menstrual migraine: An updated systematic review. Frontiers in Neurology, 16, 1673321. https://doi.org/10.3389/fneur.2025.1673321
Ge, R., & Chang, J. (2023). Disease burden of migraine in Southeast Asia. The Journal of Headache and Pain, 24 (32), 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1186/s10194-023-01566-5
Giannini, G., et al. (2021). ACUMIGRAN study: Acupuncture vs medical therapy in episodic migraine. Frontiers in Neurology, 11, 570335. https://doi.org/10.3389/fneur.2020.570335
Habibabadi, M. R., Ashtari, F., & Raeisi, I. (2021). Auricular acupuncture for migraine symptoms. Journal of Acupuncture and Meridian Studies, 14(2), 58–66.
He, Y., et al. (2024). Acupoint selection in acupuncture treatment of migraine. Journal of Pain Research, 17(4), 4149-4157. https://doi.org/10.2147/JPR.S489296
Jin, X., Xu, Z., Gao, T., Wang, G., Dong, W., Jin, J., & Yan, Y. (2025). Auricular acupuncture for tension-type headache. BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies, 25, 311. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12906-025-05063-x
Liu, L., et al. (2021). Neural mechanisms of acupuncture for migraine. Frontiers in Neuroscience, 15, 674852. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2021.674852
Liu, L., et al. (2022). Acupuncture for menstrual-related migraine prophylaxis. Frontiers in Neuroscience, 16, 992577. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2022.992577
Lu, T., et al. (2025). Acupuncture improves migraine and quality of life: A meta-analysis. Systematic Reviews, 14 (220), 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13643-025-02977-y
Mayrink, W. C., et al. (2018). Acupuncture for chronic headache. Journal of Acupuncture and Meridian Studies, 11(5), 296–302. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jams.2018.07.003
Naghdi, S., et al. (2024). Adverse effects of migraine pharmacological treatment. BMJ Neurology Open, 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjno-2023-000616
Naguit, N., et al. (2022). Safety and efficacy of acupuncture for migraine. Cureus, 14(1), e20888. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.20888
Nguyen, J. L., et al. (2022). Trends in migraine medication use. The Journal of Headache and Pain. https://doi.org/10.1186/s10194-022-01476-y
Ou, M., et al. (2020). Acupuncture for migraine: Meta-analysis. Frontiers in Neurology, 11, 596. https://doi.org/10.3389/fneur.2020.00596
Qi, M., et al. (2025). Neural mechanisms of acupuncture in migraine. Quantitative Imaging in Medicine and Surgery. https://doi.org/10.21037/qims-24-916
Song, Y., Li, T., & Ma, C. (2022). Acupuncture-related therapy for migraine: Systematic review. Front. Neurol., 13, 1-25, https://doi.org/10.3389/fneur.2022.1010410
Stephen Birch, N. R. (2022). Acupuncture as post-stroke treatment option. Phytomedicine, 104, 154297. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.phymed.2022.154297
Toufic, M., et al. (2025). Pharmacologic management of migraine. The Journal for Nurse Practitioners, 21(9), 105501. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nurpra.2025.105501
Wang, H., & Wang, W. (2020). Manual acupuncture vs sham acupuncture. BMJ, 369, m697. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.m697
Wang, X., et al. (2024). Brain mechanism of acupuncture analgesia. CNS Neuroscience & Therapeutics. https://doi.org/10.1111/cns.14335
Wang, Y., et al. (2015). Acupuncture for frequent migraine. BMJ Open, 5, e006968. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2014006968
Wu, H. Y., et al. (2024). Laser acupuncture for chronic migraine. BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies, 24, 318. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12906-024-04617-9
Zhang, X., et al. (2026). Acupuncture for migraine: Randomized clinical trial. JAMA Network Open, 9 (1), 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.55454
Zheng, S. (2025). Auricular acupuncture for migraine: Meta-analysis. Journal of Pain Research. 6125-6135. https://doi.org/10.2147/JPR.S563246