Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Intranasal sumatriptan in cluster headache: randomized placebo-controlled double-blind study.

J A van Vliet1, A Bahra, V Martin

  • 1Department of Neurology, Leiden University Medical Centre, The Netherlands.

Neurology
|February 26, 2003
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Placebo Response in Acute and Prophylactic Treatment of Migraine: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Covering 36 Years of Research.

Neurologic clinics·2025
Same author

A literature review and evidence-based evaluation of the Dutch national immunisation schedule yield possibilities for improvements.

Vaccine: X·2024
Same author

Functional ear symptoms referred to an otology clinic: incidence, co-morbidity, aetiological factors and a new experience-driven clinical model.

The Journal of laryngology and otology·2022
Same author

[National Immunisation Programme: is vaccinating less an option?]

Nederlands tijdschrift voor geneeskunde·2020
Same author

[Cluster headache and other trigeminal autonomic cephalalgias].

Nederlands tijdschrift voor geneeskunde·2020
Same author

[No scientific lower threshold for compulsory vaccination].

Nederlands tijdschrift voor geneeskunde·2020
Same journal

Factors Associated With Disability Improvement and Worsening Independent of Attacks in Patients With AQP4-IgG+ NMOSD and MOGAD: A Multicenter Cohort Study.

Neurology·2026
Same journal

Cost-Effectiveness of Intracranial Aneurysm Screening: A Systematic Review.

Neurology·2026
Same journal

Rare Eating Epilepsy: Co-Occurrence of Focal Cortical Dysplasia and Gray Matter Heterotopia.

Neurology·2026
Same journal

Spatiotemporal Associations Between Cortical Microinfarcts and Cortical Superficial Siderosis in Cerebral Amyloid Angiopathy.

Neurology·2026
Same journal

Blood-Brain Barrier Disruption Before Interhospital Transfer for Thrombectomy and Clinical Outcome.

Neurology·2026
Same journal

At Death's Door: Cytosolic Dopamine in Patients With Parkinson Disease.

Neurology·2026
See all related articles

Sumatriptan nasal spray effectively treats cluster headache attacks. This study found it superior to placebo for pain relief and symptom reduction in patients with cluster headaches lasting at least 45 minutes.

Area of Science:

  • Neurology
  • Pharmacology

Background:

  • Acute cluster headache treatment options are limited to oxygen and subcutaneous sumatriptan.
  • Intranasal sumatriptan offers improved tolerability compared to subcutaneous administration.
  • Previous studies indicated potential efficacy of intranasal sumatriptan for cluster headaches.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of intranasal sumatriptan in acute cluster headache treatment.
  • To compare sumatriptan nasal spray against placebo in a randomized, double-blind trial.

Main Methods:

  • A double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized trial involving 118 patients with episodic or chronic cluster headache.
  • Patients received either 20 mg sumatriptan nasal spray or placebo for attacks lasting at least 45 minutes.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Headache severity was assessed using a five-point scale at 5, 10, 15, 20, and 30 minutes post-administration.

    • Main Results:

    • Sumatriptan nasal spray demonstrated significantly higher responder rates (57%) compared to placebo (26%) at 30 minutes (p = 0.002).
    • Pain-free rates at 30 minutes were substantially better with sumatriptan (47%) versus placebo (18%) (p = 0.003).
    • Sumatriptan also showed superiority in initial response, meaningful relief, and associated symptom relief, with no serious adverse events reported.

    Conclusions:

    • Sumatriptan nasal spray is an effective acute treatment for cluster headache attacks of 45 minutes or longer.
    • The nasal spray formulation is well-tolerated, offering a viable alternative for cluster headache management.