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Doctors: muscle drug may help headache sufferers

LONDON, Jun 21 (Reuters) - A drug used to treat muscle spasms may provide new hope for millions of people who suffer from frequent headaches, doctors said on Wednesday.

American scientists told the World Congress of Neurology that tizanidine, marketed by the Irish pharmaceutical group Elan Corp Plc under the brand name Zanaflex, can cut the frequency, duration and intensity of headaches.

In a study presented at the five-day meeting in London, doctors from the Michigan Head Pain and Neurological Institute in Ann Arbor found it reduced severe headaches by 55%.

"Medical literature focused on chronic daily headache is limited, so most of what we know about treatment strategies is based on anecdotal information," said Dr. Alvin Lake.

"This study is important because it gives clinicians scientific evidence regarding a new approach to treating an often difficult-to-treat condition."

Lake and his colleagues studied 92 patients. Half were randomly selected to receive tizanidine and half were given a placebo.

After 12 weeks of treatment, the average intensity and the duration of the headaches improved by 51% in the drug group, compared to 34% in patients receiving the placebo.

"Not only did the treatment with tizanidine reduce the amount of analgesic required by the patient, it seemed to work more efficiently on reducing the frequency of the most severe headaches," said Lake.

Side effects such as insomnia, dry mouth and drowsiness were reported more often in the group given the medication. The researchers also found that liver enzymes were higher in the group but returned to normal after treatment. They said liver enzymes should be monitored.

Headaches are one of the most common neurological disorders, affecting about 20% of the general population. Most are not due to any underlying disease.

More than 6,000 doctors and researchers are attending the congress, which is held once every four years.

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