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NCT Number: NCT07029126

Improving the Perception of Stress and Mutuality in Caregivers (MI-DEAR Study) of Migraine Patients With Depressive Symptoms Treated With Fremanezumab: A Study to Evaluate Whether Fremanezumab Reduces the Impact on Caregivers and Increases Couple Reciprocity

To evaluate the reduction of emotional burden (measured by Relative Stress Scale-RSS) of caregivers of migraine patients with Depressive Symptoms after 6 months after the first injection of fremanezumab.

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Key information

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Observational

Primary location

Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Campus Bio-Medico, Rome, Italy

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Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

PATIENTS

  • Adult patients, male or female
  • Diagnosis of migraine, with or without aura, or chronic migraine, according to the International Classification of Headaches (ICHD-3.)
  • Diagnosis of migraine with onset at an age of less than 50 years
  • Depressive symptoms in patients defined as a Patient Health Questionnaire PHQ-9 scale score ≥5
  • Complete details of migraine history and frequency of monthly migraine days in the past month
  • clinical indication to start fremanezumab therapy to prevent migraine in patients naïve to monoclonal antibodies targeting the CGRP pathway
  • In case of migraine preventive therapy and concomitant antidepressants, stability for at least 8 weeks prior to enrollment.
  • Presence of a caregiver (see definition below) of the patient
  • 80% compliance with diary and ability to complete the scale to provide written informed consent.

INFORMAL CAREGIVERS:

  • Adult subjects, male or female.
  • Informal caregiver is defined as a person--spouse/partner, parent, child/child, sibling--who cares for the migraine patient, sharing the same household and performing various functions, from basic daily needs to socio-economic activities)
  • RSS score ≥ 1
  • 80% compliance with completion scale ability to provide written informed consent

Exclusion criteria

Patients:

  • Patients without a caregiver
  • Contraindications or lack of indication to fremanezumab
  • The patient has clinically significant hematological, cardiac, renal, endocrine, pulmonary, gastrointestinal, genitourinary, neurologic, hepatic, ocular disease, or complications of an infection, at the discretion of the investigator
  • Patient with a clinical history of a severe or uncontrolled psychiatric disorder (bipolar disorders, schizophrenia, psychosis), at the discretion of the investigator, that would likely interfere with full participation in the study
  • Patient participating in another study at the same time as enrollment in the current study

Informal Caregivers:

  • History of migraine.
  • History of major depressive disorder and severe or uncontrolled psychiatric disorder (bipolar disorders, schizophrenia, psychosis), at the discretion of the investigator, that would likely interfere with full participation in the study
  • The caregiver has clinically significant hematological, cardiac, renal, endocrine, pulmonary, gastrointestinal, genitourinary, neurologic, hepatic, ocular disease, or complications of an infection at the discretion of the investigator.

Treatment and study plan

Fremanezumab

Drug

subcutaneous injection 225 mg monthly or 675 mg quarterly

Primary outcomes

  1. CHANGE in caregiver stress

    Time frame: from baseline to evaluation at 6 months after fremanezumab therapy

    Change in Relative Stress Scale (RSS) scores in caregivers (range 15-60, where 15 is no stress and 60 maximum stress)

Secondary outcomes

  1. CHANGE IN RECIPROCITY

    Time frame: from baseline to the evaluation after 6 months of therapy with fremanezumab

    To evaluate an increase in reciprocity within the mutuality scale in the caregiver/ migraine patient dyad after 6 months from the first injection of fremanezumab.

    Reciprocity represents the mean value of the response to questions 5, 6, 10, 13, and 15 of the mutuality scale (raging from 0, lower reciprocity, to 4 higher reciprocity)

  2. CORRELATION BETWEEN CHANGE IN patient depression and caregiver stress

    Time frame: from baseline to 6 months after fremanezumab therapy

    to evaluate whether the change in depression (Patient Health Questionnaire. PHQ-9 scores, range 0-27; higher scores indicate more severe depression) in migraine patients 6 months after starting fremanezumab is associated with the change of stress (Relative Stress Scale) in caregivers.

  3. CORRELATION BETWEEN THE CHANGES IN DEPRESSION AND RECIPROCITY SCALE SCORES

    Time frame: from baseline to 6 months after therapy with fremanezumab

    To evaluate whether the CHANGE in depressive (PHQ-9 SCALE) and anxiety (STAY SCALE) symptoms in migraine patients 6 months after starting fremanezumab is associated with the change in reciprocity (MUTUALITY SCALE) between patient and caregiver

  4. PATIENT ANXIETY AND CAREGIVER STRESS

    Time frame: from baseline to 6 months after fremanezumab therapy

    to evaluate whether the change in anxiety (STATE-TRAIT ANXIETY INVENTORY STAY, range 20-80, from 40 points to higher scores indicate anxiety) symptoms in migraine patients 6 months after starting fremanezumab is associated with the change of stress (Relative Stress Scale) in caregivers

  5. PATIENT DISABILTY AMD CAREGIVER STRESS

    Time frame: from baseline to 6 months after fremanezumab therapy

    to evaluate whether the change in anxiety disability (MiGRAINE DISABILITY ASSESSMENT MIDAS raging from 0 to 270, higher scores indicate greater disability) in migraine patients 6 months after starting fremanezumab is associated with the change of stress (Relative Stress Scale) in caregivers

Study contacts

Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.

Claudia Altamura, MD, PhD

CONTACT

[email protected]

+3906225411270

Luisa Fofi, MD

CONTACT

[email protected]

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Campus Bio-Medico

Other

Collaborators

  • Teva Pharmaceuticals USA

Registry information

Official study title

Improving the Perception of Stress and Mutuality in Caregivers (MI-DEAR Study) of Migraine Patients With Depressive Symptoms Treated With Fremanezumab: A Prospective Real-life Observational Study to Evaluate Whether Fremanezumab Reduces the Impact on Caregivers and Increases Couple Reciprocity

Important dates

Study start
2024
Primary completion
2025
Study completion
2026
First posted
Jun 19, 2025
Registry last updated
Jun 19, 2025

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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