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Review
. 2022 Jul;26(7):493-504.
doi: 10.1007/s11916-022-01051-9. Epub 2022 May 19.

Drug Safety in Episodic Migraine Management in Adults. Part 2: Preventive Treatments

Abigail L Chua  1 , Sandhya Mehla  2 , Yulia Y Orlova  3
Affiliations
Review

Drug Safety in Episodic Migraine Management in Adults. Part 2: Preventive Treatments

Abigail L Chua et al. Curr Pain Headache Rep. 2022 Jul.

Abstract

Purpose of review: The aim of this review is to aid in decision-making when choosing safe and effective options for preventive migraine medications.

Recent findings: In Part 2, we have compiled clinically relevant safety considerations for commonly used migraine prophylactic treatments. Preventive treatment of episodic migraine includes nonspecific and migraine-specific drugs. While medications from several pharmacological classes-such as anticonvulsants, beta-blockers, and antidepressants-have an established efficacy in migraine prevention, they are associated with a number of side effects. The safety of migraine-specific treatments such as anti-CGRP monoclonal antibodies and gepants are also discussed. This review highlights safety concerns of commonly used migraine prophylactic agents and offers suggestions on how to mitigate those risks.

Keywords: Anticonvulsants; Antidepressants; Beta-blocker; CGRP; Migraine prevention; Risk.

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