La profilassi dell'emicrania

The migraine prophylaxis. Prophylactic drug therapy is a major component of overall migraine management. In general, prophylactic drugs are indicated when patients have three or more attacks a month and symptomatic medication use alone is not satisfactory. The choice of drug must be individualized, and it is influenced by contraindications, potential side effects and the need to treat associated symptoms/conditions. Several substances are available for the prevention of migraine, unfortunately only a few of them have undergone rigorous scientific testing of clinical efficacy. In most cases, the use of one substance or another is based on anecdotal observations or pilot clinical trials. Some years ago, a group of headache experts of the Italian Society for the Study of Headache (SISC) has developed a set of guidelines, recently up-dated, for the pharmacological and nonpharmacological management of migraine. They state general principles for the choice of the most adequate drug for improving clinical effectiveness and quality of care, as well as for discouraging the use of poorly scientific-based therapies. These guidelines are based on literature reviews of findings obtained in Italy and abroad and they are customized to meet the specific habits of the Italian population and drugs availability on the national market.