Prophylactic treatment of episodic cluster headache with intravenous bolus of methylprednisolone
2003
We evaluated the efficacy of intravenous boluses of
methylprednisolone followed by prednisone as a prophylactic
treatment for episodic cluster headache. Fourteen male patients
(mean age, 42.54 years) with episodic cluster headache were
treated with 250-mg boluses of methylprednisolone on 3
consecutive days, followed by prednisone (90 mg/day orally) with
gradual tapering in four weeks. Headache parameters of the
active phases treated with methylprednisolone were compared with
those of previous active phases in the same patients treated
with other prophylactic medications. The primary efficacy
criterion was decrease in the frequency of attacks during the
first month of treatment. The statistical differences were
calculated using Wilcoxon’s test. The attacks were significantly
less frequent in the active phases treated with
methylprednisolone boluses than those treated with other
medications (p<0.05). This
treatment seems to be more effective than the usual prophylactic
treatments for episodic cluster headache.
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