Headache therapy with neuronal stabilising drugs.

Migraine is a frequent episodic condition that often requires prophylaxis treatment to reduce the severity, frequency and duration of attacks and to ameliorate disability. Migraine can be interpreted as a disorder of pain modulation, which involves the trigeminovascular system and central nervous system modulation of pain-controlling structures. Antiepileptic drugs (neuronal stabilising drugs, NSD) have been increasingly recommended for migraine prophylaxis because of several well conducted studies confirming their efficacy. Valproate, Topiramate and Gabapentin are indicated as useful drugs for migraine preventive therapy according to the results of randomised double-blind, placebo-controlled trials. Due to these positive results, neuronal stabilisation may be considered as a pivotal approach for headache therapy.