New Headache Medication Provides Faster Pain Relief for Migraine

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New Headache Medication Provides Faster Pain Relief for Migraine SufferersMarch 3, 2000Headache/MedscapeWire

A new medication for treating migraine headaches appears to provide more rapid and consistent pain relief than the current most widely used medication. The results are published in the February issue of Headache. In a study conducted by headache researchers at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ)-School of Osteopathic Medicine in Stratford, zolmitriptan (Zomig, AstraZeneca) provided patients with quicker and longer relief than sumatriptan. Dr. R. Gallagher, principal investigator of the nationwide study and director of the University Headache Center at the UMDNJ-School of Osteopathic Medicine, said, "For migraine patients, the most important characteristic of pain medication is that it acts to reduce pain and provide consistent pain relief. This study found significant differences between the two medications in terms of how quickly they worked and the length of pain relief." According to the study, more patients who took a 2.5-mg dose of zolmitriptan at the onset of a migraine headache received faster and more consistent pain relief after 2 hours than those who took a 50-mg dose of sumatriptan. In addition, pain relief was consistent after 24 hours for patients who used zolmitriptan. The randomized, double-blind study involved 1043 patients at 61 research centers around the country, including the UMDNJ-University Headache Center. A total of 6187 migraine attacks were treated with either zolmitriptan or sumatriptan. A frequent speaker at international headache conferences, Dr. Gallagher is the principal author and editor of the medical textbook Drug Treatment for Headaches, the first textbook dedicated solely to the pharmacological treatment of headaches.

http://neurology.medscape.com/MedscapeWire/2000/0300/medwire.0303.New.html