John Chambers, a consultant cardiologist at Guy's Hospital in London, says he has achieved "spectacular" results by treating sufferers with a simple clot-busting drug called clopidogrel.

Now a wider trial on 280 patients is under way.

If it proves effective, it could mean the end to throbbing head, nausea and flashing lights that characterise a typical attack.

Migraines affect one in 10 people and attacks can last 72 hours. Sufferers often feel drained for a couple of days after an attack and experience up to 13 attacks a year.

Migraines are treated with beta blockers, which lower blood pressure and regulate the heart, and anti-depressants.

Other treatments include aspirin and stronger forms of paracetamol.

Dr. Chambers, who started his treating patients on a hunch, believes migraines can be caused by tiny blood clots in the heart that travel to the brain.

Clopidogrel targets platelets in the blood, which are responsible for clotting.

He said: "The first patient I tried the drug on had had almost daily migraines for 20 years. They had made his life a misery. I gave him the treatment and they melted away. It transformed his life."

Source: Daily Mail; London (UK). Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. Powered by YellowBrix.

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