Antidepressant promising for tension headaches

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - For some patients seeking relief from frequent tension-type headaches, the antidepressant Effexor XR may reduce the number of days with headache, according to results of a small study conducted in Greece.

The team of researchers, led by Dr. N. P. Zissis, at Wyeth Hellas in Athens, recruited patients with tension headaches that occurred more often than on five days per month.

The 60 participants were randomly assigned to Effexor (known generically as venlafaxine) XR or an inactive placebo. They could also take aspirin or paracetamol/acetaminophen but no other pain killers, according to a report in the medical journal Cephalalgia.

At the end of the 12-week trial, the average reduction in the numbers of days with headache was significantly greater in the venlafaxine group (45 percent) compared with the placebo group (16 percent).

The total hours of headache and headache intensity also improved more with active treatment, but the differences were not significant from a statistical standpoint.

This pilot study suggests that "treatment with venlafaxine XR was generally safe and, compared with placebo, resulted in less days with tension-type headache," Dr. Zissis and colleagues conclude.

SOURCE: Cephalalgia, April 2007.