Flunarizine: a wide spectrum prophylactic for migraine headache

The effects of flunarizine in migraine headache were investigated in 40 patients treated with single 10 mg evening doses for 16 weeks. Standard criteria were adopted for patient admission and for the monitoring of clinical (headache index, consumption of analgesics, side-effects) and laboratory variables (platelet aggregation and red cells filterability). Significant positive effects were found in 31/40 cases irrespective of the clinical course of the disease (i.e., recurrent attacks or more or less chronic forms). Some baseline characteristics of the patients are discussed on the basis of the therapeutic response.