Allodynia-associated symptoms, pain intensity and time to treatment: predicting treatment response in acute migraine intervention.

Objective: To evaluate the relationship between treatment outcomes and allodynia-associated symptoms (AAS) at the time of treatment with almotriptan.

Methods: Analyses were performed with data collected prospectively from patients in 2 recently completed early intervention trials, AXERT Early miGraine Intervention Study (AEGIS) and AXERT 12.5 mg time vs Intensity Migraine Study (AIMS): 2-hour pain free, 2-hour pain relief (AEGIS only), sustained pain free (SPF), use of rescue medication, and median headache duration (AIMS only), in the presence and absence of pretreatment AAS, which was determined by responses to a questionnaire.

Frovatriptan for the acute treatment of migraine and prevention of predictable menstrual migraine.

Frovatriptan is a 5-HT(1B/1D) receptor agonist that belongs to the triptan therapeutic class. Relative to other triptans, frovatriptan has a long half-life (26 h) and a low incidence of migraine recurrence (17%). Frovatriptan is indicated for the acute treatment of migraine with or without aura, and has a relatively good safety and tolerability profile.

Effect of pain intensity and time to administration on responsiveness to almotriptan: results from AXERT 12.5 mg Time Versus Intensity Migraine Study (AIMS).

Objective: To determine whether time-based early treatment, independent of pain intensity, is superior to a pain intensity-based treatment, where patients are asked to treat at least moderate intensity headaches, resulting in a reduction of overall migraine headache duration.

Background: Retrospective and prospective trials have reported improved outcomes when triptans were used early or to treat mild migraine headache pain. However, tolerability as well as efficacy may be 2 of several key issues that have prevented this new treatment paradigm from becoming universally accepted.

A series of three sequential, randomized, controlled studies of repeated treatments with botulinum toxin type A for migraine prophylaxis.

Unlabelled: We examined the effects of multiple treatments with low doses of botulinum toxin type A (BoNTA; BOTOX(R), Allergan Inc., Irvine, CA) versus placebo for prophylaxis of episodic migraine. This was a series of 3 sequential, randomized, controlled studies of 418 patients with a history of 4 to 8 moderate to severe migraines per month.

Comparative sensitivity of stopwatch methodology and conventional pain assessment measures for detecting early response to triptans in migraine: results of a randomized, open-label pilot study.

Background: The standard measure of efficacy used in migraine trials is a 4-point patient-rated headache pain intensity (HPI) scale. However, it has been suggested that using a stopwatch to measure the time to meaningful pain relief can provide a more precise measurement of treatment response.

Objective: This study evaluated the sensitivity of a stopwatch method for detecting meaningful relief of headache pain and the correlation of this method with the HPI scale and a 5-point pain relief scale.

Acetaminophen, aspirin, and caffeine versus sumatriptan succinate in the early treatment of migraine: results from the ASSET trial.

Objective: To address the need for a rigorous, direct comparison of prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) migraine drugs and to expand the database on early treatment of migraine.

Background: Most people who experience migraine use OTC medications to treat their symptoms, but no head-to-head clinical trials comparing these agents with prescription migraine therapies have been published. In addition, even though most migraineurs treat early in the attack, few studies have been conducted to reflect this treatment pattern.

Botulinum toxin type a for the prophylaxis of chronic daily headache: subgroup analysis of patients not receiving other prophylactic medications: a randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled study.

Objective: To assess the efficacy and safety of botulinum toxin type A (BoNT-A; BOTOX, Allergan, Inc., Irvine, CA) for the prophylaxis of headaches in patients with chronic daily headache (CDH) without the confounding factor of concurrent prophylactic medications.

Background: Several open-label studies and an 11-month, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study suggest that BoNT-A may be an effective therapy for the prophylaxis of headaches in patients with CDH.

Speed of onset, efficacy and tolerability of zolmitriptan nasal spray in the acute treatment of migraine: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study.

Introduction: Migraine is a common, disabling condition that has a significant impact on patients and relatives, and is a considerable economic burden on society. Migraine patients want fast-acting treatments with high efficacy. Previous studies have demonstrated that orally administered formulations of zolmitriptan are rapidly and highly effective in the acute treatment of migraine.

Randomized, placebo-controlled comparison of early use of frovatriptan in a migraine attack versus dosing after the headache has become moderate or severe.

Objective: To evaluate whether frovatriptan would provide greater relief if given early during a migraine attack.

Research Design And Methods: Adults with a history of migraine of at least 1 year, and who had 2-8 headaches in the previous month were recruited from 19 US centres for a prospective, placebo-controlled crossover study over 2 migraine attacks. Dose 1 was taken at the onset of mild migraine headache, Dose 2 was taken at least 2 h later if the headache progressed to moderate/severe.

Pharmacokinetics of frovatriptan in adolescent migraineurs.

Frovatriptan is a selective 5-HT(1B/1D) receptor agonist available for acute treatment of migraine in adults (18 years and older). The objective of this study was to determine key pharmacokinetic parameters of frovatriptan in adolescent migraineurs after a single 2.5-mg oral dose and to compare these results with those from an earlier study completed in adults.

A randomized trial of frovatriptan for the intermittent prevention of menstrual migraine.

Background: Menstrually associated migraine (MAM) is often prolonged and difficult to manage with conventional therapies. Frovatriptan is a new selective 5HT(1B/1D) receptor agonist indicated for short-term management of migraine. It has a long half-life and good tolerability.

Frovatriptan use in migraineurs with or at high risk of coronary artery disease.

Objective: To investigate the cardiovascular effects of frovatriptan 2.5 mg during a migraine attack in patients with, or at high risk of, coronary artery disease.

Background: Rare occurrences of myocardial ischemia and coronary and peripheral vasospasm associated with the use of sumatriptan have triggered concern over the vasoconstrictor properties of the triptan class of drugs.