Too Many Heart Patients Getting Migraine Drugs - Triptans Taken by 22% of Migraine Sufferers With Heart Problems Who Shouldn't Take Them

By Charlene Laino

WebMD Health News Reviewed by Laura J. Martin, MD

Sept. 30, 2011 (San Diego) -- A disturbing number of people with heart problems who shouldn't be prescribed standard migraine medications like Amerge, Axert, Frova, Imitrex, Maxalt, Relpax, Treximet, and Zomig are given the drugs anyway, researchers say.

The drugs are all triptans. They’re considered very effective for treating migraine headaches and, for many people, the only drugs that work.

But the drugs temporarily narrow blood vessels, so they should not be taken by people with certain heart conditions.

Yet a study of more than 120,000 people with migraines showed that more than one in five with heart conditions that prohibited the use of triptans were given a triptan prescription over a year-long period.

That figure is "very upsetting. I never would have thought it was that high," says Stewart Tepper, MD, a headache specialist at the Cleveland Clinic. Tepper reviewed the findings for WebMD but was not involved with the work.

The findings were presented here at the annual meeting of the American Neurological Association.

About 30 million Americans get migraine headaches, according to the Migraine Research Foundation.

Triptans effectively and quickly relieve headache pain, sensitivity to light and noise, and nausea and vomiting associated with migraines. They are especially helpful for people with moderate to severe headaches that interfere with their ability to perform daily tasks.

Triptans narrow (constrict) blood vessels in the brain. For most people, these drugs are well tolerated and safe.

But triptans also temporarily narrow blood vessels leading to the heart -- by 10% to 20%, Tepper tells WebMD. That can make them dangerous for people who already have heart disease, he says.

http://www.webmd.com/migraines-headaches/news/20110930/heart-concerns-with-migraine-drugs