[Betablocker vs placebo in vasomotor headache. A double-blind crossover study]

Vasomotor headaches are commonly, especially in the international literature, classified under ordinary migraine. Since beta-blockers seem to be the drug of choice in the prevention of migraine, 30 patients were given placebo and three times 40 mg propranolol in a double-blind cross-over trial. Among 24 fully assessable sets of tests only four showed a decrease in the frequency of headaches by more than 50%. In three patients the frequency actually increased over the placebo effect.