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Delivery systems for acute migraine medications.
1Metro Toronto Hospitals Drug Information Service (MetroDIS), Department of Pharmacy at Sunnybrook. irene.worthington@swchsc.on.ca
Canadian Family Physician Medecin De Famille Canadien
|March 3, 2001
Summary
Choosing the right migraine medication delivery method is key for effective acute treatment. Factors like administration route and patient preference significantly impact therapeutic outcomes for migraine relief.
Area of Science:
- Pharmacology
- Clinical Medicine
- Neurology
Background:
- Acute migraine treatment requires careful consideration of medication delivery systems.
- Optimizing acute migraine therapy involves understanding the pros and cons of various administration routes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the advantages and disadvantages of different administration routes and delivery systems for acute migraine medications.
- To aid family physicians in tailoring acute migraine treatment to individual patient needs.
Main Methods:
- Literature search of MEDLINE (1966-2000) and Current Contents (1999-2000).
- Inclusion of randomized controlled trials, guidelines, non-blinded trials, systematic reviews, and population-based studies.
Main Results:
- Parenteral administration offers rapid onset and efficacy, especially with nausea/vomiting, but has drawbacks like discomfort and needle aversion.
- Oral therapy is preferred but can be limited by gastric issues during attacks.
- Intranasal routes provide quick onset but may cause taste disturbances.
- Rectal administration can have erratic absorption and local irritation, with limited formulation availability.
Conclusions:
- Optimizing acute migraine therapy depends on selecting appropriate medications and delivery systems.
- Considerations include attack characteristics (severity, progression, associated symptoms), ease of administration, and patient preference.