Differential sensitivity to morphine challenge in migraine sufferers and headache-exempt subjects.
The effectiveness of a therapeutic dose of morphine in relieving migraine attacks was compared with placebo. Morphine was no more effective than placebo and provoked severe side effects. When low-dose morphine was administered to normal non-headache controls and migraineurs when headache-free, physical and psychologic reactions were induced only in migraineurs. On pupillometric study, only migraineurs had defective morphine-miosis. It is suggested that the observed clinical phenomena in response to morphine can be explained by differences in expression and sensitivity of some opioid receptor subtypes in migraine.
Nicolodi
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Interuniversity Centre of Neurochemistry and Clinical Pharmacology of Idiopathic Headache, Florence, Italy.
D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect / Q000187:drug effects; D001007:Anxiety / Q000139:chemically induced; D003863:Depression / Q000139:chemically induced; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D004351:Drug Resistance; D005260:Female; D006439:Hemodynamics / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008881:Migraine Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism; D015877:Miosis / Q000139:chemically induced; D009020:Morphine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011581:Psychological Tests; D017473:Receptors, Opioid, kappa / Q000187:drug effects*; D017450:Receptors, Opioid, mu / Q000172:deficiency*; D012119:Respiration / Q000187:drug effects; D014839:Vomiting / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology
D017473:Receptors, Opioid, kappa; D017450:Receptors, Opioid, mu; D009020:Morphine