title: [Tricyclic antidepressant therapy in headache].
abstract: The two most important representatives of the primary headaches are migraine and tension-type headache. More than 10% of the population suffer from migraine and even a greater part, approximately 30-40% from tension-type headache. These two headache types have a great effect both on the individual and on the society. There are two types of therapeutic approaches to headaches: the abortive and the prophylactic therapy. Prophylactic treatment is used for frequent and/or difficult-to-treat headache attacks. Although both migraine and tension-type headache are often associated with depression, for their treatment - in contrast to the widespread medical opinion - not all antidepressants were found to be effective. Amitriptyline, which is a tricyclic antidepressant, is used as a prophylactic therapy for headache since 1968. Its efficacy has been demonstrated in several double-blind, placebo-controlled studies. Although the newer types of antidepressant, such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and selective serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor, have a more favorable side-effect profile than tricyclic antidepressants, their headache prophylactic effect has not been proven yet.
authors.affiliation: Semmelweis University Szentágothai János Doctoral School of Neuroscience, Budapest, Hungary. ertsey.csaba@med.semmelweis-univ.hu.
authors.forename: Máté
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Magyar
authors.forename: Éva
authors.initials: É
authors.lastname: Csépány
authors.forename: Tamás
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Gyüre
authors.forename: György
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bozsik
authors.forename: Dániel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bereczki
authors.forename: Csaba
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ertsey
mesh_terms: D000929:Antidepressive Agents, Tricyclic / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D006261:Headache / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans
chemical_list: D000929:Antidepressive Agents, Tricyclic