CLINICAL TRIAL, PHASE III
COMPARATIVE STUDY
JOURNAL ARTICLE
MULTICENTER STUDY
RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL
RESEARCH SUPPORT, NON-U.S. GOV'T
Add like
Add dislike
Add to saved papers

Reduced efficacy of sumatriptan in migraine with aura vs without aura.

Neurology 2015 May 6
OBJECTIVE: To determine whether acute migraine treatment outcome is different in migraine with aura compared with migraine without aura.

METHODS: We examined pooled outcome data for sumatriptan treatment of migraine with and without aura from the sumatriptan/naratriptan aggregate patient database. We also examined similar outcome data for inhaled dihydroergotamine (DHE) from a single, large randomized controlled study.

RESULTS: The pooled pain-free rates 2 hours postdose for sumatriptan 100 mg were significantly higher in patients treating attacks without aura (32%) compared with the group who treated attacks with aura (24%) (p < 0.001). The relative risk for pain freedom 2 hours postdose for attacks without aura was 1.33 (95% confidence interval: 1.16-1.54). The number needed to treat for 2 hours of pain freedom was 4.4 for attacks without aura and 6.2 for attacks with aura. For the clinical trial of DHE, the 2-hour pain-free rates did not differ between patients treating attacks without aura (29.4%) compared with those who treated attacks with aura (27.2%; p = 0.65). The relative risk for pain freedom 2 hours postdose for attacks without aura vs with aura was 1.08 (95% confidence interval: 0.77-1.53). The number needed to treat for 2 hours pain free was 5.8 for attacks without aura and 5.0 for attacks with aura.

CONCLUSION: This post hoc analysis of pooled data from multiple randomized trials indicates that sumatriptan is less effective as acute therapy for migraine attacks with aura compared with attacks without aura. In the single study of inhaled DHE, the treatment had similar efficacy for migraine attacks with and without aura. Different responses of migraine with vs without aura to acute therapies may provide insight into underlying migraine mechanisms and influence the choice of acute therapies for different types of migraine attacks.

Full text links

We have located links that may give you full text access.
Can't access the paper?
Try logging in through your university/institutional subscription. For a smoother one-click institutional access experience, please use our mobile app.

For the best experience, use the Read mobile app

Mobile app image

Get seemless 1-tap access through your institution/university

For the best experience, use the Read mobile app

All material on this website is protected by copyright, Copyright © 1994-2024 by WebMD LLC.
This website also contains material copyrighted by 3rd parties.

By using this service, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy.

Your Privacy Choices Toggle icon

You can now claim free CME credits for this literature searchClaim now

Get seemless 1-tap access through your institution/university

For the best experience, use the Read mobile app