[Zolmitriptan in treatment of migraine attack--the ARES Study]

In an open-label Swiss multicentre trial to assess patient acceptance, efficacy and safety of zolmitriptan 2.5 mg tablets in the acute treatment of migraine, 112 patients were enrolled and 281 migraine attacks evaluated. Patients completed a specially designed protocol during and after each attack. Special attention was given to the patients' subjective comparison of the study drug with previously used abortive treatments. On this matter, zolmitriptan performed clearly better than analgesics and NSAIDS (78% "better"). Compared with sumatriptan, zolmitriptan was narrowly preferred (45% "better", 36% "worse"). Headache intensity was reduced from moderate or severe to mild or none after one hour in 51% and after 2 hours in 70%. Median time to efficacy was 50 minutes. Autonomic symptoms such as nausea and photo- and phonophobia were improved in 45 to 55%. A subjectively significant improvement in general condition (functionality) was reported in 51% after one hour and in 72% after 2 hours. Headache recurrence was reported by 25% of the responders after a median time lapse of 14 hours. Adverse effects were reported by 22%, and were all short lasting and spontaneously reversible. Rapid efficacy, high and persistent response rate, improvement of headache, autonomic symptoms and general condition, and excellent tolerability are thus the reasons for the patients' preference of zolmitriptan over traditional abortive drugs.