title: Antimigraine drugs.
abstract: Migraine is a paroxysmal disorder characterized by attacks of headache, nausea, vomiting, photophobia, phonophobia, and malaise. This review summarizes new treatment options for therapy of the acute attack. Mild or moderate migraine attacks are treated with antiemetics followed by analgesics such as aspirin, paracetamol, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or antiemetics combined with ergotamine or dihydroergotamine. Sumatriptan, a specific serotonin (5-HT)1B/D agonist is used when attacks do not respond to ergotamine, or when intolerable side effects occur. The new migraine drugs zolmitriptan, naratriptan, rizatriptan, and eletriptan differ slightly in their pharmacological profiles, which translates into minor differences in efficacy, headache recurrence, and side effects. New drugs in migraine prophylaxis include cyclandelate, valproic acid and magnesium.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University of Essen, Germany. h.diener@uni-essen.de
authors.forename: H C
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Diener
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kaube
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Limmroth
mesh_terms: D000700:Analgesics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000932:Antiemetics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004878:Ergotamine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D008881:Migraine Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy*; D017366:Serotonin Receptor Agonists / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014662:Vasoconstrictor Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D014839:Vomiting / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology
chemical_list: D000700:Analgesics; D000932:Antiemetics; D017366:Serotonin Receptor Agonists; D014662:Vasoconstrictor Agents; D004878:Ergotamine