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Current and potential future drug therapies for tension-type headache

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Abstract

Tension-type headache is a common primary headache with tremendous socioeconomic impact. Establishment of an accurate diagnosis is important before initiation of any pharmacologic therapy. Simple analgesics and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are the mainstays of treatment of episodic tension-type headache. The tricyclic antidepressant amitriptyline is the drug of choice in the preventive treatment of chronic tension-type headache. Progress in basic neuroscience has emphasized the importance of nitric oxide inhibition and N-methyl-D-aspartate and alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methylisoxasole-4-propionic acid receptor antagonism in the treatment of chronic pain. It has been demonstrated that inhibition of nitric oxide is effective in chronic tension-type headache. These interesting data indicate that more specific and effective treatment possibilities will emerge in the future.

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  1. Danish Headache Center, University of Copenhagen and Department of Neurology, Glostrup University Hospital, DK-2600 Glostrup, Copenhagen, Denmark

    Sait Ashina MD & Messoud Ashina MD, PhD

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Ashina, S., Ashina, M. Current and potential future drug therapies for tension-type headache. Current Science Inc 7, 466–474 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11916-003-0063-8

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