Two controlled trials of tyramine in children with migraine

Two controlled trials of tyramine on children with migraine are reported. In the first trial of 59 children, headaches developed in 12 children after taking tyramine, in 10 after taking a placebo, and in four after ingestion of both tyramine and placebo. In the second trial of 38 children, five children developed headaches after taking tyramine, 11 after taking a placebo, and four after taking both tyramine and placebo. The results suggest that tyramine is not an important etiological factor in childhood migraine. A positive tyramine test, in its present form, appears to be of questionable value in childhood migraine, as it may be due to a spontaneous attack and not to the tyramine.