Related Experiment Video
Updated: Nov 5, 2025

3D-Neuronavigation In Vivo Through a Patient's Brain During a Spontaneous Migraine Headache
Published on: June 2, 2014
Preventive Oral Treatment of Episodic Migraine: An Overview
Lakshmi N Ranganathan1, Guhan Ramamurthy1, Shunmugasundaram Kanthimathinathan1
1Institute of Neurology, Madras Medical College, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.
Background:
Migraine is a common primary headache disorder and Episodic migraine is characterized by the occurrence of up to 14 headache days in a month. The preventive treatment of migraine is useful in patients with frequent migraine attacks, impaired activities of daily living, failure of acute pain management, disabling aura and limitations in the use of acute treatment. It is aimed at reducing headache frequency and intensity, improve response to acute treatment of migraine and improve the quality of life.
Aim:
To analyze the evidence for the efficacy and tolerability of preventive oral drugs used in the management of episodic migraine.
Methods:
A narrative review of the references were reviewed by searching the literature for the articles published in PubMed in English language using all the following MeSH keywords "preventive treatment", "preventive oral treatment", AND "episodic migraine", "migraine".
Results:
Out of articles identified in the search, 38 articles were reviewed for evidence and summarized. The various oral drugs used in the prevention of episodic migraine are antihypertensives (beta-blockers, calcium channel blockers and Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors/Angiotensin receptor blockers), antidepressants (tricyclic antidepressants, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors), antiepileptic drugs (valproic acid, topiramate, lamotrigine) and other miscellaneous agents. HURT questionnaire and HALT 30 index are useful in assessing response to treatment in the follow up of migraine patients.
Conclusion:
An appropriately chosen oral drug is useful in the preventive treatment of episodic migraine. In patients, who fail to respond to the preventive treatment, it is essential to review the diagnosis of migraine, titrate the dosage and duration of preventive treatment and ensure patient compliance. In those patients who fail to respond to monotherapy, polytherapy is a useful option to be considered.
Related Concept Videos
Drug Delivery: Enteral Route
Peptic Ulcer Disease IV: Management
The therapeutic approach involves ensuring adequate rest, implementing drug therapy, promoting smoking cessation, making dietary modifications, and emphasizing long-term follow-up care.
Pharmacological management
The prevailing therapy for peptic ulcers involves a combination of managing the patient's current...
Epilepsy and Seizures: Overview
Various factors can trigger epilepsy, including genetic factors, brain damage, metabolic causes, and unknown etiology. Diagnosis of epilepsy involves electroencephalography (EEG), which...
Chemotherapy-Induced Nausea and Vomiting: Neurokinin-1 Receptor Antagonists
Antiepileptic Drugs: Glutamate Antagonists
Chemotherapy-Induced Nausea and Vomiting: 5-HT3 Receptor Antagonists

