Tricyclic antidepressants effective for headaches, but comparative trials would be more convincing
This article was originally published in Scrip
Executive Summary
Tricyclic antidepressants have been used for treating headaches as an unlicensed indication since the 1960s (as well as being recommended for this in European and US neurology clinical guidelines), but their role was given a further boost in a meta-analysis study published in the BMJ last week. Despite evidence from the meta-analysis that tricyclics are effective preventative treatments for headache and migraine, the real clinical proof of their effectiveness is unlikely to be generated by the pharmaceutical industry, commentators says.