Pharmacological Treatment of Headaches Flashcards
What are causes of Secondary HA’s?
- Often Intracranial (deep, aching, dull, not throbbing)
- Brian injury
- Tumor or infection
- Hangover
- Kidney of liver disease
- Dental problems
- Caffeine withdrawal
- HYPERTENSION
What is a Sinus HA?
Pain behind browbone and/or cheekbones.
What is a Cluster HA?
Pain is in and around one eye.
What is a tension HA?
Pain is like a band squeezing the head.
What is a migraine HA?
Pain, nausea and visual changes are typical of classic form.
What is a primary HA?
- Not caused by underlying condition.
- 90% of all HA.
- Females 3X more likely
What are symptoms of migraine?
- Recurrent, paroxysmal attacks of throbbing, pulsating pain, usually unilateral, combined w/ autonomic disturbances.
What is the HIT-6?
- Headache Impact Test.
What is characteristic of episodic migraines?
- 0-14 HA days/mo
- 2.5% progress to chronic
- Contributing factors:
- Obesity
- Smoking
- High caffeine
- Sleep disorder
- Opioid use #1 cause of conversion.
What are the 5 phases of complete migraine attack?
- Prodrome
- Aura
- HA
- Resolution
- Recovery
What is the diagnostic criteria of migraine w/o aura?
- Recurrent HA
- Untreated or unsuccessfully treated HA duration of 4-72 hr AND
- at least 2 of following:
- Unilateral
- Pulsating
- Moderate or severe intensity
- Aggravation by routine physical activity. - Associated with one of the following:
- Nausea/vomiting
- Photophobia or phonophobia.
What is diagnostic criteria for migraine w/ aura?
- Aura less than 60 min before pain.
- Visual disturbances are the most common element of migraine aura.
- blurred cloudy vision
- Scotoma
- Scintillating zigzag lines
- Flashes of light - Sensory, speech and/or language, motor, brainstem.
What is characteristic of chronic migraine?
- Tension-like or migraine-like HA occurring more than 15 days/mo for greater than 3 months w/ migraine features more than 15 days/mo
Consecutive stages in migraine attack?
- Cortical spreading depression
- Extracranial & Intracranial arterial constriction (during aura)
- Extracrania & Intracranial arterial dilation & decreased electrical activity (during attack)
What is Cortical Spreading Depression?
- Self propagating.
- Brief neuronal excitation w/ glutamate and ATP flux and large efflux of K from IC to EC.
- Long-lasting inhibition spreads across brain 2-3mm/min.
Where is cortical spreading depression seen?
Brain regions where greatest neuron to glia ratio.
-Perhaps insufficient glia to take up released K+
What are the overall effects of cortical spreading depression?
- Changes in Extracranial blood flow.
- dilation of middle meningeal artery due to leakage of blood borne factors.
- Opening of BBB
- Leakage of plasma proteins.
What is the vascular theory of Migraines?
- 5-HT release preceding pain phase
- acts on 5HT2 post-synaptic receptors on blood vessels cause vasoconstriction. - 5-HT deficiency during pain phase
- extracranial arterial dilation, associated with decrease of 5-HT release from platelets.
What does extracranial arterial constriction do?
- Decrease regional blood flow
2. May increase prostaglandin production and release.
What is the neurogenic theory of migraines?
- Changes in activity in locus coeruleus.
- Excitation of efferent neurons in trigeminal nuclei
- Release of vasoactive substances
- Vasodilation or arteries of dura mater & plasma protein extravasation (edema)
- Pain & Inflammation
- Sometimes excessive contraction of posterior neck muscles.
What do meningeal nociceptors mediate?
Throbbing pain of migraine.
What do central trigeminovascular neurons mediate?
Cutaneous allodynia
What happens with Triptan overuse?
Increase frequency of migraines, by neural adaptation, producing sensitization, perhaps explaining medication overuse headache.
What is the 3 step approach to migraine treatment?
- Non-specific Tx for mild migraine.
- Specific Tx for moderate-severe pain associated w/ some impairment of function.
- Prophylaxis in a migrainer
What is Non-specific treatment of Migraines?
- Mild Analgesics
- ASA, APAP, NSAIDs - Combination products
- Fiorinal, Fioricet, Excedrin - Isometheptine (alpha, beta agonists vasoconstrictor)
- dichloralphenazone
What are opioid non-specific treatment of acute migraine attacks?
- Butorphanol nasal spray (Stadol)
- abuse, dependence, increased risk of transformed migraine
- ONLY as last resort.
What is Metoclopramide (Reglan)?
- Anti-emetic/gastro (pro-) kinetic agent.
- Pro-kinetic to enhance gastric emptying, enhance absorption of oral agents.
- Reduce N&V
What is the MOA of Pro-kinetic agents?
- 5-HT3 receptor antagonist and 5-HT4 receptor agonist to facilitate ACh release from enteric neurons.
- Peripheral DA2 antagonist on cholinergic enteric neurons.
How does Metoclopramide act as an anti-emetic?
- Central DA2 antagonist
- Inhibits chemoreceptor trigger zone (CTZ) in area postrema.
What is Ondansetron? MOA?
- Anti-emetic, modest prokinetic
2. Inhibit 5-HT3 receptors in GI tract and in CTZ.