[The migraine remedy sumatriptan (Imigran) and coronary heart disease]

The new drug, sumatriptan, used to treat migraine, causes substernal tightness and severe angina-like pain in 3-21% of patients. Several reports have described sumatriptan-induced death, ventricular fibrillation, myocardial infarction, ischaemia and coronary vasospasm. We describe the case of a woman aged 40 years who suffered from bronchial asthma but was without known coronary heart disease. She experienced chest pain after intake of 100 mg sumatriptan orally. ECG was normal and there was no increase in coronary enzymes. Sumatriptan has a weak coronary constrictor effect. Endothelial dysfunction, with reduced release of vasodilating nitric oxide, may potentiate vasoconstriction induced by sumatriptan in the presence of thromboxane A2.