Effect of Ergotamine on Headache and Migraine Attack Induced by Sindenafil Citrate

Rayka Sharifian, Ayoub Barzgarnejad, Fatemeh Ghanbarpour, Mehrdad Taghipour

Abstract


Sildenafil citrate is a potent vasodilatation agent to treat male erectile dysfunction and pulmonary hypertension. Among its adverse effects, headache and migraine attack have been widely reported. Here we focus on the effect of sildenafil, a selective inhibitor of CGMP hydrolyzing phosphodiesterase-5 (PDE-5), on headache induction. PDEs are large families of enzyme that break down cyclic nucleotides CGMP. When PDEs are inhibited, the levels of CGMP increase within vascular smooth muscle cells resulting in relaxation and vasodilatation in peripheral and cerebral vessels. This mechanism leads to headache. Many methods have been tried to treat headache including a pharmacological and nonpharmacological managements. In this paper, we hypothesize that ergotamine can be used to reduce the headache and migraine attack induced by sildenafil. Undoubtedly, the most important and conspicuous pharmacological effect of ergotamine is its vasoconstrictor action. This mechanism of ergot is in contrast with vasodilator action of sildenafil that can remit headache and migraine attack.


Keywords: Sildenafil; headache; migraine; Ergotamine


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References


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