Funct Neurol
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Valproate versus flunarizine in migraine prophylaxis: a randomized, double-open, clinical trial.
The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy and safety of valproate versus flunarizine in migraine prophylaxis in a randomized double-open clinical trial. Twenty-two migraine sufferers were treated with valproate (1 g per day) for 8 weeks; a parallel group of 22 migraine sufferers was treated with flunarizine (10 mg per day). The main admission criterion was a minimum of 3 migraine (with, or without aura) attacks per month. ⋯ In the valproate group 12 patients (57.1%) reported various side effects (prevalently gastric symptoms) versus 10 patients (47.6%) in the flunarizine group (prevalently somnolence). The patients who were treated with flunarizine showed an increase in the mean score of the 21-item Hamilton rating scale for depression, but the difference was not significant; morning dysthymia however, was significantly more often observed in the flunarizine patients, compared to the valproate patients. These results suggest that both drugs are effective and safe in migraine prophylaxis.