Naloxone Effectiveness on Spontaneous and Induced Perceptive Disorders in Migraine

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Abstract
SYNOPSISScotoma is the most frequent perceptive disturbance in migraine. Other visual, auditory, smelling and own body image distortions frequently occur, but they are seldom reported by patients unless specifically requested. The basic mechanism of these perceptive disorders as well as of pain is still unknown. Pentazocine, an agonist of s opiate receptors (mainly subserving the nervous structures involved in perceptive disturbances) provokes visual and own body image distortions in most migraine patients. In addition, naloxone (a specific opiate antagonist) prevents or reverts the perceptive disorders induced by pentazocine. Naloxone injected at the onset of the spontaneous scotoma interrupts the visual phenomena in most of classic migraineurs. When scotomata is interrupted by naloxone, even the headache intensity is usually reduced and the pain duration is shortened. In common migraine, naloxone administered after the onset of headache is ineffective on pain and extra‐pain phenomena.