100 Migraine Drugs, A to Z: protriptyline

Protriptyline (Vivactil) is one of the tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs). It is rarely used, compared to amitriptyline and nortriptyline. This is probably because protriptyline has never been subjected to a controlled trial in migraines. However, even amitriptyline, which is the most popular and most studied TCA, is rated only as probably effective by the American Academy of Neurology and the American Headache Society guidelines. In the bad old days, very few drugs were tested in large double-blind trials and sometimes got approved without any testing.

The reason to use protriptyline is that it tends to have fewer side effects when compared to other TCAs. If someone has good relief of migraines on amitriptyline but drowsiness is a problem, protriptyline is worth trying.

Also, protriptyline is easier to titrate than other TCAs – the starting dose is 10 mg nightly and after a couple of weeks, it is increased to 20 mg and then, if needed and if tolerated, to 30 mg nightly.

The most common side effects of all TCAs besides sedation are constipation, dry mouth, dizziness, sexual dysfunction. Some patients refuse to consider TCAs because of their potential for weight gain, although it tends to happen at higher doses and in a minority of patients.