Over 2 months of treatment , SSRIs are no more efficacious than placebo in patients with migraine .
In patients with chronic TTH , SSRIs are less efficacious than tricyclic antidepressants .
In comparison with SSRIs , the burden of adverse events in patients receiving tricyclics was greater .
BACKGROUND Headache is a common medical problem .
In view of recent discoveries about the role of serotonin in pain mechanisms , selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors ( SSRIs ) have been evaluated for the prevention of  migraine and tension-type headaches ( TTH ) .
OBJECTIVES To evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of SSRIs for preventing migraine and TTH .
Sertraline versus amitriptyline in the prophylactic therapy of non-depressed chronic tension-type headache patients
Abstract Patients with chronic tension- type headache ( CTTH ) are the most difficult to treat . Tricyclic antidepressants are the first-line therapeutic agents , but their anticholinergic side effects limit their usage . Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors ( SSRI ) with fewer side effects than tricyclic antidepressants have also been used in treatment of CTTH , but the results are conflicting . In this study , prophylactic action of sertraline in treatment of nondepressed patients with CTTH was investigated and compared with amitriptyline in a prospect i ve , r and omized , open label , parallel-group study . A 4-week baseline period was followed by a 12-week treatment period with either 50 mg sertraline  ( n=41 patients ) or 25 mg amitriptyline  ( n=44 patients ) . Efficacies of treatments were determined by using a headache diary , in which patients recorded the occurrence , number , intensity and duration of headaches in days , analgesic drug consumption and any adverse events . Both drugs reduced headache symptoms and analgesic drug consumption at the first , second and third months of treatment compared to baseline values . There was significant superiority of amitriptyline in the headache symptoms and drug consumption reductions versus sertraline at the second and third months of treatment . Side effects were more favorable in the sertraline-treated patients , but dropouts were similar in both groups . These results suggest that both drugs were effective in the treatment of non-depressed patients with CTTH , but in comparison between groups , amitriptyline was more effective than sertraline
Over 2 months of treatment , SSRIs are no more efficacious than placebo in patients with migraine .
In patients with chronic TTH , SSRIs are less efficacious than tricyclic antidepressants .
In comparison with SSRIs , the burden of adverse events in patients receiving tricyclics was greater .
BACKGROUND Headache is a common medical problem .
In view of recent discoveries about the role of serotonin in pain mechanisms , selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors ( SSRIs ) have been evaluated for the prevention of  migraine and tension-type headaches ( TTH ) .
OBJECTIVES To evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of SSRIs for preventing migraine and TTH .