The pharmacotherapy of migraine

Abstract

The relative importance of neural and humoral components in the pathogenesis of migraine has yet to be determined, but there is circumstantial evidence that implicates noradrenaline and serotonin as neural or humoral mediators in the recurrent headache, neurological and gastrointestinal symptoms that comprise the migraine syndrome. The treatment of migraine includes the avoidance of precipitating factors when possible, psychological counselling and relaxation training. Pharmacotherapy can be considered rationally in terms of agents acting on receptors that may possibly play a part in the mechanism of migraine.