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        New Message Board Archives >> Medications, Treatments, Therapies 2004 >> CH and migraines both
        
(Message started by: hdbngr on Jan 28^th, 2004, 9:24am)

Title: CH and migraines both
Post by hdbngr on Jan 28^th, 2004, 9:24am

Don't know that it is supposed to help CH, but it might help those who have both CH and migraines.

This week's topic is migraine headache and candesartan.

Question: Is candesartan (AtacandR), an angiotensin II receptor blocker, effective for preventing migraine headaches?

Take-home Message: Yes. Candesartan (AtacandR) blocks the function of an enzyme called angiotensin II. This medication leads to fewer and less severe migraine headaches. This is good news for people who suffer
from migraines because it offers a different treatment option. So far it looks as if this medication works as well as other available treatments but may actually have fewer side effects.
Future studies should begin to show which migraine medications work best for the widest range of patients.

Research Quality Grade: 3 (A/A-).
Research Summary: Lisinopril is an angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor. Lisinopril has been shown to prevent migraine headaches for
some people. For some people, ACE inhibitors have negative side effects such as cough and swelling which can discourage use. Although more expensive, alternatives do exist. This small but interesting study was done to assess the usefulness of candesartan for treating migraine headaches. Candesartan
(AtacandR) works in a slightly different way than other medications and may help those who experience side-effects of cough and swelling while taking ACE inhibitors. This study enrolled 60 patients between the ages of 18 and 65 who experienced two to six migraine headaches per month.

The study took place in a neurologic outpatient clinic in Norway. The first four weeks of this study were a placebo period wherein no subjects received candesartan. This was done to be sure the subjects
were experiencing true migraine headaches every month. After the initial four weeks, two 12-week treatment trials were run. These 12-week sessions were separated by four weeks of non-treatment. Thirty
patients were randomly selected to receive treatment (16mg per day candesartan) followed by placebo. The second group of 30 patients received placebo first, followed by candesartan. Fifty-seven of the 60
patients were available for 12 weeks of follow-up. The average patient taking candesartan had fewer days with headaches. Candesartan also lessened the number of hours of headache, days with migraines, hours of migraine, migraine severity, level of disability and days of sick leave. Conversely, the experiment did not show an overall improvement

Reference/Further Reading: Tronvik E, Stovner LJ, Helde G, Sand T,
>Bovim G. Prophylactic treatment of migraine with an angiotensin II
>receptor blocker. A randomized controlled trial. Journal of the
>American Medical Association 2003; 289:65-69.