title: Drug safety in acute migraine treatment.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  A number of drugs are available for acute migraine treatment, but they are not all effective for all patients and all attacks. The safety profiles of migraine drugs limit their use in patients with certain comorbid conditions, and adverse effects may also reduce the level of patient compliance.
  
  
  METHODS
  The different types of acute migraine drugs are discussed, with particular regard to safety issues and potential adverse effects. The frequent use of analgesics, ergot alkaloids and triptans may result in the development of medication overuse headache (MOH).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The initiation of a migraine attack is not fully understood, and therefore treatment aimed at causative factors is currently not available. The tolerability and adverse effects of the drugs available at present often limit their use. NSAIDs are frequently associated with gastrointestinal, and possibly also cardiovascular side effects. Ergot alkaloids may induce arterial vasoconstriction, while the administration of triptans is contraindicated in cardiovascular, cerebrovascular and peripheral vascular diseases. The frequent use of these drugs poses the risk of the development of MOH. There is a need for pathomechanism-based drugs, and for the future achievement of personalized medicine.
authors.affiliation: University of Szeged, Department of Neurology , Semmelweis u. 6, H-6725 Szeged , Hungary.
authors.forename: János
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tajti
authors.forename: Zsófia
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Majláth
authors.forename: Délia
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Szok
authors.forename: Anett
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Csáti
authors.forename: László
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Vécsei
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000700:Analgesics / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000818:Animals; D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004876:Ergot Alkaloids / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use; D051271:Headache Disorders, Secondary / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D008881:Migraine Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy*; D057285:Precision Medicine / Q000379:methods*; D014363:Tryptamines / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D000700:Analgesics; D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; D004876:Ergot Alkaloids; D014363:Tryptamines
keywords: acute treatment; efficacy; migraine; safety; tolerability