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Migraine and calcium antagonists

Authoring team

Calcium antagonists are widely used in the treatment of migraine in other countries, but are not licensed in the UK for migraine.

In general, calcium antagonists may decrease the frequency of attacks but have little effect on their severity.

In the UK NICE suggest with respect to cluster headaches (1):

  • consider verapamil for prophylactic treatment during a bout of cluster headache. If unfamiliar with its use for cluster headache, seek specialist advice before starting verapamil, including advice on electrocardiogram monitoring.
  • seek specialist advice for cluster headache that does not respond to verapamil.

Reference:

  1. NICE. Headaches in over 12s: diagnosis and management. Clinical guideline CG150. Published September 2012, last updated December 2021

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