Comparison of efficacy and safety of three drugs levetiracetam, sodium valproate, and nortriptyline in the prevention of migraine headache

Abstract

Background and Aims: Headache is the most common reason for referring to a physician. Therapeutic approaches of this condition include the treatment of the acute attacks and prevention of future attacks. In this regard, this study aimed to investigate the effect of three medications, namely levetiracetam, sodium valproate, and nortriptyline on the control of migraine headaches in patients with migraine referred to Birjand Neurology Clinic, Birjand, Iran. Materials and Methods: This study was conducted based on a quasi-experimental research method. According to the physician, 120 migraine patients were divided into three groups of levetiracetam (a daily dose of 250 mg), sodium valproate (500 mg), and nortriptyline (25 mg) for four weeks. A questionnaire was used to collect the demographic characteristics of the patient. The data were analyzed using SPSS software (version 16) through the chi-square tets, paired t-test, and ANOVA. Results: The patients (n=120) were divided into three groups of 40 cases per group. The mean age of the patients was 33±11 years, and the majority of the cases (53.3%) were female. In total, 46.7% of the cases had severe headache before taking these medications; however, none of them experienced severe headache after taking the medicine. It should be noted that 77.5% of the patients experienced mild headache. The group taking levetiracetam showed the greatest decrease in headache intensity (P=0.01). Conclusion: According the results, levetiracetam appears to be more effective than the other two medications, especially sodium valproate, in terms of the mitigation of different degrees of headache.