Do Molecular Structures of Migraine Drugs Point to a Common Cause of this Elusive Disease and Suggest Future Drug Designs?

Abstract

We should, perhaps, consider migraine as a two-stage disorder. Stage 1 is the underlying biochemical disorder (migraine disorder) that predisposes the sufferer to stage 2, which is the manifestation of the disorder as a migraine headache. The triggers of migraine headaches are multifarious. Some sufferers of migraine disorder link their migraine attacks to eating specific foods (e.g. chocolate, cheese), specific situations (e.g. stress), the time of year or even weather conditions [1]. Treatments for migraine are equally diverse and might be based on what are thought by the physician to be the underlying causes of the migraine attack (e.g. use of β-blockers to reduce local brain blood pressure) or use of drugs designed to treat the migraine headache per se (e.g. triptans).