Evaluating the safety and tolerability profile of acute treatments for migraine

Publication date: March 2005Source: The American Journal of Medicine Supplements, Volume 118, Supplement 1Author(s): Vincent T. Martin, James A. GoldsteinAmong the medications that have been used as acute treatments for migraine are nonspecific agents, including nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), analgesics (either single or combination), and narcotics, as well as migraine-specific medications, including ergot alkaloids and triptans (5-hydroxytryptamine 1B/1D agonists). All of these drugs have side effects that vary in type and severity. Side effects of nonspecific medications, including gastrointestinal (GI) and renal effects with NSAIDs and cognitive effects and the potential for abuse with narcotics and butalbital-containing medications, have been documented over time, as these medications have been used for various indications. Side effects of the migraine-specific medications include GI and vascular symptoms with the ergots; for the triptans, they include chest and neurologic symptoms. Although adverse events are reported fairly frequently in patients receiving triptans, they are usually mild, and few patients discontinue therapy because of them. The most serious adverse events are cardiovascular. Because of potential vasoconstrictor effects—mild and transient increases in blood pressure and mild and transient effects on coronary artery tone—triptans as a class are contraindicated in patients with established or clinically suspected cardiovascular disease...
Source: The American Journal of Medicine Supplements - Category: Drugs & Pharmacology Source Type: research