Scottish Guideline for Pharmacological management of migraine

Migraine is the most commonly severe form of a primary headache with a global prevalence of around one in seven people. The Global Burden of Disease study ranks migraine as the seventh most common cause of disability worldwide, rising to the third most common cause in the under the 50s. Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network has come out with National Guideline for Pharmacological management of a migraine that has been accredited by NICE.

Key Recommendations -

Acute Therapy

• When starting acute treatment, healthcare professionals should warn patients about the risk of developing a medication‑overuse headache.

Aspirin

• Aspirin (900 mg) is recommended as first‑line treatment for patients with an acute migraine


• Aspirin, in doses for a migraine, is not an analgesic of choice during pregnancy and should not be used in the third trimester of pregnancy

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs

• Ibuprofen (400 mg) is recommended as first-line treatment for patients with an acute migraine. If ineffective, the dose should be increased to 600 mg

Paracetamol

• Paracetamol (1000 mg) can be considered for treatment of patients with an acute migraine who are unable to take other acute therapies


• Due to its safety profile, paracetamol is the first choice for the short‑term relief of mild to a moderate headache during any trimester of pregnancy

Antiemetics

• Metoclopramide (10 mg) or prochlorperazine (10 mg) can be considered in the treatment of a headache in patients with an acute migraine. They can be used either as an oral or parenteral formulation depending on presentation and setting


• Metoclopramide (10 mg) or prochlorperazine (10 mg) should be considered for patients presenting with migraine-associated symptoms of nausea or vomiting. They can be used either as an oral or parenteral formulation depending on presentation and setting


• Metoclopramide should not be used regularly due to the risk of extrapyramidal side-effects

Triptans

• Triptans are recommended as first‑line treatment for patients with an acute migraine. The first choice is sumatriptan (50–100 mg), but others should be offered if sumatriptan fails


• In patients with severe acute migraine or early vomiting, nasal zolmitriptan or subcutaneous sumatriptan should be considered


• Triptans are recommended for the treatment of patients with an acute migraine associated with menstruation


• Sumatriptan can be considered for treatment of an acute migraine in pregnant women in all stages of pregnancy. The risks associated with use should be discussed before commencing treatment

Combination therapies

• Combination therapy using sumatriptan (50–85 mg) and naproxen (500 mg) should be considered for the treatment of patients with an acute migraine.

Preventive Therapy

Beta-blockers

• Propranolol (80–160 mg daily) is recommended as a first-line prophylactic treatment for patients with an episodic or a chronic migraine

Topiramate

• Topiramate (50–100 mg daily) is recommended as a prophylactic treatment for patients with an episodic or a chronic migraine


• Before commencing treatment women who may become pregnant should be advised of the associated risks of topiramate during pregnancy, the need to use effective contraception and the need to seek further advice on migraine prophylaxis if pregnant or planning a pregnancy

Tricyclic antidepressants

• Amitriptyline (25–150 mg at night) should be considered as a prophylactic treatment for patients with an episodic or a chronic migraine


• In patients who cannot tolerate amitriptyline a less sedating tricyclic antidepressant should be considered

Candesartan

• Candesartan (16 mg daily) can be considered as a prophylactic treatment for patients with an episodic or a chronic migraine

Sodium valproate

• Sodium valproate (400–1500 mg daily) can be considered as a prophylactic treatment for patients with an episodic or a chronic migraine


• Prescribers should be aware that sodium valproate is associated with an increased risk of fetal malformations and poorer cognitive outcomes in children exposed to valproate in utero. For women who may become pregnant sodium valproate should only be considered as a prophylactic treatment when:
  
  
  
  • other treatment options have been exhausted
  
  
  • patients are using adequate contraception
  
  
  
  


• Before commencing treatment women should be informed of:
  
  
  
  • the risks associated with taking valproate during pregnancy
  
  
  • the risk that potentially harmful exposure to valproate may occur before a woman is aware she is pregnant
  
  
  • the need to use effective contraception
  
  
  • the need to seek further advice on migraine prophylaxis if pregnant or planning a pregnancy
  
  
  
  


• When prescribing sodium valproate for women who may become pregnant care must be exercised.

Calcium channel blockers

• Flunarizine (10 mg daily) should be considered as a prophylactic treatment for patients with an episodic or a chronic migraine

Gabapentin

• Gabapentin should not be considered as a prophylactic treatment for patients with an episodic or a chronic migraine

Botulinum toxin A

• Botulinum toxin A is not recommended for the prophylactic treatment of patients with an episodic migraine


• Botulinum toxin A is recommended for the prophylactic treatment of patients with a chronic migraine where medication overuse has been addressed and patients have been appropriately treated with three or more oral migraine prophylactic treatments


• Botulinum toxin A should only be administered by appropriately trained individuals under the supervision of a headache clinic or the local neurology service

Menstrual migraine prophylaxis

• Frovatriptan (2.5 mg twice daily) should be considered as a prophylactic treatment in women with a perimenstrual migraine from two days before until three days after bleeding starts


• Zolmitriptan (2.5 mg three times daily) or naratriptan (2.5 mg twice daily) can be considered as alternatives to frovatriptan as the prophylactic treatment in women with a perimenstrual migraine from two days before until three days after bleeding starts


• Women with a menstrual-related migraine who are using triptans at other times of the month should be advised that additional perimenstrual prophylaxis increases the risk of developing medication overuse headache.

A medication-overuse headache

• In patients overusing acute treatment, medication overuse should be addressed


• The choice of strategy to address medication overuse should be tailored to the individual patient and may be influenced by comorbidities. Strategies include:
  
  
  
  • abrupt withdrawal alone and preventative treatment may then be considered after a delay
  
  
  • abrupt withdrawal and immediately starting preventative treatment
  
  
  • starting a preventative treatment without withdrawal
  
  
  
  


• Consider withdrawing regular opioids gradually


• Prednisolone should not be used routinely in the management of patients with a medication-overuse headache.

For full guideline log on to :

http://www.sign.ac.uk/assets/sign155.pdf