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Enrolling by invitationNCT07743255Updated Aug 3, 2026

Preventive Role of Melatonin and Propranolol Administration in Pediatric Migraine

An interventional study of Melatonin and Propranolol in Migraine Disorders, sponsored by Nishtar Medical University. Enrolling by invitation at 1 site in Pakistan. Open to participants aged 5 Years to 15 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-08-03.

Sponsored by Nishtar Medical University · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment

Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
60
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
5 Years to 15 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

This randomized controlled trial evaluated whether adding melatonin to propranolol provided better prevention of migraine in children than propranolol alone. The study included 60 children aged 5-15 years with migraine, diagnosed according to the International Classification of Headache Disorders criteria, who attended the Pediatric Outpatient Department of Nishtar Hospital, Multan. Participants were randomly assigned in equal numbers to receive either melatonin 3 mg at bedtime plus propranolol 1 mg/kg/day in two divided doses, or propranolol 1 mg/kg/day alone, for three months.

Migraine attacks, pain severity, attack duration, migraine-related disability, use of pain-relieving medicines, treatment adherence, and adverse effects were recorded at baseline and during follow-up visits at one, two, and three months. Parents or caregivers maintained a daily headache and medication diary throughout the treatment period. Blood pressure and pulse rate were also monitored because propranolol may cause low blood pressure or a slow heart rate.

02

Conditions studied

  • Migraine Disorders

Keywords

  • Pediatric Migraine
  • Migraine with Aura
  • Migraine without Aura
  • Melatonin
  • Propranolol
03

In context

Migraine Disorders

1,657 studies on the registry are indexed under Migraine Disorders; 339 are open to participants now.

This study's planned enrollment of 60 is below the median of 80 across 1,269 interventional studies indexed under Migraine Disorders.

Browse Migraine Disorders studies →

Lead sponsor

Nishtar Medical University is the lead sponsor of 29 studies on the registry; 9 are open to participants now.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
5 Years to 15 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.

Inclusion criteria

  • Patients aged 5 to 15 years.
  • Both male or female.
  • Confirmed diagnosis of migraine (with or without aura) based on the International Classification of Headache Disorders, 3rd edition (ICHD-3) criteria.
  • Patients with a PEDMIDAS score ≥11, indicating moderate to severe migraine-related disability.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Presence of chronic medical conditions affecting the central nervous system, such as epilepsy, neurodegenerative diseases, or brain tumors.
  • Current use of prophylactic migraine medications (other than those being evaluated in the study) or recent discontinuation within the last four weeks.
  • Patients with diagnosed primary sleep disorders not related to migraine.
  • Known allergy or to melatonin, propranolol, or any related medication used in the study.
Terms in these criteria, in plain language(1)

Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.

Hypersensitivity

An allergy, or another reaction of the immune system, to a substance. “Hypersensitivity to the study drug” means a known allergic reaction to it — not every side effect a medicine can have.

05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
60 participants (estimated)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Melatonin Plus Propranolol

    Participants received melatonin 3 mg orally once daily at bedtime together with propranolol 1 mg/kg/day orally in two equal divided doses for three months.

    Drug: Melatonin · Drug: Propranolol

  • Active comparator
    Propranolol Alone

    Participants received propranolol 1 mg/kg/day orally in two equal divided doses for three months without melatonin.

    Drug: Propranolol

Interventions

  • Melatonin 3 mg was administered orally once daily at bedtime for three months in addition to propranolol.

  • Propranolol 1 mg/kg/day was administered orally in two equal divided doses, equivalent to 0.5 mg/kg per dose in the morning and evening, for three months.

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Change in Monthly Migraine Attack Frequency

    Monthly migraine attack frequency was defined as the number of migraine attacks occurring during a 30-day period, as recorded by the parent or caregiver in the daily headache diary. Separate attacks were identified by a pain-free interval of at least 24 hours. Change from baseline was calculated by comparing the number of attacks recorded before treatment with the number recorded during follow-up. A greater reduction indicated better preventive efficacy.

    Time frame: Baseline and Months 1, 2, and 3

  2. Change in Migraine Pain Severity

    Migraine pain severity was assessed using a 0-10 Visual Analog Scale, where 0 represented no pain and 10 represented the worst possible pain. The parent, caregiver, or child recorded the severity of each migraine attack in the headache diary. The average pain score for each 30-day assessment period was calculated and compared with the baseline value. A greater reduction indicated improvement in migraine severity.

    Time frame: Baseline and Months 1, 2, and 3

Secondary outcomes

  1. Change in Migraine-Related Disability

    Migraine-related disability was assessed using the Pediatric Migraine Disability Assessment questionnaire. The total score was calculated from six questions evaluating missed or impaired school, home, social, and recreational activities during the preceding three months. Scores were categorized as minimal disability, 0-10; mild disability, 11-30; moderate disability, 31-50; and severe disability, greater than 50. A lower score indicated less migraine-related disability.

    Time frame: Baseline and Month 3.

07

Study locations

1 site
08

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Aug 3, 2026, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
09

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT07743255
Lead sponsor
Nishtar Medical University
Responsible party
Shazia Parveen (Principal Investigator, Nishtar Medical University) — Principal investigator
First posted
Aug 3, 2026
Start date
Jun 10, 2026
Primary completion
Dec 10, 2026 (estimated)
Completion
Dec 10, 2026 (estimated)
Last update
Aug 3, 2026

Study contacts

Shazia Parveen
principal investigator · Nishtar Hospital Multan

Oversight

FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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Studies of the drug tested here: Melatonin

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