Migraine Drugs Dangerous To Your Heart

Health & Insurance----Drugs such as Amerge, Axert, Frova, Imitrex, Maxalt, Relpax, Treximet and Zomig triptans included in the drug group. The drugs were considered to be highly effective in treating migraine headaches and can relieve migraines. Unfortunately, these drugs narrow the blood vessels, so that people with heart disease should not use this drug. 

A study of more than 120,000 people with migraine demonstrated that more than 1 in 5 people who have heart disease are prescribed a triptan drug for years.

"That number is very disappointing. I never thought that figure can be so high," said Stewart Tepper, MD, a headache specialist at the Cleveland Clinic is quoted from WebMD, Sunday (02/10/2011).

Triptans are effective drugs and quickly relieve headache, sensitivity to light and noise, as well as nausea and vomiting caused by migraine. These drugs are very helpful for headache sufferers in the moderate to severe degree that interferes with the ability of patients to perform everyday tasks.

But the drug Triptans can narrow blood vessels in the brain. Although for most people, the drug is well tolerated and safe. But triptans also narrows blood vessels to the heart by 10-20 percent for a while. It can be dangerous for people who already have heart disease.

Less than 1 percent of patients using triptans in this study suffered heart and blood vessel problems, including heart attacks, strokes, heart rate is dangerous and death. But its use is much higher risk for heart disease patients.
Label is already clear that people with heart disease or have ever had a heart attack, has a history of stroke, a blood vessel disease, and patients with high blood pressure are not allowed to use triptans.

But research conducted recently still find plenty of migraine patients who have heart disease but still prescribed triptans. The researchers identified 121,286 patients with migraine. The result: 

1. 38% of them were prescribed a triptans. 

2. 8% of them had heart disease should not be allowed to use triptans. 

3. 22% among those with cardiovascular disease were prescribed a triptan has been since 2009. 

Tepper said doctors he had only migraine patients who were prescribed triptans want. "When I say that they should not take these drugs, they are very angry," he said.

"If they were prescribed, then most likely they were to drink the medicine," said researcher Daisy Ng-Mak, PhD, director of global health at Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp. in West Point, USA, which funded this research.

For migraine sufferers who have a risk of heart disease and blood vessels, Tepper suggested that talking with your doctor first to determine whether he may use triptans.