SAN DIEGO, May 08 (Reuters Health) - Patients prescribed the migraine drug
Maxalt (rizatriptan) are advised to take the drug at the first sign of a
migraine attack. But a new study shows that the drug is also effective when
administered any time after headache onset, according to data presented recently
at the 52nd Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Neurology.
Dr. Marc Berger, a neurologist with the University of Southern California in
Los Angeles, and colleagues elsewhere, found that the medication relieved
migraine symptoms when administered at the onset of headache or when headache
progressed to moderate or severe. What's more, no outcome differences were
observed two hours after treatment.
The study included 1,919 migraine patients who were treated with either a
rizatriptan tablet or an orally disintegrating tablet for two migraine attacks.
Patients chose which formulation to take first. They were asked to report how
they used the medication and treatment outcomes using an interactive voice
response system within approximately 24 hours after treatment. Overall, 3,450
migraine episodes were evaluated.
Participants in the study were on average 41 years old, and 88% were women.
Most of those studied reported about one migraine attack per week.
Twenty three percent of patients who took the medication at the start of
their migraine episode had headache relief within 30 minutes of treatment
compared with 18% of those who waited until their headache became moderate or
severe.
Likewise, significantly more patients in the so-called early drug use group
reported feeling better and returned to their usual activities one hour after
treatment. No difference was observed with respect to headache severity two
hours after treatment; 65% of patients in the early drug use group and 67% of
those in the delayed drug use group reported no pain or only mild pain.
Results also showed that about 60% of migraine attacks were not treated
until the headache progressed to moderate or severe.
