Current Pharmacological Treatment of Migraine

Abstract

Throughout history, the cause of migraine has been largely shrouded in mystery and treatment often relied on empirical and often completely ineffective methods. It was only with the discovery of ergotamine in the early 19 century that the modern age of migraine treatment began. Initially, treatment options were limited, with developments only being made every few decades, first with dihydroergotamine, then aspirin, beta-blockers, triptans, and so on. But in the modern age, our understanding of the development of migraine has evolved greatly, from a purely vascular hypothesis to a deeper understanding of a trigeminovascular pathway. Our most recent research has even elucidated specific molecules that interconnect the vascular and trigeminal systems, and thus we have entered, as some call it, a new age in the treatment of migraine. The treatment options for patients are ever-expanding, and our classical approach has been revolutionised by the advent of newer CGRP-targeting drugs.