Hope for Quick Migraine Relief

(Ivanhoe Newswire) A combination drug may be able to attack a migraine before the intense pain starts.

The drug used in a new study done at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia was sumatripan-naproxen. Fifty percent of the migraine sufferers in the study who took it within the first hour of feeling symptoms were free of pain two hours later. The key is taking it when symptoms first occur.

“Unfortunately, many migraine sufferers put off treatment,” said Stephen Silberstein, MD. “This study provides more evidence that treating the migraine at the first sign of pain increases the likelihood of relief.”

Sumatripan is a migraine specific drug that affects constriction of blood vessels. Naproxen sodium is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory that relieves nontraditional symptoms like sinus pain and pressure and neck pain.

Silberstein, who is the study’s author, cautioned only people whose migraines have a mild phase were included in the study. It’s not known if the results would be the same for those whose migraines start with moderate or severe pain.

SOURCE: Neurology, July 8, 2008

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