Comparative evaluation of the efficiency of a sumatriptan/dexketoprofen combination versus sumatriptan monotherapy in the treatment of a migraine attack

Abstract

Migraine is a chronic brain disease with a high prevalence and a marked deterioration in quality of life. Triptans are the gold standard for migraine attack therapy, but they are not effective in all patients. The aim of an observational program was to compare a sumatriptan/dexketoprofen combination and sumatriptan monotherapy for attack relief. Patients and methods. The observation program included 38 migraine patients. A migraine attack was relieved with a combination of sumatriptan 100 mg and dexketoprofen 25 mg in 20 patients and with only sumatriptan 100 mg in 18 patients (Group 2). All the study participants filled out a questionnaire in which they indicated the time of attack onset, the time of drug intake, the intensity of pain, and the presence of concomitant symptoms (nausea, phono-and photophobia) before and 0.5, 1, 2, 4, 8, and 24 hours after drug administration. The investigators estimated the key indicators of the observation program: pain relief at 2, 4, 8, and 24 hours and a significant decrease in pain intensity at 30 minutes, 1 and 2 hours. Therapy satisfaction was determined using the Patient Perception of Migraine Questionnaire (PPMQ) that the patients filled out at 24 hours after the attack. Results. A larger number of patients receiving combined therapy with sumatriptan 100 mg and dexketoprofen 25 mg noted a significant decrease in the intensity of headache at 1 hour and the absence of pain at 2 and 4 hours compared with those in the sumatriptan monotherapy group. According to the PPMQ questionnaire, the combined therapy group showed higher treatment satisfaction. Conclusion. The combination of sumatriptan 100 mg and dexketoprofen 25 mg was shown to have some advantage over sumatriptan 100 mg monotherapy in treating migraine attack. The results of the observation program are correlated with those of previous studies. The higher efficiency of combined therapy with triptan + nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs versus that of monotherapy with triptans reflects a variety of pathophysiological processes that accompany a migraine attack, as well as the presence of several targets for pathogenetic therapy.