Prakt. lékáren. 2013; 9(2): 53-56

Farmacotherapy of headache, mainly migraine

Irena Novotná

¹ . neurologická klinika Lékařské fakulty Masarykovy univerzity, Fakultní nemocnice u sv. Anny v Brně

Headache is one of the most common disorders encountered by nearly everyone. It is primarily divided into primary, where the most typical

variety is migraine and its forms, and secondary, where headache is a symptom of another illness and it accompanies this illness.

After the illness is cured, headache most often disappears. Headaches are distinguished in detail according to International Headache

Society classification.

In a daily practice of a doctor or farmacist, the most important classification is to primary and secondary headache. According to

anamnesis, after excluding possible secondary reasons and with normal results of common support analyses we can say for sure that it is

a primary headache. Not until then we can responsibly decide how to treat the headache. Therapeutic approaches when curing primary

or secondary headaches can be totally different.

The treatment should be effective and precisely aimed, not random, because the delay caused by low effect (and loss of confidence of the

doctor by the patients) lengthens the suffering, which has a negative impact on the psychics of a person and also direct and indirect

socio-economic consequences.

For treatment we select (according to the cause) medicaments to stop acute aching, and possibly also a prophylactic treatment, following

rehabilitation or psychical support.

Keywords: primary headache, secondary headache, classification, treatment, profylaxis

Published: April 15, 2013  Show citation