KETOROLAC VERSUS MEPERIDINE-PLUS-PROMETHAZINE TREATMENT OF MIGRAINE HEADACHE - EVALUATIONS BY PATIENTS

This study was designed to compare and contrast the speed and efficacy of meperidine (75 mg)/promethazine (25 mg) intramuscularly to ketorol ac (60 mg) intramuscularly, in a double-blind study in reducing the sy mptoms of migraine headache. Forty-two patients who presented to the e mergency department between July 1992 and February 1993, with previous diagnoses of migraine headache, were considered for this study, Patie nts subjectively evaluated parameters of their migraine headaches (eg, pain and nausea) using a numeric scale and were later asked to reeval uate these same parameters at 30, 60, and 360 minutes after a single i ntramuscular injection of either ketorolac (60 mg) or meperidine (75 m g)/promethazine (25 mg). Sixty-eight percent of patients given meperid ine/promethazine responded whereas 55% of patients given ketorolac res ponded. The responder group showed a statistically significant reducti on in headache within 30 minutes with both drug regimens. There was no statistically significant difference between the number of responders in either group. The responders from both groups had relief that last ed 6 hours after injection, In the nonresponder groups, most of the pa tients withdrew within 1 hour after treatment, As determined by patien t response to treatment of their migraine headaches, there was no stat istically significant difference between the ketorolac and the meperid inel promethazine groups. Copyright (C) 1995 by W.B. Saunders Company