ATYPICAL FACIAL-PAIN - A DOUBLE-BLIND PLACEBO-CONTROLLED CROSSOVER PILOT-STUDY OF SUBCUTANEOUS SUMATRIPTAN

A double-blind placebo-controlled crossover pilot study involving 19 p atients was undertaken to evaluate the efficacy of subcutaneous sumatr iptan, a selective 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT)-like receptor agonist, i n the treatment of atypical facial pain (AFP). A reduction in total pa in was found 120 min post injection in the sumatriptan group. Most pat ients, however, described the medication as ineffective overall, despi te significant pain score reduction. The temporary improvement of pain scores with the active drug was thought to be too small to be of any clinical benefit, but suggests that vascular or neurogenic mechanisms may be involved in the aetiology of AFP. Sumatriptan is not an appropr iate therapeutic option for patients with AFP, but could prove a valua ble drug in experimental clinical pharmacology. (C) 1997 Elsevier Scie nce B.V.