title: Cinnarizine in migraine prophylaxis: efficacy, tolerability and predictive factors for therapeutic responsiveness. An open-label pilot trial.
abstract: The efficacy and tolerability of cinnarizine (75 mg, at bedtime) in migraine prophylaxis and the presence of possible predictive factors for therapeutic responsiveness were evaluated in an open-label pilot trial. Eighty consecutive outpatients suffering from migraine with or without aura participated in the study. After 12 weeks of therapy, 55 patients experienced a greater than 66% reduction in headache frequency and were considered responders. A significant reduction in the number of migraine days (mean reduction 58 +/- 8%) and in intake of medication to treat acute attacks (mean reduction 55 +/- 11%) was also observed. Cinnarizine was well tolerated, as documented by the low number of adverse effects. Failure to respond to previous prophylactic treatments was a negative predictive factor correlated with a poor prognosis. This study, even bearing in mind its limitations as an open-label trial, suggests that cinnarizine might be an effective prophylactic anti-migraine agent. The clinical characteristics of migraine patients do not help to predict response to treatment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology and Otolaryngology, University "La Sapienza", Rome, Italy. paolo.rossi90@tin.it
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Rossi
authors.forename: Giancarlo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Fiermonte
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pierelli
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002936:Cinnarizine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008881:Migraine Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000517:prevention & control*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers; D002936:Cinnarizine