Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Headache recurrence and treatment

  • Published:
Current Treatment Options in Neurology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Opinion statement

The definition of recurrence includes the following: any headache occurring after a headache-free state at 2 hours and within 24 hours after intake of drug; a headache that has never been studied systematically; a headache that may not be an outcome of drug treatment; a headache that may be due to the inherent nature of migraine and individual patient characteristics such as duration of attack; and headache for which effective treatment may be a re-dose of the initial medication or addition of steroidal or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References and Recommended Reading

  1. Ferrari M: How to assess and compare drugs in the management of migraine: success rates in terms of response and recurrence. Cephalalgia 1999, 19(suppl):2–8.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Goldstein DJ, Offen WW, Moster MB: Efficacy definitions for migraine studies. Cephalalgia 1999, 19:248–249.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Göbel H, Boswell D, Winter P, Crisp A: A comparison of the efficacy, safety and tolerability of naratriptan and sumatriptan [abstract]. Cephalalgia 1997, 17:426.

    Google Scholar 

  4. Pfaffenrath V, Cunin G, Sjonell G, Prendergast S: Efficacy and safety of sumatriptan tablets (25 mg, 50 mg, and 100 mg) in the acute treatment of migraine: defining the optimum doses of oral sumatriptan. Headache 1998, 38:184–190.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Pini LA, Sternieri E, Fabbri L, et al.: High efficacy and low frequency of headache recurrence after oral sumatriptan. J Int Med Res 1995, 23:96–105.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Rapoport AM, Visser WH, Cutler MD, et al.: Oral sumatriptan in preventing headache recurrence after treatment of migraine attacks with subcutaneous sumatriptan. Neurology 1995, 45:1505–1509.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Scott RJ, Aitchison WRC, Barker PR, McLaren GI: Oral sumatriptan in the acute treatment of migraine and migraine recurrence in general practice. Q J Med 1996, 89:613–622.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Dahlöf C, Diener HC, Goadsby PJ, et al.: Zolmitriptan, a 5-HT1B/1D receptor agonist for the acute oral treatment of migraine: a multicenter, dose-range finding study. Eur J Neurol 1998, 5:535–543.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Rapoport AM, Ramadan NM, Adelman JU, et al.: Optimizing the dose of zolmitriptan for the acute treatment of migraine: a multicenter, double blind, placebo-controlled, dose range-finding study. Neurology 1997, 49:1210–1218.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Solomon GD, Cady RK, Klapper JA, et al.: Clinical efficacy and tolerability of 2.5 mg zolmitriptan for the acute treatment of migraine: the 042 Clinical Trial Study Group. Neurology 1997, 49:1219–1225.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Visser WH, Klein KB, Cox RC, et al.: 311C90, a new central and peripherally acting 5-HT 1D receptor agonist in the acute oral treatment of migraine: a double blind, placebo-controlled, dose-range finding study. Neurology 1996, 46:522–526.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Ahrens S, Farmer MV, Williams DL, et al.: Efficacy and safety of rizatriptan wafer for the acute treatment of migraine. Cephalalgia 1999, 19:525–530.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Bomhof M, Paz J, Legg N, et al.: Comparison of rizatriptan 10 mg vs naratriptan 2.5 mg in migraine. Eur Neurol 1999, 42:173–179.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Goldstein J, Ryan R, Jiang K, et al.: Crossover comparison of rizatriptan 5 mg and 10 mg versus sumatriptan 5 mg and 50 mg in migraine. Headache 1998, 38:737–747.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Teall J, Tuchman M, Cutler N, et al.: Rizatriptan for the acute treatment of migraine and migraine recurrence: a placebo-controlled, outpatient study. Headache 1998, 38:281–287.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Tfelt-Hansen P, Teall J, Rodriguez F, et al.: Oral rizatriptan versus oral sumatriptan: a direct comparative study in the acute treatment of migraine. Headache 1998, 38:748–755.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Dahlöf C, Winter P, Whitehouse H, Hassani H: Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled comparison of oral naratriptan and oral sumatriptan in the acute treatment of migraine [abstract]. Neurology 1997, 48:A85.

    Google Scholar 

  18. Klassen A, Elkind A, Asgharnejad M, et al.: Naratriptan is effective and well tolerated in the acute treatment of migraine: results of a double blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group study. Headache 1997, 37:640–645.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Mathew NT, Asgharnejad M, Peykamian M, et al.: Naratriptan is effective and well tolerated in the acute treatment of migraine: results of a double blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study. Neurology 1997, 49:1485–1490.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Pascual J, Falk RM, Piessens F, et al.: Consistent efficacy and tolerability of almotriptan in the acute treatment of multiple migraine attacks: results of a large, randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled study. Cephalalgia 2000, 20:588–596.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Spierings ELH, Gomez-Mancilla B, Grosz DE, et al.: Oral almotriptan vs. oral sumatriptan in the abortive treatment of migraine: a double blind randomized parallel-group, optimum dose comparison. Arch Neurol 2001, 58:944–950.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Pascual J, Falk RM, Docekal P, et al.: Tolerability and efficacy of almotriptan in the long-term treatment of migraine. Eur Neurol 2001, 45:206–213.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Dahlöf C, Tfelt-Hansen P, Massiou H, Fazekas A: Dose finding placebo-controlled study of oral almotriptan in the acute treatment of migraine. Neurology 2001, 57:1811–1817.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. Millson D, Tepper S: Issue relating to the assessment of migraine recurrence following triptan therapy [letter]. Eur J Neurol 1999, 6:525–526.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Goadsby PJ: Evaluating specific acute headache therapies: recurrence and tolerability. Paper presented at: 52nd Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Neurology; San Diego, CA. May 2, 2000;

  26. Visser WH, Burggraaf J, Muller LM, et al.: Pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic profiles of sumatriptan in migraine patients with headache recurrence or no response. Clin Pharmacol Ther 1996, 60:452–460.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  27. Visser WH, Jaspers NMWH, de Vriend RHM, Ferrari MD: Risk factors for headache recurrence after sumatriptan: a study in 366 migraine patients. Cephalalgia 1996, 16:264–269.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  28. Weiller C, May A, Limmroth V, et al.: Brainstem activation in spontaneous human migraine attacks. Nature Med 1995, 1:658–660.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  29. Sheftell F, O’Quinn S, Watson C, et al.: Low migraine headache recurrence with naratriptan: clinical parameters related to recurrence. Headache 2000, 40:103–110.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  30. Lance JW: Summing-up. In Migraine: Pharmacology and Genetics. Edited by Sandler M, Ferrari MD, Harnett S. London: Chapman and Hall; 1996:300–308.

    Google Scholar 

  31. Ferrari MD, Lipton RB, McCarroll KA, Vandormael K: Lines CR. 24-hour sustained pain free status after rizatriptan and other triptans: a comparison. Headache 2000, 40:407–408.

    Google Scholar 

  32. Ferrari M, Roon K, Lipton R, Goadsby PJ: Oral triptans (serotonin 5-HT 1B/1D agonists) in acute migraine treatment: a meta-analysis of 53 trials. Lancet 2001, 358:1668–1675. Extensive scientific review of currently available triptans.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  33. Cull RE, Price WH, Dunbar A: The efficacy of subcutaneous sumatriptan in the treatment of recurrence of migraine headache. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 1997, 62:490–495.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  34. Krymchantowski AV: Naproxen sodium decreases migraine recurrence when administered with sumatriptan. Arq Neuropsiquitar 2000, 58:428–430. Important placebo-controlled study using naratriptan.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  35. Krymchantowski AV, Adriano M, Fernandes D: Tolfenamic acid decreases migraine recurrence when used with sumatriptan. Cephalalgia 1999, 19:186–187.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  36. Krymchantowski AV, Barbosa JS: Dexamethasone decreases migraine recurrence observed after treatment with a triptan combined with an NSAID. Arq Neurosiquitar 2001, 59:708–711.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Swedish Neuroscience Institute, Swedish Headache Center, 1221 Madison, Suite 1026, 98116, Seattle, WA, USA

    Sheena K. Aurora MD & John Dempsey MD

Authors
  1. Sheena K. Aurora MD
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. John Dempsey MD
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Aurora, S.K., Dempsey, J. Headache recurrence and treatment. Curr Treat Options Neurol 4, 335–342 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11940-002-0043-z

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11940-002-0043-z

Keywords

Search

Navigation