Acute Migraine (acute + migraine)

Distribution by Scientific Domains
Distribution within Medical Sciences

Terms modified by Acute Migraine

  • acute migraine attack
  • acute migraine treatment

  • Selected Abstracts


    Examining the Utility of In-Clinic "Rescue" Therapy for Acute Migraine

    HEADACHE, Issue 6 2008
    Veronica Morey RN
    Background., Management options currently are limited for patients with acute migraine whose symptoms prove refractory to self-administered therapy. Objective., To evaluate the clinical utility and cost-effectiveness of a management program offering in-clinic "rescue" treatment for patients with acute migraine. Methods., Two hundred consecutive migraine patients presenting to a university-based headache clinic were randomized to receive either optimal self-administered medical therapy for acute migraine ("standard therapy") or similar therapy plus the option of in-clinic parenteral drug administration should self-administered therapy prove ineffective ("rescue therapy"). Patients randomized to the latter group were restricted to a maximum of 2 "rescue visits" per month, and all patients were followed for one year. Patients "rescued" in clinic were contacted by telephone 24 hours following treatment to evaluate their treatment response. The primary analysis involved a comparison of the number of emergency department (ED) visits for headache recorded within each group over the one-year period of study. For all ED visits in the rescue group and for a randomly selected and equal number of ED visits within the standard group, the direct costs associated with those visits were assessed, and the direct costs of all in-clinic rescue visits also were recorded and analyzed. Results., The 2 groups studied were similar in terms of age, gender ratio, migraine subtype, migraine-related disability status at baseline and type/extent of medical insurance coverage. Over the one-year study period, the rescue group recorded 423 in-clinic rescue visits and reported 27 ED visits for headache treatment. The standard therapy group reported 73 ED visits (27 vs 73 visits; P < .01). The total direct costs associated with ED visits were $45,330 for the rescue group (mean $1690 per ED visit) and (by extrapolation from the sample selected) $147,971 for the standard therapy group (mean $2027 per ED visit). The total direct cost of the 423 "rescue visits" was $33,647 (mean $80 per visit). In 79% of the 423 rescue encounters, the patients involved reported no residual functional disability 24 hours following treatment. Of those in the rescue group who sought in-clinic rescue, 89% reported themselves "very satisfied" with such management. Conclusion., Providing the alternative of in-clinic "rescue" for acute migraine refractory to self-administered therapy offers an attractive alternative for patients and appears to substantially lower use of an ED for headache treatment and the cost associated with that use. [source]


    Early Intervention With Almotriptan Improves Sustained Pain-free Response in Acute Migraine

    HEADACHE, Issue 10 2003
    Ninan T. Mathew MD
    Objective.,To determine whether treatment of migraine with almotriptan, when pain intensity is mild, improves 1- and 2-hour pain-free and sustained pain-free rates compared with treatment when pain intensity is moderate or severe. Methods.,This was a post hoc analysis derived from an open-label, multicenter, long-term study of the safety, tolerability, and efficacy of almotriptan 12.5 mg. Patients who met International Headache Society criteria for migraine with or without aura were eligible. Patients were instructed to take a single dose of almotriptan 12.5 mg at the onset of a migraine attack. Rescue medication could be taken if migraine pain had not disappeared at 2 hours. A second dose of almotriptan 12.5 mg could be taken if head pain recurred within 24 hours of the initial dose. Patients reported the intensity of pain at baseline and at 1 and 2 hours postmedication using a 4-point scale: no pain, mild, moderate, or severe pain. They also reported recurrence of pain (return of moderate or severe pain within 2 to 24 hours of taking the study medication) and use of rescue medication. Rescue medication consisted of supplemental analgesics taken for pain relief at 2 to 24 hours postdose. Ergotamines and other 5-HT1B/1D agonists were excluded as rescue medications. Based on these patient-reported end points, sustained pain-free rates, defined as pain-free at 2 hours with no recurrence from 2 to 24 hours and no use of rescue medication, were calculated. Results.,A higher proportion of migraine attacks of mild intensity were pain-free at 1 hour (35.3%) compared with attacks of moderate or severe intensity (7.5%) (P < .001). Two-hour pain-free rates also were significantly higher with mild intensity pain (76.9%) compared to moderate or severe intensity (43.9%) (P < .001). In addition, recurrence rates and use of rescue medication were reduced when attacks were treated during mild pain. Recurrence was 12.9% for mild pain versus 25.0% for moderate or severe pain (P < .001), and use of rescue medication was 9.4% for mild pain versus 17.2% for moderate or severe pain (P < .001). Sustained pain-free rates were nearly twice as high when attacks were treated during mild intensity pain (66.6%) compared with attacks treated during moderate or severe pain (36.6%) (P < .001). Conclusion.,Treatment with almotriptan 12.5 mg during migraine attacks of mild pain intensity improves 1- and 2-hour pain-free and sustained pain-free responses. [source]


    Almotriptan Increases Pain-Free Status in Patients With Acute Migraine Treated in Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trials

    HEADACHE, Issue 2002
    FRCP(C), Ninan T. Mathew MD
    Objectives.,Evaluate the efficacy of a single oral dose of almotriptan in achieving pain-free status during treatment of acute migraine attacks. Methods.,This pooled analysis (N=1321) used data from two randomized, placebo-controlled, phase III trials (studies A and B) to determine the proportion of patients with migraine achieving pain-free status 2 hours after a single oral dose of study medication (almotriptan or placebo). Pain was assessed using a 4-point integer scale (0=no headache, 3=severe headache), and recorded in a patient self-assessment booklet. Results.,The proportion of patients pain-free at 2 hours after study medication was significantly greater with almotriptan 6.25 mg (both studies P,.002) and almotriptan 12.5 mg (both studies P,.001) than with placebo. In study A, 11.6% of patients taking almotriptan 12.5 mg versus 2.5% of patients receiving placebo were pain-free at 1 hour (P=.016). At 1.5 hours, 26.8% of patients taking almotriptan 12.5 mg versus 8.8% receiving placebo (P=.001) were pain-free, and at 2 hours, 38.4% on almotriptan versus 11.3% on placebo were pain-free (P<.001). In study B, 23.8% of patients taking almotriptan 12.5 mg were free from pain at 1.5 hours versus 10.2% receiving placebo (P<.001). At 2 hours, 39.2% taking almotriptan 12.5 mg versus 15.3% receiving placebo were pain-free (P<.001). Increases in pain-free status with almotriptan generally occurred in a dose-dependent manner. Conclusion.,Compared with placebo, almotriptan 12.5 mg significantly increases the proportion of patients who are pain-free by as early as 1 hour, and consistently by 1.5 hours, after a single dose. [source]


    Overview of treatment of acute migraine

    DRUG DEVELOPMENT RESEARCH, Issue 7 2007
    Arthur H. Elkind
    Abstract Acute migraine is a major public health problem with a significant economic burden secondary to short-term disability and absenteeism. Treatment of acute migraine is always challenging for primary care physicians and family practitioners, as there are no set universal guidelines for the treatment of acute migraine. In acute migraine treatment, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), migraine-specific medications, and adjunctive medications are used, depending on the severity of acute migraine attacks. Treatment of acute migraine has changed drastically since the introduction of the triptans. However, even after the introduction of triptans, nearly one-half of migraine sufferers are still being treated with over-the-counter medications. In this literature review, we mention drugs that are being used in the treatment of acute migraine and their level of evidence recommended by the U.S. Headache Consortium. This article gives special emphasis to pharmacokinetics and clinical characteristics of all available triptans. Drug Dev Res 68:441,448, 2007. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]


    No change in the structure of the brain in migraine: a voxel-based morphometric study

    EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROLOGY, Issue 1 2003
    M. S. Matharu
    Migraine is a common, disabling form of primary neurovascular headache. For most of the twentieth century it was regarded as a vascular headache whose primary pathophysiology lay in the cranial vasculature. Functional brain imaging using positron emission tomography has demonstrated activation of the rostral brain stem in acute migraine. Voxel-based morphometry is a new fully automated whole brain technique that is sensitive to subtle macroscopic and mesoscopic structural differences between groups of subjects. In this study 11 patients suffering from migraine with aura (10 females, one male: 23,52 years, mean 31); 11 controls (10 females, one male: 23,52, mean 31); 17 patients with migraine without aura (16 females, one male: 24,57, mean 34); 17 controls (16 females, one male: 24,57, mean 34) were imaged with high resolution volumetric magnetic resonance imaging. There was no significant difference in global grey or white matter volumes between either patients with migraine and controls, or patients with aura and without aura. This study did not show any global or regional macroscopic structural difference between patients with migraine and controls, with migraine sufferers taken as homogenous groups. If structural changes are to be found, other methods of phenotyping migraine, such as by genotype or perhaps treatment response, may be required to resolve completely whether there is some subtle structural change in the brain of patients with migraine. [source]


    Examining the Utility of In-Clinic "Rescue" Therapy for Acute Migraine

    HEADACHE, Issue 6 2008
    Veronica Morey RN
    Background., Management options currently are limited for patients with acute migraine whose symptoms prove refractory to self-administered therapy. Objective., To evaluate the clinical utility and cost-effectiveness of a management program offering in-clinic "rescue" treatment for patients with acute migraine. Methods., Two hundred consecutive migraine patients presenting to a university-based headache clinic were randomized to receive either optimal self-administered medical therapy for acute migraine ("standard therapy") or similar therapy plus the option of in-clinic parenteral drug administration should self-administered therapy prove ineffective ("rescue therapy"). Patients randomized to the latter group were restricted to a maximum of 2 "rescue visits" per month, and all patients were followed for one year. Patients "rescued" in clinic were contacted by telephone 24 hours following treatment to evaluate their treatment response. The primary analysis involved a comparison of the number of emergency department (ED) visits for headache recorded within each group over the one-year period of study. For all ED visits in the rescue group and for a randomly selected and equal number of ED visits within the standard group, the direct costs associated with those visits were assessed, and the direct costs of all in-clinic rescue visits also were recorded and analyzed. Results., The 2 groups studied were similar in terms of age, gender ratio, migraine subtype, migraine-related disability status at baseline and type/extent of medical insurance coverage. Over the one-year study period, the rescue group recorded 423 in-clinic rescue visits and reported 27 ED visits for headache treatment. The standard therapy group reported 73 ED visits (27 vs 73 visits; P < .01). The total direct costs associated with ED visits were $45,330 for the rescue group (mean $1690 per ED visit) and (by extrapolation from the sample selected) $147,971 for the standard therapy group (mean $2027 per ED visit). The total direct cost of the 423 "rescue visits" was $33,647 (mean $80 per visit). In 79% of the 423 rescue encounters, the patients involved reported no residual functional disability 24 hours following treatment. Of those in the rescue group who sought in-clinic rescue, 89% reported themselves "very satisfied" with such management. Conclusion., Providing the alternative of in-clinic "rescue" for acute migraine refractory to self-administered therapy offers an attractive alternative for patients and appears to substantially lower use of an ED for headache treatment and the cost associated with that use. [source]


    Zolmitriptan Intranasal: A Review of the Pharmacokinetics and Clinical Efficacy

    HEADACHE, Issue 1 2006
    Peter J. Goadsby MD
    Migraine is a common disabling neurological disorder, associated with headache, nausea, and on occasions vomiting. Zolmitriptan is a widely available serotonin 5HT1B/1D receptor agonist with a long track record in clinical studies and in the treatment of acute migraine. A nasal formulation has been developed that has clear evidence for local absorption, resulting in plasma drug concentrations within 2 minutes of dosing, central nervous system penetration 3 minutes later, and a significant efficacy benefit versus placebo 10 to 15 minutes after dosing. Intranasal zolmitriptan offers advantages to migraineurs, particularly those seeking a more rapid onset of effect without wishing to self-inject, or those with gastrointestinal upset. The comparison of pharmacokinetic and clinical data available from different formulations of zolmitriptan contributes both to the understanding of its mode of action and the characteristics required of an acute migraine treatment if it is to meet patient needs. [source]


    Migraine: diagnosis and management

    INTERNAL MEDICINE JOURNAL, Issue 9-10 2003
    P. J. Goadsby
    Abstract Migraine is the most common form of disabling primary headache and affects approximately 12% of studied Caucasian populations. Non-pharmacological management of migraine largely consists of lifestyle advice to help sufferers avoid situations in which attacks will be triggered. Preventive treatments for migraine should usually be considered on the basis of attack frequency, particularly its trend to change with time, and tract­ability to acute care. Acute care treatments for migraine can be divided into non-specific treatments (general anal­gesics, such as aspirin or non-steroidal anti-­inflammatory drugs) and treatments relatively specific to migraine (ergotamine and the triptans). The triptans , sumatriptan, naratriptan, rizatriptan, zolmitriptan, almotriptan, eletriptan and frovatriptan , are potent serotonin, 5-HT1B/1D, receptor agonists which represent a major advance in the treatment of acute migraine. Chronic daily headache in association with analgesic overuse is probably the major avoidable cause of headache disability in the developed world. (Intern Med J 2003; 33: 436,442) [source]


    Acute treatment of paediatric migraine: A meta-analysis of efficacy

    JOURNAL OF PAEDIATRICS AND CHILD HEALTH, Issue 1-2 2008
    Shawna Silver
    Aim: To undertake a meta-analysis of all randomised controlled trials (RCTs) on the acute pharmacologic treatment of children and adolescents with migraine headache. Methods: In total, 139 abstracts of clinical trials specific to the acute treatment of paediatric migraine were appraised. Inclusion criteria required clinical trials to be randomised, blinded, placebo-controlled studies with comparable endpoints. Non- English language publications were excluded. 11 clinical trials qualified for inclusion in the final meta-analysis. Two endpoints were analysed: the proportion of patients with (1) headache relief, and (2) complete pain relief, 2 h post-treatment. Results: The following medications were included in the analysis: acetaminophen (n = 1), ibuprofen (n = 2), sumatriptan (n = 5), zolmitriptan (n = 1), rizatriptan (n = 2) and dihydroergotamine (n = 1). Results are expressed as a relative benefit (RB) conferred over placebo and the number needed to treat (NNT). Only ibuprofen and sumatriptan provided a statistically significant relative efficacy in comparison with placebo. Two hours post-treatment, ibuprofen was associated with an RB 1.50 (95% CI 1.15,1.95) in the generation of headache relief (NNT 2.4) and RB 1.92 (95% CI 1.28,2.86) in the production of complete pain relief (NNT 4.9). Sumatriptan rendered an RB 1.26 (95% CI 1.13,1.41) in headache relief (NNT 7.4) and an RB 1.56 (95% CI 1.26,1.93) in the production of complete pain relief (NNT 6.9). Conclusion: Despite the pharmacological options for the management of acute migraine, few RCTs in the paediatric population exist. Composite data demonstrate that only ibuprofen and sumatriptan are significantly more effective than placebo in the generation of headache relief in children and adolescents. [source]


    Naratriptan for the treatment of acute migraine: meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials,

    PHARMACOEPIDEMIOLOGY AND DRUG SAFETY, Issue 2 2004
    Darren M. Ashcroft PhD
    Abstract Objective To evaluate the comparative efficacy and tolerability of naratriptan in the treatment of acute attacks of migraine. Design Meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials using a random effects model. Subjects A total of 4499 patients suffering from moderate or severe attacks of acute migraine reported in ten trials. Main outcome measures Response rate ratios for headache relief, pain-free response and sustained relief (4,24 hours). Adverse events were estimated with the rate ratio (RR), risk difference and number needed to harm. Results Pooled RRs relative to placebo for pain-free response at 2 and 4 hours for naratriptan 2.5,mg were 2.52 (95%,CI: 1.78,3.57) and 2.58 (1.99,3.35). Naratriptan 2.5,mg was more effective than naratriptan 1,mg; the corresponding RRs for pain-free response at 2 and 4 hours were 1.54 (95%,CI: 1.28,1.86) and 1.35 (1.20,1.51). In contrast, naratriptan 2.5,mg was less effective in pain-free response than either rizatriptan 10,mg at 4,hours (RR: 0.68; 95%,CI: 0.55,0.85) or sumatriptan 100,mg at 4,hours (RR: 0.79; 95%,CI: 0.67,0.93). However, significantly fewer patients experienced adverse effects with naratriptan 2.5,mg than with rizatriptan 10,mg (RR: 0.73; 95%,CI: 0.56,0.97) or sumatriptan 100,mg (RR: 0.68; 95%,CI: 0.55,0.86). Conclusions Naratriptan is an effective and well-tolerated treatment for acute attacks of migraine. Head-to-head comparisons suggest that naratriptan 2.5,mg is significantly more effective than the 1,mg dose. Rizatriptan 10,mg and sumatripatn 100,mg were superior to naratriptan in terms of headache relief, while zolmitriptan 2.5,mg seemed to have comparable efficacy. Randomised controlled trials have shown that at licensed doses (1 and 2.5,mg), naratriptan is associated with a lower incidence of adverse effects than rizatriptan, sumatriptan and zolmitriptan. The incidence rates of adverse effects were similar to placebo. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


    Migraine: a review and future directions for treatment

    ACTA NEUROLOGICA SCANDINAVICA, Issue 2 2006
    M. Linde
    Migraine is a chronic, neurological disorder generally manifesting itself in attacks with severe headache, nausea and an increased reactivity to sensory stimuli. A low migraine threshold is set by genetic factors, although the phenotype also modulates the manifestations. The 1-year prevalence is approximately 13% and is higher among women. Patients usually experience neuropsychological dysfunction, and sometimes also reversible focal neurological symptoms. The trajectories of the characteristic symptoms of acute migraine usually follow a similar time course, indicating a reciprocal underlying mechanism. A central nervous system hyperexcitability has been demonstrated in neurophysiological studies. The dibilitating effects of migraine are not confined to the attacks per se. Many individuals do not recover completely between the attacks and most report a negative impact on the most important life domains, and an interest in testing other treatments. Young persons have a higher frequency of attacks. Acute treatment should routinely be initiated with an analgesic plus a prokinetic anti-emetic. Triptans must not be provided early during the attack to ensure their efficacy. The natural course of attacks is commonly only temporarily altered by acute treatment. Non-pharmacological treatment and drugs may be equally viable in prophylaxis for migraine. In more complicated cases, conjoint therapy should be considered. New strategies to improve adherence with existing therapeutic regimens might yield greater benefits than will new pharmacological agents. [source]