Antimigraine drugs

Migraine is a paroxysmal disorder characterized by attacks of headache, nau sea, vomiting, photophobia, phonophobia, and malaise. This review summarize s new treatment options for therapy of the acute attack. Mild or moderate m igraine attacks are treated with antiemetics followed by analgesics such as aspirin, paracetamol, nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs, or antiemetics combined with ergotamine or dihydroergotamine. Sumatriptan, a specific sero tonin (5-HT)(1B/D) agonist is used when attacks do not respond to ergotamin e, or when intolerable side effects occur. The new migraine drugs zolmitrip tan, naratriptan, rizatriptan, and eletriptan differ slightly in their phar macological profiles, which translates into minor differences in efficacy, headache recurrence, and side effects. New drugs in migraine prophylaxis in clude cyclandelate, valproic acid and magnesium.