[New triptan preparations can help the migraine patient. Pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic progresses]

Migraine is an idiopathic, recurrent neurovascular headache disorder characterised by attacks of debilitating pain associated with photophobia, phonophobia, nausea and vomiting. It is apparently a global disorder, occurring in all races, cultures and geographical locations. Migraine has a hereditary component, and its life-time prevalence is about 16%. About a third of migraine patients in Sweden seem to be particularly sorely afflicted having 1-6 severe attacks a month and accounting for more than 80 per cent of the annual total of about 14 million attacks in the country as a whole. In general, these migraine sufferers do not obtain satisfactory relief from simple analgesice or NSAIDs (non-sterodial antiinflammatory drugs only), and thus require additional migraine-specific treatment. Selective 5-HT1B/1D-agonists, the so-called triptans, have become an invaluable addition to the therapeutic arsenal for treating this category of patients.