Prophylactic Efficacy of Cinnarizine versus Propranolol in the Treatment of Childhood Migraine: A Single-Blind Randomized Clinical Trial

Background Although the development of effective and safe treatments for prophylaxis of migraine headaches represents an important public health concern, only a few medications have been approved by the specific treatment of patients with migraine. We aimed to compare the efficacy of cinnarizine with propranolol in the prophylaxis of pediatric migraine headache. Materials and Methods In a Randomized Clinical Trial, children aged 6-14 years were selected from the patients with migraine admitted to the neurology clinic of Bandar Abbas pediatric Hospital, affiliated to Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences, Bandar Abbas, Iran. Eligible patients (n, 56) were randomly divided into two groups, each comprising 28 patients: the first group administered cinnarizine (37.5 mg/day in children aged 6-12 years and 50 mg/day in children aged 12-17 years), and the second group received propranolol (1-mg/kg/day). The frequency, severity of headaches over the trial period were assessed. Results: After two months of treatment, both groups had significant reduction in headache frequency in comparison with baseline period (p= 0.047), although this difference between groups was not statistically significant. In addition, the mean severe migraine attacks at the end of the second month was significantly lower in the cinnarizine group compared with the propranolol group (P =0.48). At the end of the study 64% (n=18) of patients who had received the cinnarizine and 57% (n=16) of patients who had administered the propranolol, the drugs appeared to have a preventative effect on their headaches. Conclusion: According to the results, Cinnarizine appeared as effective as propranolol for the prophylactic treatment of childhood migraine.