New Developments in Migraine Headache

  • Recent studies indicated that a sumatriptan/naproxen sodium combination single tablet relieves migraine headache better than either drug individually but this is not yet available. To read more about this, please click on the following link: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?Db=PubMed&Cmd=ShowDetailView&TermToSearch=17501849&ordinalpos=13&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.PubmedResultsPanel.PubmedRVDocSum

  • Drugs that are under investigation as preventive treatments for migraine include:

    • Candesartan (Atacand)
    • Lisinopril (Zestril)
    • Atenolol (Tenormin)
    • Metoprolol (Toprol XL)
    • Nadolol (Corgard)
    • Fluoxetine (Prozac)
    • Verapamil

  • Research on the use of botulinum toxin A continues as studies to date show:

    • Significantly fewer attacks a month
    • Reduced severity of pain
    • Reduced number of days of medication for break-through headache pain (pain despite having taken medication)
    • Reduced incidence of vomiting
  • Levetiracetam is a new anticonvulsant that may be effective for prevention of refractory migraine headaches.
  • Zonisamide is a medication available in Japan and Korea which may be effective as a migraine preventive medication
  • A recent study (2007) in the journal Pediatrics has reported that zolmitriptan nasal spray was well tolerated and effective on a group of 248 adolescents who took part in a multicenter randomized trial. To read more about this study, please click on the following link: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?Db=PubMed&Cmd=ShowDetailView&TermToSearch=17671066&ordinalpos=16&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.PubmedResultsPanel.PubmedRVDocSum
  • Tizamidine may be effective for relief of chronic daily headache.
  • In ongoing efforts to better understand the underlying mechanism of pain that leads to migraine headache, scientists are focusing on receptors in the brain that are responsible for maintaining or inhibiting pain.
  • Scientists are also investigating the role that the neurotransmitter dopamine may play in the development of migraine headache. A recent study published in Headache reported that 3 women who had comorbid psychiatric conditions experienced a decrease in migraine frequency and severity after taking aripiprazole, a dopamine agonist. To read the summary of this study, please click on the following link: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?Db=PubMed&Cmd=ShowDetailView&TermToSearch=17578547&ordinalpos=10&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.PubmedResultsPanel.PubmedRVDocSum
  • Researchers are investigating the mechanisms underlying the presence of comorbidities of migraine headaches and psychiatric disorders. It appears that the comorbidity is higher in people with transformed migraine than in those with episodic migraine and also in people who experience an aura than those who do not. The article appears in Journal of the Neurological Sciences 2007 May; 28 Suppl2:S161-5.
  • A randomized control study published recently in the journal Headache by researchers in India showed that subjects with migraine headache without aura who were treated with yoga therapy over a period of three months experienced a significant reduction of migraine headache, pain severity, and associated symptoms of depression and anxiety. To read more about this, please click on the following link: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?Db=PubMed&Cmd=ShowDetailView&TermToSearch=17501846&ordinalpos=16&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.PubmedResultsPanel.PubmedRVDocSum
  • There were several studies completed in the 1990's which reported efficacy of hyperbaric oxygen as an abortive treatment for acute migraine. This treatment however, it was not widely used in part because of the impracticality of going to a treatment center with the onset of an acute headache. An article by researchers re-examining the use of hyperbaric oxygen as an abortive therapy for acute migraine headache was published in 2006 in Current Pain and Headache Reports. For more information about this article, please click on the following link: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?Db=pubmed&Cmd=ShowDetailView&TermToSearch=16539861&ordinalpos=1&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.PubmedResultsPanel.PubmedRVDocSum