EFFICACY OF SUBCUTANEOUS SUMATRIPTAN IN REPEATED EPISODES OF MIGRAINE

This double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter, crossover study in vestigated the efficacy and tolerability of sumatriptan administered f or up to three separate migraine attacks. One hundred twenty adults re ceived sumatriptan (SC, 6 mg; three attacks) and placebo (one attack). Patients completed questionnaires assessing the impact of migraine on their lives and the performance of sumatriptan relative to their usua l acute therapies. Sumatriptan statistically outperformed placebo on a ll efficacy measures, including pain severity; presence/absence of nau sea, vomiting, phonophobia, and photophobia; rescue medication use; an d clinical disability. Efficacy was consistently maintained with repea ted administration. For all attacks, pain relief 90 minutes postdose o ccurred in 86% to 90% of sumatriptan-treated patients, compared with 9 % to 38% of placebo-treated patients. Sumatriptan was well tolerated, and the frequency and severity of adverse events did not change with r epeated administration. Patients' perceptions of sumatriptan were cons istent with clinical data demonstrating the drug's high degree of effi cacy and tolerability.