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.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 466-474 |
| Number of pages | 9 |
| Journal | Current Pain and Headache Reports |
| Volume | 7 |
| Issue number | 6 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Dec 2003 |
| Externally published | Yes |