[Prevention of migraine using flunarizine (results of a pilot study using Amalium)]

A short episode of focal cortical hypoxia seems to be the turning-point in the genesis of the migraine attack. This pathophysiological situation induces vascular changes according to the hypothesis of Wolff. Under such conditions some Ca-antagonists develop antihypoxic and antivasoconstrictive properties. The efficiency of Flunarizine as potent prophylactic drug in migraine therapy is well documented in many double-blind randomized studies versus placebo or other antimigrainous drugs. Based on the positive results of these studies, we liked to investigate the efficiency and tolerability of Flunarizine also in a sample on n = 44 adults Austrian patients recruited from the Headache-Ambulance of the Neurological Department, University of Vienna. After a 3 months treatment with Flunarizine, 10 mg daily, there was a drug free follow-up period of 4 to 12 months. After this time in 29 patients (66.6%) there was a decrease of attack frequency of more than 50%. 12 (27.3%) of them were completed free of attacks. Beside this, the intake of attack ameliorating drugs (ergotamine, analgetics) was markedly reduced. Treatment was well tolerated. Weight gain was observed in 20.3% of patients likely correlating with the therapeutic efficiency. Due to its efficiency, safety and its long-lasting therapeutic effect, Flunarizine appears to be a very suitable agent in the prophylaxis of migraine.