comparing the effectiveness and complications of sodae and sodium valproate on migraine

Background: sodium valproate is recommended as a first-line drug to prevent migraine attacks,and sodae is an herbal medicine.objectives: sodium valproate and herbal sodae were compared for effectiveness and side effects.materials & methods: a two-center, randomized, double-blind clinical trial included migrainepatients from kermanshah and hamadan cities into two groups: sodae herbal recipients andvalproate (200 mg) recipients, for 3 months. a numerical rating scale (nrs) scale was used tomeasure residual pain at the end of each month of treatment. also, a researcher-made form and theheadache impact test (hit-6) questionnaire were used. side effects reported by the patients werecollected, and liver function tests and complete blood cell count tests were conducted.results: a total of 70 migraine patients were evaluated: 33 patients (47%) in the soda group and 37patients (53%) in the valproate group. the nrs scores in both groups decreased constantly, with nosignificant difference (p=0.303). also, hit-6 scores were constantly reduced in both groups withno significant difference (p>0.05). more side effects are significantly (p=0.043) reported in thevalproate group (54.05%) than in the sodae group (30.30%). the most common side effect in thevalproate group was drowsiness (13.5%), while among the sodae group, it was diarrhea (15.1%).conclusion: the sodae and valproate did not differ in headache improvement, hit-6 scores, andchanges in laboratory parameters. however, the valproate group reported more side effects than thesodae group. sodae is a suitable herbal medicine for preventing and controlling migraine attacks.