Applied Evidence

Migraine: Expanding our Tx arsenal

J Fam Pract. 2019 January;68(1):10-14,16-24

References

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Treatment begins by having patients identify, and then avoid, migraine triggers (TABLE 5). This can be accomplished by having patients keep a headache diary, in which they can enter notations about personal and environmental situations that precede a headache.

For the individual patient, some triggers are modifiable; others are not. Helping a patient develop strategies for coping with triggers, rather than aiming for complete avoidance, might help her (him) manage those that are inescapable (eg stress, menstruation, etc).³¹ For many patients, however, this is not an adequate intervention and other approaches must be explored. When considering which therapy might be best for a given patient, evaluate her (his) comorbidities and assess that particular treatment for potential secondary benefits and the possibility of adverse effects. Pay attention to the choice of preventive therapy in women who are considering pregnancy because many available treatments are potentially teratogenic.

Oral medications. Oral agents from several classes of drugs can be used for migraine prophylaxis, including anti-epileptics,antidepressants, and antihypertensives (TABLE 6^{20,29,30,32-41}). Selected anti-epileptics (divalproex sodium, sodium valproate, topiramate) and beta-blockers (metoprolol, propranolol, and timolol) have the strongest evidence to support their use.³² Overall, regular use of prophylactic medications can reduce headache frequency by 50% for approximately 40% to 45% of patients who take them.²⁹ However, adherence may be limited by adverse effects or perceived lack of efficacy, thus reducing their potential for benefit.⁴²

OnabotulinumtoxinA. In patients with chronic migraine (≥15 headache days a month for at least 3 months) who have failed oral medications, the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) recommends the use of onabotulinumtoxinA.³⁰ The treatment regimen comprises 31 injections at various sites on the head, neck, and shoulders every 3 months.³³

A 2010 large randomized controlled trial showed a decrease in the frequency of headache days for patients receiving onabotulinumtoxinA compared to placebo after a 24-week treatment period (7.8 fewer headache days a month, compared to 6.4 fewer in the placebo group).³³ A recent systematic review also noted a reduction of 2 headache days a month compared with placebo; the authors cautioned, however, that data with which to evaluate onabotulinumtoxinA in comparison to other prophylactic agents are limited.⁴³

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