The impact of ergotamine-induced headache and ergotamine withdrawal on information processing

• Published in: Psychopharmacologia 1999-02, Vol.142 (1), p.61-67
• Main Authors: EVERS, S, SCHMIDT, F, BAUER, B, VOSS, H, GROTEMEYER, K.-H, HUSSTEDT, I. W
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Abuse; Adrenergic alpha-Agonists - adverse effects; Adrenergic alpha-Agonists - pharmacology; Adult; Biological and medical sciences; Cognition Disorders - chemically induced; Drug therapy; Drug toxicity and drugs side effects treatment; Ergotamine - adverse effects; Ergotamine - pharmacology; Event-related potentials; Evoked Potentials - drug effects; Female; Habituation; Headache; Headache - chemically induced; Headache - psychology; Headaches; Humans; Information processing; Latency; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Migraine; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Prospective Studies; Retrospective Studies; Substance Withdrawal Syndrome - physiopathology; Substance Withdrawal Syndrome - psychology; Substance-Related Disorders; Toxicity: nervous system and muscle
• ISSN: 0033-3158; 1432-2072
• DOI: 10.1007/s002130050862

Ergotamine abuse and subsequent ergotamine-induced headache is a common problem in the pharmacological treatment of migraine and other headache types; often, withdrawal therapy is necessary. This study investigated whether ergotamine abuse affects information processing and whether withdrawal therapy can lead to an improvement of information processing. We designed a standardized neurophysiological retrospective (ergotamine abuse) and prospective (ergotamine withdrawal) study in a supraregional headache outpatient clinic. Seventy-one patients abusing ergotamine derivatives with subsequent daily headache were enrolled and compared to 36 migraine patients without ergotamine intake and 36 healthy subjects. Information processing was evaluated by latencies and amplitudes of visually evoked event-related potentials (ERP) before and after ergotamine withdrawal therapy. P3 latency of the ERP was significantly increased in ergotamine abuse (442 +/- 45 ms) versus migraine (415 +/- 40 ms) and healthy subjects (410 +/- 33 ms), there was no difference between ergotamine tartrate and dihydroergotamine abuse. The migraine specific loss of habituation in information processing as measured by P3 latency could not be observed in migraine patients with ergotamine abuse. After successful withdrawal therapy in 36 patients, the abnormally prolonged P3 latency was significantly shortened (452 +/- 47 ms versus 433 +/- 30 ms; P < 0.004). Our findings imply that information processing is impaired by ergotamine abuse and can be improved but not normalized after withdrawal therapy. Furthermore, our data provide strong evidence that ergotamine, besides its peripheral effects, has a central mode of action.