Therapy of Migraines Flashcards
Mechanism behind migraines?
Vasodilation of intracranial extracerebral blood vessels = activation trigeminal nerves = release vasoactive neuropeptides that interact with dural blood vessels = promote vasodilation and dural plasma extravasation = neurogenic inflammation.
Which neuropeptides are implicated in migraines?
1) Calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP)
2) Neurokinin A
3) Substance P
__ receptors are also implicated in the pathophysiology of migraine headache.
5-HT
What is Pizotifen?
5-HT2 antagonist
What does Pizotifen do?
Prevents migraine attack from starting
Specific antimigraine drugs (ergot alkaloids and triptans) are agonists at vascular and neuronal __ receptor subtypes.
5-HT1
What do specific antimigraine drugs (ergot alkaloids and triptans) cause?
1) Vasoconstriction of meningeal blood vessels
2) Inhibition of vasoactive neuropeptide release and pain signal transmission
What are some nonpharmacologic migraine therapies?
1) Rest or sleep in a dark, quiet environment
2) Regular sleep, exercise, and eating habits, smoking cessation, and limited caffeine intake
3) Identification and avoidance of migraine triggers
4) Behavioral interventions such as relaxation therapy, biofeedback, and cognitive therapy, are preventive treatment options.
Commonly Reported Triggers of Migraine Include:
1) Food triggers
2) Environmental triggers
3) Hormones
4) Behavioral/Physiologic triggers
Which food might trigger migraines?
1) Alcohol
2) Caffeine/caffeine withdrawal
3) Chocolate
4) Fermented and pickled foods
5) Monosodium glutamate [MSG] (in Chinese food, seasoned salt, and instant foods)
6) Nitrate-containing foods (processed meats)
7) Saccharin/aspartame (diet foods or diet sodas)
8) Tyramine-containing foods
Which environmental triggers might cause migraines?
1) Glare or flickering lights
2) High altitude
3) Loud noises
4) Strong smells and fumes
5) Tobacco smoke
6) Weather changes
Which Hormones changes might trigger, intensify, or alleviate migraines?
Changes in estrogen levels (menarche, menstruation, pregnancy, menopause, and OCPs)
A drop in ___ precipitates migraine attacks.
Estrogen
Which behavioral/physiologic triggers might cause migraines?
1) Excess or insufficient sleep
2) Fatigue
3) Menstruation, menopause
4) Sexual activity
5) Skipped meals
6) Strenuous physical activity (prolonged overexertion)
7) Stress or post-stress
What are the goals of acute migraine treatment?
1) Terminate migraine attacks rapidly
2) Reduce recurrence rate significantly
3) Restore the patient’s ability to function normally
4) Cause minimal or no therapy-related adverse effects
What are the goals of long-term migraine treatment?
1) Reduce migraine frequency, severity, and disability
2) Reduce reliance on poorly tolerated, ineffective, or unwanted acute pharmacotherapies!
3) Improve quality of life
4) Prevent headache
5) Avoid escalation of headache-medication use!
6) Educate and enable patients to manage their disease
7) Reduce headache-related distress and psychological symptoms
____ is the mainstay of treatment for most migraine patients.
Drug therapy
Acute (Abortive) therapies can be divided into:
1) Migraine-specific
2) Migraine non-specific
What are some migraine-specific drugs?
1) Ergots
2) Triptans
What are some migraine non-specific drugs?
1) Analgesics
2) Antiemetics
3) NSAIDs
4) Corticosteroids
When are migraine drugs most effective?
When administered at the onset of migraine
Initial treatment of migraines is based on:
1) Headache-related disability
2) Symptom severity
It is advised to use ___(specific/nonspecific) agents for mild - moderate headache NOT causing disability.
Non-specific
The absorption and efficacy of orally administered drugs can be compromised by ___that accompany migraine.
1) Gastric stasis
2) Nausea and vomiting
What should you do when
nausea and vomiting accompanying migraines are severe?
Pretreatment with antiemetic agents or the use of non-oral
treatment (suppositories, nasal sprays, or injections)
What are the classes of migraine therapies?
1) Analgesics
2) NSAIDs
3) Ergot alkaloids
4) Serotonin agonists (Triptans)
5) Miscellaneous
Which analgesics are used for migraines?
Acetaminophen
Which NSAIDs are used for migraines?
1) Aspirin
2) Ibuprofen
3) Naproxen
4) Diclofenac
Which Serotonin agonists (Triptans) are used for migraines?
1) Sumatriptan
2) Zolmitriptan
3) Rizatriptan
4) Almotriptan
5) Frovatriptan
6) Eletriptan
Which Ergot alkaloids are used for migraines?
1) Ergotamine/caffeine
2) Dihydroergotamine
Which Miscellaneous drugs are used for migraines?
1) Metoclopramide
2) Prochlorperazine
The frequent or excessive use of acute migraine medications
can result in:
Medication-overuse headache (Rebound headache)
What happens in rebound headache?
The headache returns as the medication is eliminated, leading to use of more drug for relief
How do rebound headaches present?
The patient experiences a daily or near-daily headache with superimposed episodic migraine attacks.
What happens when you discontinue a drug during rebound headaches?
Gradual decrease in headache frequency and severity and a return of the original headache characteristics
Is drug detoxification done on an outpatient or inpatient basis?
Outpatient