14 best migraine medications

Review of the best according to the editorial board. On the selection criteria. This material is subjective and does not constitute advertising and does not serve as a purchase guide. Before buying, you need to consult with a specialist.

What is a migraine? This disease has been known since ancient times. Even in the ancient world, it was called hemicrania, which literally means 'half of the head'. Pontius Pilate had such an illness, and his sufferings are very colorfully described in the cult novel by M. A. Bulgakov 'The Master and Margarita'.

Despite its ancient history, migraine still keeps its secrets. Here are some of them: migraine cannot be diagnosed using any research method, even the most advanced one. Neither computed tomography nor magnetic resonance imaging will show it. No instrumental way can do this.

Why is this so? The fact is that migraine refers to angiocephalgia, or headache of vascular origin, and is completely reversible, without any changes in the vessels. Without going into details, we can only say that at first the vessels of the brain narrow, or experience a spasm. The patient does not feel this phase in any way. But after the spasmodic vessels expand, they do it in excess. And such a rapid and excessive vasodilation causes an attack of the characteristic headache. After that, the vessels regain their normal, physiological tone, and after an attack, no data for this disease exists, except for the colorful story of the patient himself. Therefore, migraine is still diagnosed by questioning the patient, if there are special signs of this disease.

The second secret of migraine is that sometimes the abolition of all the medications that the patient has been treated with unsuccessfully for many years leads to an improvement or even recovery. In some cases, refusing to consume large amounts of chocolate, nuts and cheese leads to the disappearance of headaches, and in young women, stopping the use of oral contraceptives described in the previous rating also quite often leads to a complete recovery from all seizures.

Finally, migraines are often not diagnosed at all because patients mistake them for a common headache and do not see a doctor. How to define this condition? Therefore, before listing effective and popular medicines for the treatment of migraine, you should name the necessary criteria for this disease, so that the reader can compare them with the facts and complaints that are available.

When can we talk about migraines?

Migraine has characteristic symptoms. These are attacks of headache, most often unilateral. Usually the pain is dull at the beginning, and then it begins to throb and intensify. Very often, this throbbing pain is localized in the eye, and greatly limits the patient's activity and worsens his quality of life. Most often, such attacks occur once or twice a month, and the onset of the disease occurs in adolescence or adolescence. In some cases, women have a clear connection between migraine and menstruation. A typical migraine attack proceeds as follows.

In the beginning, before the onset of a headache, a person's mood and appetite and behavior change. An hour before it begins, various visual disorders most often occur. The patient sees flashes of light, zigzags, balls, or dots. Sometimes, however, less often, various sensations of numbness and tingling in the extremities occur. Very rarely, weakness or transient speech disorders occur. This condition is called migraine aura.

Then there is a headache attack, which can last from 4 hours to three days. During this period, besides the typical throbbing pain, nausea or vomiting, severe intolerance to light and sound, the patient is very anxious to retire in a dark, cool and quiet room, and one of the ways to alleviate the condition is to pull the head with a towel or handkerchief, or squeeze it . Usually vomiting occurs at the height of the headache, and patients are very much looking forward to it, because they know that after vomiting their condition improves. Then everything subsides, and the patient gets a light gap until the next attack.

This rating includes funds that are indicated both for the treatment of an attack, when the headache has already begun, and for the prevention of migraine. Consider pills, from the mildest to the most potent. They are used to treat severe forms of migraine, moderate and conditions in which work capacity is not significantly impaired.

Rating of the best drugs for migraine

Nomination	a place	Name of product	price
The best medications for treating migraine attacks	1	Citramon ultra (Askofen – P)	91 rbl.
	2	Sedalgin-Neo	207 r
	3	Kaffetin	RUB 96
	4	Solpadein (Passage)	84 rbl.
Best triptans: treating severe seizures	1	Imigran (Amigrenin, Sumamigren, Rapimed, Sumig, Trimigren) = sumatriptan	262 r
	2	Zomig (Migrepam) = zolmitriptan	750 RUB
	3	Relpax	390 RUB
The best ergotamine preparations	1	Bellataminal	140 RUB
	2	Ergotamine	190 RUB
	3	Nomigren	RUB 524
The best drugs to prevent migraines	1	Amitriptilline	28 RUB
	2	Anaprilin (obzidan, propranolol)	RUB 46
	3	Verapamil	RUB 57
	4	Valproates: Konvulex, Depakine, Depakine – chrono	133 rbl.

The best medications for treating migraine attacks

The rating of remedies for the treatment of migraine reveals the mildest remedies with which the treatment of this angiocephalgia is usually started. These are non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, many of which contain caffeine, which is intended to constrict overly dilated blood vessels. Some of these drugs contain codeine, and they are prescribed only with special prescriptions, and you cannot simply buy them at the pharmacy. But they are the very good drugs that can help relieve the attack of a typical and throbbing headache.

Remedies for low-intensity pain that slightly impairs quality of life:

Citramon ultra (Askofen – P)

Rating: 4.9

Many of us are familiar with Citramon since childhood, which is prescribed for headaches. One of the active drugs is the modification of Citramon Ultra. This product contains caffeine, acetylsalicylic acid and paracetamol. This combination is a successful combination that can help reduce headaches associated with excessive dilation of blood vessels. The ingredients are selected in such a way that they mutually potentiate, or enhance each other's action. At the onset of a migraine attack, it is necessary to take from 1 to 3 tablets for adults 3 times a day, but not more than 6 tablets. Citramon is produced by many domestic companies, for example, the Obolenskoye enterprise, Farmvilar, and other manufacturers. The average cost of one package of Citramon Ultra in 20 tablets is 70 rubles.

Advantages and disadvantages

The advantage of this medication is its mild action, minor contraindications, which include the period of pregnancy and lactation, children under 15 years of age (aspirin intolerance). Citramon is widespread in pharmacies, and it is not difficult to get it. It is a cheap drug and can be used as a starting point for migraine treatment. The disadvantage is the inability of Citramon to stop serious migraine attacks associated with a prolonged course of headache.

There are many medications that contain caffeine in combination with other NSAIDs, and we will not list all of them. Therefore, we will move on to the funds that are prescribed according to special recipes, because they contain codeine.

Sedalgin-Neo

Rating: 4.8

This medicine is more serious, because, in addition to caffeine and paracetamol, which is part of the previous drug, it also contains analgin, or metamizole sodium, the anticonvulsant component phenobarbital, and the narcotic component codeine. Therefore, Sedalgin Neo will not be sold to you in pharmacies just like that, since it contains an opioid drug. But it is more effective for migraine than Citramon, and in addition to reducing vascular headache, the agent reduces intracranial pressure, after an attack it increases psychomotor activity, as well as mental and physical performance. It is necessary for adult patients to use this medicine, one tablet three or four times a day, but not more than 6 tablets. Sedalgin Neo is produced by the Bulgarian company Balkanfarma, and a pack of 10 tablets costs 200 rubles.

Advantages and disadvantages

The disadvantage of Sedalgin Neo, like all other drugs containing codeine, is a delicate situation. On the one hand, they help well against migraines and vascular headaches, but on the other hand, they are not special anti-migraine drugs, and therefore doctors prescribe them with some resistance, since it is necessary to carefully justify the appointment of codeine-containing drugs. On the other hand, this remedy helps some so much that it is a favorite medicine, and they visit doctors only to write out such prescriptions. Also, overdose phenomena can be considered a disadvantage, when drowsiness, dry mouth, weakness and dizziness occur. It is not recommended to take a large dose of the drug at night, since codeine can lead to respiratory depression, especially in patients with sleep apnea syndrome, chronic hypoxia and large body weight.

Treatment of moderate seizures

Kaffetin

Rating: 4.7

The composition of Kaffetin includes the opioid narcotic component codeine, the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug paracetamol, caffeine, and propyphenazone, which has a psychostimulating effect. Among the indications for the use of Kaffetin, migraine is in the first place, and only then is pain of another origin, for example, muscle pain, toothache, joint pain and its other varieties. But nowadays, it is difficult to imagine a doctor who would prescribe a medicine for muscle or joint pain that includes codeine. But in relation to migraine, Caffetin is highly active, helping to return the vessels to normal tone and reduce pain.

This drug is prescribed one tablet from 3 to 4 times a day, and if the patient is taken by surprise with a strong one-sided and throbbing headache with nausea, then you can take two tablets at once with severe pain. It is not recommended to take more than 6 tablets during the day, and the course of treatment should not exceed 5 days without consulting a doctor. Kaffetin is produced by the Macedonian pharmaceutical company Alkaloid, and one package of 12 tablets will cost about 180 rubles.

Advantages and disadvantages

The disadvantage of Kaffetin is the difficulty in prescribing the drug, because if only Kaffetin helps, as sometimes happens, then there is a need to convince the doctor (if he could not come to see his specialist) that you need this particular remedy. This drug is also not always available in pharmacies. But in the event that a patient has a typical migraine and Caffetin helps him, then the person constantly carries pills with him, and never part with them. However, it must be remembered that this remedy is contraindicated in severe liver and kidney disorders, with a reduced number of leukocytes, and other disorders of hematopoiesis. It should not be taken for anxiety and panic attacks, with severe arterial hypertension, with insomnia, as well as during pregnancy and lactation. In addition, the drug also has side effects, such as increased excitability and palpitations.

Solpadein (Passage)

Rating: 4.7

Solpadein is also a relatively difficult drug to obtain. It contains three simple ingredients that work well for the common type of migraine. These are codeine, caffeine and paracetamol. Codeine and caffeine are also called psycholeptics, and one of them is an opioid narcotic analgesic. As in the past, migraine is the first and main indication for this drug. The product is available in capsules, tablets, or dissolving tablets.

Solpadein is used two tablets, three or four times a day, but no more than 4 times, and no more than 8 tablets a day. With severe headache, it can also be shown to children, but the maximum dosage is half that, and children should not be given more than 1 tablet per dose. Solpadein is produced by the well-known company Glaxo Smith Klein, and the cost of one package with 12 dissolving tablets is 195 rubles.

Advantages and disadvantages

Both advantages and disadvantages are common to this remedy with drugs that contain codeine and caffeine. It is contraindicated in severe bronchial asthma and respiratory failure, with increased intracranial pressure, during pregnancy. When breastfeeding, Solpadein 'can be used, but always after consulting a doctor.' This phrase in the instructions, for Russian conditions, is obviously meaningless, since it is impossible to buy the drug without a doctor's prescription in Russia. The most common side effects are nausea, dizziness, insomnia, and nervous agitation with a tendency to constipation. But in the event that the drug is selected correctly, and the dosage does not exceed the specified limits, then it significantly alleviates the patient's condition with migraine, and relieves uncomplicated headache well.

Best triptans: treating severe seizures

We have listed some over-the-counter and prescription drugs that, in some cases, are directly indicated for the treatment of migraines, but are not specifically designed to combat this pathology. Therefore, no more than 10% of all patients with migraine will be fully satisfied with the drugs listed above.

Triptan medicines are much more effective. These drugs constrict the arteries in the brain, which will dilate during migraine attacks, and cause headaches. When triptans are used, especially 2 generations, headache, nausea and vomiting disappear very quickly. But, during treatment, you cannot immediately start triptans, and start with them. These drugs are 'heavy artillery', and you should first try treating migraines with no medication at all, or NSAIDs combined with caffeine.

In no case should you use drugs from the triptan group for the prevention of migraine, when the head still does not hurt, but it can get sick. Why is this so? These drugs constrict the blood vessels in the brain. And in the event that they are overly expanded, then triptans help relieve pain. And if they have not yet expanded, then triptans will narrow them to such an abnormal state that this will significantly reduce cerebral blood flow.

And in the event that the patient has any risk factors, for example, atherosclerosis of the cerebral arteries, then such unreasonable use of triptans for prevention can even lead to a stroke. They should be taken only when the attack begins and there are already symptoms of a typical headache. Consider the main drugs from this group that are used by doctors.

Imigran (Amigrenin, Sumamigren, Rapimed, Sumig, Trimigren) = sumatriptan

Rating: 4.9

The first drug created specifically for the treatment of migraines and migraine-like angiocephalgia, and it affects the exchange of serotonin. By its chemical structure, it is a selective agonist of serotonin receptors. It stimulates these receptors, which are located in the blood vessel wall of the arterial link in the brain, and their stimulation leads to vasoconstriction. A pronounced clinical effect associated with a decrease in headache and painful migraine symptoms, on average, develops 40 minutes after taking one 100 mg tablet, or 15 minutes after intranasal administration.

Intranasal administration is the introduction of a spray into the nostril, since the agent is also available in this form. It is very important that the spray should be sprayed into the nostril on the side of the headache. An immigrant is able to relieve seizure symptoms in more than 70% of all patients. In the event that after taking the drug or injecting a spray no improvement effect followed, then within a day you can take a second dose. At the same time, the maximum dosage of Imigran during the day should not exceed 300 mg when taking tablets, that is, three tablets of 100 mg or 6 tablets of 50 mg, and with intranasal administration, the number of two doses of 20 mg spray in each should not be exceeded.

Imigran, which is the original drug, is produced by Glaxo Smith Klein. A package containing 2 tablets of 100 mg each costs an average of 400 rubles, and a nasal spray will cost 500 rubles. for a small package. The domestic analogue Amigrenin in the same dose for tablets will cost 188 rubles, and Sumamigren (Polpharma) will cost 135 rubles.

Advantages and disadvantages

Imigran's advantages are obvious. It is the 'gold standard' and the first special anti-migraine drug with a large evidence base, it was created specifically for the relief of migraine attacks. The effectiveness of this tool was mentioned above. However, it also has side effects, which are most often expressed as a feeling of tightness in the chest, as well as a rush of blood to the head. In addition, Imigran cannot be prescribed to patients in whom the doctor suspects any cardiac pathology without a preliminary examination. The drug is prescribed with great care in patients with epilepsy, with severe liver and kidney damage. Therefore, Imigran is sold by prescription, and it is necessary to start treatment with the minimum dosage – using a 50 mg tablet, or one spray per day in the presence of typical pain.

Zomig (Migrepam) = zolmitriptan

Rating: 4.8

Zomig contains zolmitriptan, a second-generation triptan drug. It is also able to relieve painful migraine attacks well, reduce the excruciating feeling of nausea, eliminate sound and photophobia. Usually, the effect appears within an hour after taking the drug, and the recommended dosage for stopping an attack is taking one 2.5 mg tablet.

If the pain persists, then within a day, in the same way as with Imigran, you can take the same dose again, but not earlier than 2 hours after taking the first pill. As in previous cases, it is important to take this remedy as early as possible, but only when the head is already ill. Care should be taken in the presence of repeated attacks so that the maximum daily dosage does not exceed 15 mg in any case. Zomig is produced by the company Astra Zeneca, and its price is quite high. In addition, there are domestic analogues. So, the drug Migrepam, which is produced by the domestic company Obolenskoye, will cost only 216 rubles per package of 2 tablets at the same dosage.

Advantages and disadvantages

Zomig is a second-generation drug, which favorably distinguishes it with an early onset of action: on average, the pain disappears or significantly decreases after 20 minutes. He has a very low dose compared to Imigran. The efficiency of Zomig is also higher, if for Imigran it was 70%, then for Zolmitriptan it was already 80%. The need for repeated administration of this medication is also reduced, it is required only in every fifth patient. In addition, zolmitriptan can be used in patients with cardiovascular pathology, but still at the discretion of the doctor. Zomig's side effects are significantly less pronounced. It can also be used to treat migraine status, or a serious condition in which the headache lasts longer than 72 hours, and in some cases up to 5 days.

Relpax

Rating: 4.8

Relpax, or eletriptan, is also a modern drug from the triptan group. Its advantage is that it activates serotonin receptors, which are located mainly in the carotid arteries, and therefore, Relaxax is more inclined to influence the cerebral vessels than receptors in other parts of the arterial bed, for example, in the coronary arteries.

It is available in the form of tablets of 20 and 40 mg, and to stop a severe migraine attack, you need to take one 40 mg tablet, and, as in previous cases, and if the pain resumed within a day, you can take the same dosage again. If, 2 hours after the first dose, the headache has not passed, then you can repeat the intake of the same dose, but not earlier than 2 hours later. The drug is produced by the German company Pfizer, and the cost of a package consisting of 2 40 mg tablets is 550 rubles.

Advantages and disadvantages

The advantage of Relpax can also be called its high efficiency, but its main advantage is its selective, selective effect on the vessels of the brain. There is no need to explain that the narrowing of all arterial vessels (non-selective action) is not always necessary, and even harmful. If there is a spasm of the coronary arteries, then a shortage of blood flow is possible, this is what doctors fear for cardiovascular pathology, carefully checking patients for coronary heart disease. The drug Relaxax practically does not have such side effects, and due to this, it can be more successfully prescribed in elderly patients with an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases, in particular with coronary artery disease.

Moreover, like any potent drug, it has symptoms of an overdose with the development of high blood pressure, and there is a list of contraindications, such as lactation, pregnancy, severe liver disease. Do not combine this drug with ergotamine or its derivatives. It is also contraindicated for the treatment of special forms of migraine, which include hemiplegic, basilar or ophthalmoplegic migraine, since this disease does not always proceed exactly as described above.

The best ergotamine preparations

It would seem that triptans are quite enough to stop severe migraine attacks. What then is the next group of preparations of ergotamine, or ergot alkaloid, for? These funds help patients who have the very first phase of a migraine attack, or the prodromal stage, which sometimes begins even a few days or hours before the headache. Some of its features have been described above. It is to these patients that ergotamine is prescribed.

It can be introduced into the body in tablets by mouth, sublingually under the tongue, in the form of rectal suppositories, intravenously, and even in the form of inhalation. Since patients with migraine often feel sick, ergotamine is most often used for resorption, in the form of tablets under the tongue, and also rectally. Usually, a single dose that relieves a migraine attack is 2 mg, and no more than three such doses can be taken during one attack during the day. The interval should not be less than half an hour. There is a significant limitation: within one week, with frequent attacks, ergotamine preparations can be taken no more than 9 times. Let's list some of the tools from this group.

Bellataminal

Rating: 4.9

Bellataminal is the mildest drug that belongs to sedatives, and contains, in addition to ergotamine tartrate, belladonna alkaloids and phenobarbital. But the dose of ergotamine in it is quite small, and one tablet contains only 0.3 mg of it. Therefore, this drug is used in patients with mild migraines. This remedy is shown for use, one tablet 3 times a day after meals, and with the onset of migraine pains, the dosage can be doubled. In addition to migraine, Bellataminal is indicated for nervous excitability and neuroses, with the development of insomnia. This drug is produced by the domestic company Farmvilar, and one package of 30 tablets can be purchased at an average price of 145 rubles.

Advantages and disadvantages

The advantage of this drug is its mild action, and the ability to use it for mild forms of migraine. At the same time, it is inexpensive, but it is not always possible to get it in pharmacies. He has contraindications such as pregnancy, vascular spasm, glaucoma. In addition, it can cause side effects such as dry mouth and drowsiness, and in case of an overdose – dilated pupils, dizziness and urinary retention.

Ergotamine

Rating: 4.8

Ergotamine is available in the form of ergotamine hydrotartrate, and in addition to the vasoconstrictor, that is, the vasoconstrictor effect, it significantly increases the tone of the uterine muscles.

Attention! Ergotamine and its analogs are categorically contraindicated in patients with migraine during pregnancy.

It is also contraindicated in migraine, which is accompanied by focal neurological disorders, that is, visual impairment, weakness in the limbs or speech disorder. Therefore, ergotamine should be prescribed only by a qualified specialist who deals with the treatment of vascular headaches.

For migraines, the drug is prescribed a few hours before the expected attack, while the drug is conveniently used in drops, 20 drops per dose. At the onset of a headache, either one 2 mg tablet or two tablets are taken under the tongue. After 2 hours, if ineffective, you can take another 2 mg tablet under the tongue, but within 24 hours the dose of 10 mg cannot be exceeded.

Advantages and disadvantages

The advantage of ergotamine can be considered high activity in patients with a pronounced prodromal phase, the presence of various dosage forms intended for very different administration, and the disadvantage is a pronounced shortage of these drugs in pharmacies. In addition, ergotamine has many contraindications, and it is especially important that it is not prescribed to pregnant women at any period of gestation.

Nomigren

Rating: 4.7

This medication is a combination anti-migraine medication that contains five different ingredients, including ergotamine at a dosage of 0.75 mg per tablet. In addition, the tablet contains caffeine, propiphenazone and other components. As a result, in addition to the anti-migraine effect, the agent produces an analgesic and antispasmodic effect. Nomigren is indicated for migraine with a pronounced prodromal period, with other angiocephalgic syndromes, and it is necessary to take the medicine at the very beginning of the attack.

The maximum dose is two tablets, after half an hour you can take another tablet or two if the condition has not improved. The maximum daily dose is 4 tablets, and the maximum weekly dose is no more than 10 tablets. It is not recommended to use the drug for a long time, over 7 days. Nomigren is produced by the Bosnian company Bosnalak, one pack of 10 tablets costs 540 rubles.

Advantages and disadvantages

Like other ergotamine preparations, Nomigren is highly effective in case of a pronounced prodromal period, but it cannot be used for prophylaxis, but only if a headache attack has already begun. In case of an overdose, there may be nausea or vomiting, the appearance of general weakness and tinnitus. It is undesirable to prescribe it with other vasoconstrictor drugs, as this can lead to severe hypertensive crisis.

Caution: ergotism! Ergotamine preparations should not be taken for more than 7 days, because with prolonged use, so-called ergotism, or persistent and prolonged spasm of peripheral blood vessels, may occur.

This can manifest itself as severe sensory disturbances in the fingers, their paleness, cyanosis, even a decrease in vascular pulsation and the development of persistent ischemia, which, in the presence of aggravating factors, such as obliterating endarteritis in the elderly, can even lead to gangrene. Therefore, treatment with ergotamine preparations should be carried out only under the supervision of a physician.

The best drugs to prevent migraines

Means for the prevention of migraine should be used outside the attack, when there is no pain, and this is what they are intended for. Interestingly, many drugs that have been successfully used for this purpose do not have the indication of 'migraine prophylaxis' in the official guidelines. But this practice has long been known, and is used quite often. The introduction of such indications into the official instructions is very difficult, since this requires a revision of the drug, its re-registration, expensive research, which is completely unprofitable for the manufacturer, since the drug is well sold anyway.

Means for the prevention of migraine should not always be prescribed, and not to everyone, but only if the patient has a frequency of attacks more than 2 times a month, and if these attacks systematically disrupt his daily activity and ability to work.

Amitriptilline

Rating: 4.9

Amitriptyline is an old and fairly well-known tricyclic antidepressant, but the ability to prevent a migraine attack is not at all related to this antidepressant effect. Amitriptyline is best for migraine headaches at a dosage of 25 mg, given at night, because at the very beginning of the appointment, the drug can cause drowsiness. Then the dosage is gradually increased by 25 mg, that is, by one tablet every week, for a month. The average dose of amitriptyline that 'works' is 100 mg per day, and the maximum dose is 200 mg per day. Amitriptyline is produced by a large number of domestic manufacturers, for example, the pharmaceutical association Ozone, and the average cost of a package of 50 tablets of 25 mg is only 30 rubles.

Advantages and disadvantages

The advantage of amitriptyline is its low cost and widespread availability in pharmacies of any form of ownership, and the disadvantage is the need to prescribe it with a prescription, and side effects at dosages close to the maximum. The patient may develop dry mouth, drowsiness, urinary retention, or constipation. In some cases, the patient's body weight increases, and in this case, prophylaxis of migraine with amitriptyline should be canceled.

Anaprilin (obzidan, propranolol)

Rating: 4.8

This drug is widely known, and is used in cardiology to reduce blood pressure and to treat tachycardia, or heart palpitations. The drug belongs to the group of beta-blockers, and has long and successfully contributed to the prevention of migraine attacks. The average dosage of propranolol for the prevention of migraine is 80 mg per day, and if necessary, this dosage can be doubled and brought to 160 mg per day, but pulse control is imperative, since the drug can slow the number of heart contractions. In any case, the patient's heart rate at rest should not be less than 60 beats per minute. Propranolol is produced by a large number of different pharmaceutical companies, and it is inexpensive. So, one package of 50 tablets weighing 40 mg will cost, on average, 24 rubles

Advantages and disadvantages

Most often, propranolol is well tolerated. But in some cases, special care must be taken, patients with bronchial asthma may have bronchospasm and an attack. If the patient leads a sports lifestyle, or he has regular physical activity, then against the background of a significant load, the patient will have a low heart rate, and this will lead to a deficiency in blood flow. As clinical practice shows, a large number of women suffering from migraine, for some reason, attend aerobics and fitness, therefore, such prevention with beta-blockers is contraindicated for them. If the patient tolerates this remedy well, his typical attacks become less frequent and go away more gently.

Verapamil

Rating: 4.8

In the event that a patient needs a remedy for the prevention of migraine, but he cannot be prescribed either Anaprilin or Amitriptyline, then drugs from the group of calcium antagonists are successfully used. Verapamil for migraine is prescribed at a starting dosage of 180 mg at night, if necessary, you can increase it for a month, and bring it to a dosage of 240 mg, this remedy is also taken once at night. As a rule, Verapamil is well tolerated, the cost is low, and a package of 30 tablets weighing 40 mg each will cost only 40 rubles, and Verapamil is produced by the Macedonian company Alkaloid.

Advantages and disadvantages

Verapamil is a good, gentle remedy that can successfully prevent migraine attacks and make them more rare and easier to tolerate. Verapamil is cheap and available. But at the same time, before the appointment, it is imperative to exclude cardiovascular pathology, pronounced bradycardia, heart failure, various heart blockages and conduction disorders. Finally, Verapamil should not be combined with beta-blockers, and when switching from one group of drugs to another, you must take a break. Also, you can not use it for pregnant and lactating women. The drug can cause various side effects, especially when the dosage is increased. Therefore, prophylaxis with Verapamil, as in other previous cases, should be under the supervision of a physician.

Valproates: Konvulex, Depakine, Depakine – chrono

Rating: 4.7

Finally, coming to the end of the list of drugs used for the prevention of migraine, valproic acid preparations, such as Konvulex or Depakin, should be noted. It is preferable to use drugs of long or prolonged action. These include Depakine Chrono. This is convenient since a one-time evening reception is possible. These drugs are specially formulated for the treatment of epilepsy, but for the prevention of migraine they are very good at a low dose that does not cure epilepsy. Sometimes the average dose that produces a good effect in migraine patients is 650 mg per day, it must be divided into 2 doses, in the morning or in the evening. But in some cases, successful prevention of migraine is achieved with a dosage of 150 mg twice a day, or half a 300 mg tablet. The cost of one bottle of 100 tablets of this dosage is 740 rubles. Depakine Chrono is produced by the famous Sanofi company.

Advantages and disadvantages

If we consider the drug Depakine Chrono, then there are tablets of 300 mg and 500 mg, and at the beginning of treatment, it is enough to take one such tablet of 300 mg at night. However, it must be remembered that this remedy has a large number of contraindications and side effects. So, contraindications include acute and chronic diseases of the liver and pancreas, hereditary mitochondrial diseases, and it is not recommended to prescribe it to women of childbearing age and pregnant women. And if we consider that the majority of migraine sufferers are women, then a specialist consultation is necessary before the appointment.

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Attention! This rating is subjective and does not constitute an advertisement and does not serve as a purchase guide. Before buying, you need to consult with a specialist.