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Headache Syndrome (headache + syndrome)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Medical Sciences	100%

Selected Abstracts

Olanzapine as an Abortive Agent for Cluster Headache

HEADACHE, Issue 8 2001
Todd D. Rozen MD
Objective.,To evaluate olanzapine as a cluster headache abortive agent in an open-label trial. Background.,Cluster headache is the most painful headache syndrome known. There are very few recognized abortive therapies for cluster headache and fewer for patients who have contraindications to vasoconstrictive drugs. Methods.,Olanzapine was given as an abortive agent to five patients with cluster headache in an open-label trial. The initial olanzapine dose was 5 mg, and the dose was increased to 10 mg if there was no pain relief. The dosage was decreased to 2.5 mg if the 5-mg dose was effective but caused adverse effects. To be included in the study, each patient had to treat at least two attacks with either an effective dose or the highest tolerated dose. Results.,Five patients completed the investigation (four men, one woman; four with chronic cluster, one with episodic cluster). Olanzapine reduced cluster pain by at least 80% in four of five patients, and two patients became headache-free after taking the drug. Olanzapine typically alleviated pain within 20 minutes after oral dosing and treatment response was consistent across multiple treated attacks. The only adverse event was sleepiness. Conclusions.,Olanzapine appears to be a good abortive agent for cluster headache. It alleviates pain quickly and has a consistent response across multiple treated attacks. It appears to work in both episodic and chronic cluster headache. [source]

Prevention and treatment of cluster headache

PROGRESS IN NEUROLOGY AND PSYCHIATRY, Issue 3 2009
Anna S Cohen PhD
Cluster headache is an excruciatingly painful primary headache syndrome with rapid onset attacks that are relatively short, typically up to three hours. Management strategies involve avoidance of possible triggers to attacks, such as alcohol and naps, and pharmacological treatments aimed at either quickly aborting acute attacks, or preventive therapies to suppress the attacks entirely, or reduce their frequency, severity or duration. Copyright © 2009 Wiley Interface Ltd [source]

Prevalence of Head Trauma in Patients With Difficult Headache: The North Norway Headache Study

HEADACHE, Issue 1 2003
Svein Ivar Bekkelund MD
Objective.,To test whether chronic headache (>3 days/week) is more prevalent than episodic headache (<3 days/week) in patients with a previous history of significant head trauma. Method.,We included 903 consecutive patients referred to a specialist center for headache during a period of 2 years. As the main parameter, we selected self-reported history of previous significant head trauma defined as loss of consciousness or hospitalization due to head trauma. Results.,One hundred eighty-nine out of 903 patients with difficult headache referred to a neurologist had a previous history of head trauma (21%). We identified 297 patients with headache 3 days or more per week (33%). Of these patients with chronic headache, 68 (23%) reported previous significant head trauma compared with 121/714 (17%) in other patients with headache (P = .18). Shorter length of education was associated with chronic headache; however, age, sex, or specific headache syndromes such as migraine or tension headache were not related to chronicity. Conclusion.,Although the incidence of previous head trauma was prevalent in this highly selected group of patients with headache, such a history was not a predictor of chronicity. [source]

Headache induced by dopamine agonists prescribed for prolactinoma: think SUNCT!

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CLINICAL PRACTICE, Issue 3 2006
A. J. Larner
Summary Short-lasting unilateral neuralgiform headache with conjunctival injection and tearing (SUNCT) syndrome may be associated with pituitary prolactinoma and may be induced by treatment of prolactinoma with dopamine agonists. Endocrinologists treating patients with prolactinoma need to be aware of this syndrome as its pathophysiology and treatment differ from that of other headache syndromes. [source]