Key clinical point: A broad category of blood pressure (BP)-lowering medication classes and drugs effectively reduced headache frequency in patients with episodic migraine.
Major finding: Compared with placebo, headache days per month reduced significantly with alpha-blockers ( P = .023), angiotensin II receptor blockers ( P = .024), beta-blockers ( P = .035), and calcium channel blockers ( P = .025). Specific BP-lowering drugs, such as clonidine ( P = .026), candesartan ( P = .001), atenolol ( P = .010), bisoprolol ( P = .000), propranolol ( P = .000), timolol ( P = .000), nicardipine ( P = .001), and verapamil ( P = .016), also effectively reduced the number of headache days per month.
Study details: Findings are from a systematic review and meta-analysis of 50 studies including 4310 participants.
Disclosures: This study received no specific funding. LR Griffiths reported receiving migraine research funding from the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council. AS Zagami declared being an associate editor for Cephalalgia. A Rodgers declared being an inventor for George Health Enterprises. The other authors declared no conflicts of interest.
Source: Carcel C, Haghdoost F, et al. The effect of blood pressure lowering medications on the prevention of episodic migraine: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Cephalalgia. 2023 (Jun 23). Doi: 10.1177/03331024231183166