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Query: UMLS:C0018681 (headache)
 56,091 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The postural tachycardia syndrome (POTS) is characterized clinically by orthostatic lightheadedness and tachycardia. When these patients perform a Valsalva maneuver, there is an excessive blood pressure increment after cessation of the maneuver (phase IV) that is sometimes associated with headaches. It is not known whether excessive phase IV is due to excessive peripheral vascular tone (an alpha-adrenergic mechanism) or is a manifestation of increased beta-adrenergic tone (hyperadrenergic state). The authors undertook a pharmacologic study evaluating the effect of intravenous phentolamine (alpha-adrenergic antagonist) and propranolol (beta-adrenergic antagonist) on the different phases of the Valsalva maneuver in a group of patients with POTS and age-matched normal control subjects. Patients with POTS had mean phases, when compared with controls, that were characterized by more negative II_E (p = 0.07), smaller II_L (p = 0.04), and significantly larger phase IV (p = 0.001). The effect of phentolamine was qualitatively and quantitatively different in POTS when compared with controls. Ten mg phentolamine in controls resulted in a significant accentuation of phase II_E (p = 0.001), attenuation of phase II_L (p = 0.002), and increase of phase IV (57.6 vs 30.7 mm Hg; p = 0.025). These changes resembled those of patients with POTS at baseline. In patients with POTS, the phase II abnormalities, already present, were further accentuated (p <0.001), and phase IV became smaller (50.6 vs 73.8 mm Hg; p = 0.09). Propranolol had no significant effect on phases II_E and II_L, but significantly reduced phase IV in both controls (p <0.05) and in patients with POTS (p <0.001) and improved the headache symptoms, when present, during and after phase IV. The authors conclude that phase IV is mainly under beta-adrenergic regulation and that the exaggerated phase IV in POTS is a result of a hyperadrenergic state.
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PMID:Mechanisms of blood pressure alterations in response to the Valsalva maneuver in postural tachycardia syndrome. 1075 Jun 36

To date, there have been no reports on the use of propranolol in electroconvulsive therapy (ECT)-induced migraine; we describe a 32-year-old woman who was successfully treated with propranolol for this condition. Over a course of ECT, the patient developed increasingly severe migraine which was refractory to treatment with acetaminophen, codeine, and naproxen. Sumatriptan did not relieve the headache and aggravated the nausea. Successful migraine relief was achieved with a combination of propranolol and naproxen, administered before and after ECT. Propranolol reduced blood pressure and decreased the heart rate, measured before and immediately after ECT. Propranolol, possibly in combination with naproxen, may be useful in both acute and prophylactic treatment of post-ECT migraine.
Headache 2001 Jan
PMID:Successful use of propranolol in migraine associated with electroconvulsive therapy. 1116 10

Prophylactic drug trials in migraine are long-lasting and expensive and require long-term toxicology information. A human migraine model would therefore be helpful in testing new drugs. Immediate headache and delayed migraine after glyceryltrinitrate (GTN) has been well characterized. We have recently shown that sodium valproate has prophylactic effect in the GTN model. Here we report our experience with propranolol in this model. Nineteen subjects with migraine without aura and 16 sex- and aged-matched healthy subjects were included in a two-centre randomized double-blind cross-over study. Fourteen migraine subjects and 14 healthy subjects completed the study and results from comparison of the 28 subjects are reported. Randomly propranolol 160 mg or placebo were each given daily for 14 days to both migraine and healthy subjects. A 20-min intravenous infusion of GTN 0.25 microg/kg per min was administered on a study day at the end of both pretreatment periods. Headache was registered for 12 h after GTN infusions. Its intensity was scored on a numerical verbal rating scale from 0 to 10. Fulfilment of International Headache Society (HIS) criteria was recorded for 24 h. Radial and superficial temporal artery diameters and blood velocity of both middle cerebral arteries were measured. All migraine subjects developed headache after GTN. No reduction of overall peak headache was found after propranolol (median 5, range 0-7) compared with placebo (median 5, range 0-10) (P = 0.441). Eight of the 14 completing migraine subject developed IHS 1.1 migraine after GTN, two subjects on both days, three subjects only after placebo, and three subjects only after propranolol. No reduction of GTN-induced migraine was found after propranolol compared with placebo (5 vs. 5, P = 1.000). All healthy subjects developed headache after GTN. No reduction of overall peak headache was found after propranolol (median 2, range 1-5) compared with placebo (median 1, range 1-7) (P = 0.315). Two subjects fulfilled IHS criteria 1.1 for migraine without aura after propranolol but not after placebo. The fulfilment was short lasting and did not require rescue medication. Headache after GTN was more pronounced in migraine subjects than in healthy subjects both with (P = 0.003) and without pretreatment with propranolol (P = 0.017). We found that 2 weeks of propranolol constricted the radial artery in healthy subjects but not in migraine subjects. GTN-induced vasodilatation abolished this difference. Mean maximum blood flow velocity in the middle cerebral artery was higher in healthy subjects than in migraine patients (P = 0.003-0.033) and unaffected by propranolol. We observed no effect of propranolol on GTN-induced headache and migraine. This could indicate that GTN induces migraine at a deeper level of the pathophysiological cascade of migraine than the prophylactic effect of propranolol. Propranolol does not constrict cerebral arteries, which therefore cannot be part of its mechanism of action in migraine.
Cephalalgia 2004 Dec
PMID:The effect of propranolol on glyceryltrinitrate-induced headache and arterial response. 1556 22

In a randomized clinical trial the effect of Sodium Valproate in pediatric migraine prophylaxis was compared with that of Propranolol. One hundred and twenty patients with common migraine (migraine without aura) aged from 3 to 15 years who met the defined criteria enrolled into the study. Randomly the patients were divided in two groups of A and B, treating with sodium Valproate and Propranolol, respectively. Three phases of baseline period (phase I), titration and adjustment period (phases II) and fixed -dose treatment period (phase III) have been designed. A total of 57 patients in group A, and 58 patients in group B completed all phases of the trial. Seventy two percent of patients in group A and 69% of patients in group B have responded to Sodium Valproate and Propranolol, respectively, as a reduction of more than 50% in headache frequency per month. Further more both drugs have shown efficacy in reducing the severity and duration of headache and also better response to rescue medications (p value <0.01). There was no significant difference in all previously mentioned therapeutic effects between two groups (p value <0.05).
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PMID:Sodium Valproate versus Propranolol in paediatric migraine prophylaxis. 1612 Apr 82

The aim of prophylactic treatment of migraine is to reduce the frequency and severity of migraine attacks. Identifying relevant trigger factors can help reduce the frequency of migraine attacks. The headache diary is useful to identify trigger factors and pattern of headaches and to assess the efficacy of medication. Prophylactic drugs should be considered when attacks are frequent or severe and the acute treatments such as triptans or NSAIDs are not effective. Lomerizine, propranolol, valproate and amitriptyline are useful. Lomerizine is recommended as the first-line prophylactic drug because it is licensed as a preventive drug for migraine in Japan. If attacks has not improved after using a prophylactic drug for 2 months, the drug can be changed to another drug. Propranolol is particularly useful if a patient has hypertension. Amitriptyline is useful if there is associated depression and/or tension-type headache. Valproate is considered if attacks are frequent. Patients should be informed benefits and potential side-effects of the medicine.
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PMID:[Prophylactic treatment of migraine]. 1621 95

(1) Migraines are characterized by recurrent headaches generally lasting between 4 and 72 hours and disappearing without complication. They can be incapacitating, owing to their frequency and/or intensity. (2) Many drugs have been used to prevent migraines. One of the most common outcome measures used in clinical trials is the proportion of responder patients, defined as those in whom the monthly frequency of migraines is at least halved. On average, about one-third of patients respond to placebo in clinical trials. (3) Propranolol is the betablocker with the best-documented efficacy: in absolute terms the response rate is about 30% higher than with placebo. The adverse effects of betablockers are mainly cardiovascular and neuropsychological. (4) Valproic acid, an anticonvulsant, is about as effective as propranolol, and its adverse effects are generally acceptable. (5) Amitriptyline is the antidepressant with the best-documented preventive effects, with a response rate about 20% higher than placebo. Its principal adverse effects are due to its atropinic action. Amitriptyline can also have a sedative effect. (6) Flunarizine also has documented efficacy, but this "hidden neuroleptic" can cause extrapyramidal disorders and weight gain. (7) Among the serotonergic antagonists, methysergide has documented efficacy but long-term treatment can lead to serious retroperitoneal, pulmonary or cardiac fibrosis. Pizotifen causes drowsiness or weight gain in about 50% of patients. (8) The choice of preventive treatment for migraine must be based on the balance between efficacy (compared to placebo) and adverse effects. In practice, the first choice drug is propranolol. (9) Because the frequency of migraines fluctuates over time, withdrawal of prophylaxis should be attempted on a regular basis, with the patient's consent.
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PMID:Pharmacological prevention of migraine: to be considered case by case. 1712 28

Migraine attacks are characterized as unilateral and pulsating headache with autonomic features. In about 15 % of Migraine patients the attacks are accompanied by, mostly visual, transient focal neurologic disturbances, the migraine aura. Migraine attacks of mild or moderate intensity should initially be treated with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID). A combination with prokinetic and antiemetic drugs like metoclopramide or domperidone has proved to relieve nausea and increase efficacy of the analgesic drugs. In case of severe attacks or lack of treatment efficacy the migraine attacks should be treated with 5-HT (1B/1D) receptor agonists (triptans). Patients that suffer under very frequent and/or very severe migraine attacks should receive a prophylactic treatment. Prophylactic drugs of first choice are Betablockers (Propranolol and Metoprolol), Topiramate and Flunarizine. Prophylactic treatment should be administered over a period of at least 6 - 12 months.
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PMID:[Treatment of migraine]. 1792 97

The Treatment Guideline Subcommittee of the Taiwan Headache Society evaluated the medications currently used for preventive therapy of migraine in Taiwan according to the principles of evidence-based medicine. We assessed the quality of clinical trials, levels of evidence, and referred to other treatment guidelines proposed by Western countries. Throughout several panel discussions, we merged opinions from the subcommittee members in order to propose a Taiwan consensus about the major roles, recommended levels, clinical efficacy, adverse events and cautions of clinical practice for these medications in preventive treatment of migraine. Migraine preventive medications currently available in Taiwan can be categorized into s-blockers, antidepressants, calcium channel blockers, anticonvulsants, nonsteroid anti-inflammatory drugs, botulinum toxin type A and miscellaneous medications. Propranolol has the best level of evidence, and is recommended as the first-line medication for migraine prevention. Valproic acid, topiramate, flunarizine and amitriptyline are suggested as the second-line medications. The rest medications are used when the above medications fail. Botulinum toxin type A did not differ from placebo for episodic migraine prevention but its efficacy in chronic migraine is not determined yet. It is not recommended to use migraine preventive medication during pregnancy. For those women with menstrual migraine, nonsteroid anti-inflammatory drug and triptans can be used for prevention during the menstrual period. The levels of evidence for migraine preventive medications in children/adolescents and elderly population are low. The preventive medications should follow the "start low and go slow" doctrine to reach an effective dosage. This can prevent adverse events and increase tolerance. The efficacy of preventive medications can not be evaluated until 3 to 4 weeks after treatment. If the improvement of migraine maintains for 4 to 6 months, physicians can gradually taper down or off the medications. Physicians should notify the patients not to overuse acute medications during migraine prevention treatment.
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PMID:[Treatment guidelines for preventive treatment of migraine]. 1868 55

Childhood headache is a common condition. For childhood migraine, paracetamol and ibuprofen are the recommended medications. Less evidence is available on the effectiveness of triptans in children and adolescents than in adults, but consideration can be given to nasal sumatriptan and possibly oral rizatriptan, nasal and oral zolmitriptan. Propranolol is the first-line prophylactic medication for migraine. Less evidence exists on the effectiveness of pharmacotherapy for cases of tension headache than for migraine. The majority of children who suffer from recurrent headaches can be effectively treated in the primary health care.
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PMID:[Update on current care guidelines; childhood headache]. 2080 93

Primary headaches are rarely associated with orgasms. Indomethacin at doses of 25-50 mg/day taken 30-60 minutes prior to sexual activity may prevent headaches. Propranolol and metoprolole have been used for headaches that consistently emerge during frequent sexual activity of any type. It is also known that topiramate is useful for treating migraines, but it is rarely used for other primary headaches. The role of topiramate in the treatment of headaches associated with sexual activity is unclear. Indomethacin and propranolol could not be used in our patient who, besides sexual activity-associated headaches, suffered from gastritis and diabetes mellitus. Thus, topiramate (50 mg/day) was used prophylactically, and sexual activity-associated headaches did not recur during 6 months of topiramate therapy. This is the first report of positive response to topiramate as prophylactic treatment against sexual activity-associated headaches when propranolol and indomethacin are contraindicated.
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PMID:Primary headaches associated with sexual activity respond to topiramate therapy: a case report. 2214 Dec 88


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