[Triptans in migraine--here and now (15 years after they were implemented in therapy)]

Migraine is one of the most common primary/idiopathic headaches as well as one of the most frequent complaints in the society. For the last 15 years there has been a significant change in the acute treatment of migraine attacks. It was a result of an extensive research on serotonin receptors, primarily their 5-HT(1B) and 5-HT(1D) subtypes, and on the pathological mechanisms underlying migraine headache. New drugs acting selectively, triptans, are not only more effective than traditional medicaments, common pain-killers (NSAID) and ergotamine, but are also much safer than non-selective and high affinity pharmaceuticals and ergotamine, which binds for a long time the 5-HT receptors, predominantly in the coronary arteries. The review shows main differences between particular triptans and discusses the principles of therapy, including contraindications.