Migraine Meds Comparison Chart

Hi,
I was poking around the internet and I saw this chart and thought I would share. It is far from inclusive of all the meds we have in our arsenal, but the layout was nice and it was easy to read:

meds.queensu.ca/~clpsych/orientation/migraine%20treatment.pdf

Lisa

Good find Lisa. It confirms a lot of what we have learned from many here. One interesting thing is that it emphasizes a 2-3 month trial for meds, most notably Verapamil. I hope the increased Verapamil is going smoothly for you. Ben

HI Ben,
Thanks. So far I am tolerating the 180 mg with regards to my bp and pulse. The more I read I am finding that the therapeutic level is really between 240mg and 320 mg so I am holding onto hope with this med until I reach at least 240 mg and give it some time. I am actually surprised that my body is having no side effects and am hoping it will handle the 240 mg and then of course have some symptom resolution.

How is the lexapro going?

Lisa

Lisa, that is good news so far. I am doing ok with Lexapro, scheduled to increase to 5 mg tomorrow. I have had two very bad days, I think in part from getting a tooth removed on Thursday. They gave me Amoxicillan and I did fine until today - feel very quezy, headachy and tired. Missed the kids soccer games and have been sitting around doing nothing except dosing off. I don’t really think it is the Lexapro but who knows. I do think the Lexapro has made the dizziness a bit worse but I am hoping that will settle down after another few days or so. I will keep you posted and I wish you the best with your Verapamil trial. Ben

Hi Lisa,

Thanks for that info. Glad that you are tolerating the med increase. wishing you well!

Lisa

Very interesting, but what I find slightly off-putting is that at the bottom it says, “Success of prophylaxis considered to be ↓ in severity or frequency of headache by 50%.”

Maybe it’s the editor in me, but I’ve wondered at least once if “prophylaxis” of migraine is really the best term for MAV’ers. Isn’t a “prophylactic,” by definition, any treatment intended to PREVENT a medical problem/condition, not treat one that’s already ongoing?

It occurs to me that it’d be interesting if there was a study done that reported the efficiency / success rate / whatever of various medicines in the treatment specifically and solely of the vertigo symptom of migraine (i.e., without regard to whether the medicines affected frequency or severity of headaches – especially as not everyone in the study would HAVE headaches!).