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Review
. 2014 Jul-Aug;111(4):283-8.

Beta blocker eye drops for treatment of acute migraine

Carl V Migliazzo, John C Hagan 3rd
Review

Beta blocker eye drops for treatment of acute migraine

Carl V Migliazzo et al. Mo Med. 2014 Jul-Aug.

Abstract

We report seven cases of successful treatment of acute migraine symptoms using beta blocker eye drops. The literature on beta blockers for acute migraine is reviewed. Oral beta blocker medication is not effective for acute migraine treatment. This is likely due to a relatively slow rate of achieving therapeutic plasma levels when taken orally. Topical beta blocker eye drops achieve therapeutic plasma levels within minutes of ocular administration which may explain their apparent effectiveness in relief of acute migraine symptoms.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Beta blocker eye drops are inexpensive, available worldwide, and have rapid trans-mucosal systemic absorption when taken topically. Sporadic case reports and the literature collectively – suggest that the success of beta blocker eye drops in treating acute migraine may be due to the rapidity of eye drops in achieving effective blood levels when instilled shortly after symptom onset.
Figure 2
Figure 2
The success of beta blocker eye drops in treating acute migraine may be due to the rapidity of eye drops in achieving effective blood levels. Eye drops pass directly into circulation. Therapeutic blood levels occur in 4–10 minutes. Oral beta blocker medication is subject to first pass metabolism and takes several hours to reach therapeutic blood levels. Source: http://intranasal.net
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