New drug : sumatriptin & naproxen

Genetic Engineering News - The Leading Publication in Biotechnology:
"POZEN Inc. announced the submission of a New Drug Application (NDA) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the marketing approval of Trexima(TM), the proposed brand name for the combination of sumatriptan succinate, formulated with RT Technology (TM), and naproxen sodium, in a single tablet for the acute treatment of migraine."

MY REACTION:

I have used sumatriptin successfully in the past. I look forward to trying this new combo.

Migraine prevention with butterbur

Alternative Medicine Review: Migraine prevention in children and adolescents: results of an open study with a special butterbur root extract:

"OBJECTIVE: To explore the role of a special butterbur root extract for migraine prevention in children and adolescents with severe migraines.

BACKGROUND: Two randomized and placebo-controlled trials with a total of 289 migraine patients have demonstrated the efficacy and safety of a special butterbur root extract in the reduction of migraine attacks in adults.

DESIGN/METHODS: Patients were treated with 50 to 150 mg of the butterbur root extract depending on age for a period of 4 months. Treatment progression was recorded in migraine journals.

RESULTS: 77% of all patients reported a reduction in the frequency of migraine attacks of at least 50%. Attack frequency was reduced by 63%. 91% of patients felt substantially or at least slightly improved after 4 months of treatment. About 90% of each, doctors and patients, reported well-being or even improved well-being. No serious adverse events occurred.

CONCLUSIONS: The results and low rate of adverse events in this study are similar to the results of two multicenter placebo-controlled butterbur studies in adults. Butterbur root extract shows a potential as an effective and well-tolerated migraine prophylaxis.

My Take:

Great. Now, doc, give us the formula for the secret sauce. Butterbur -- is that in the dairy section? While encouraging, the problem with most herbal remedies is that the potency varies tremendously, so it is nearly impossible to know how much of the "active ingredient" you are, or should be, getting.

What a crock of crap!

ABC News: Aspirin can relieve acute migraine:
"Individuals who suffer from acute migraine headaches are likely to find relief with aspirin, according to results of a new study.

'Aspirin is a rational' over-the-counter (OTC) choice for people who have migraine, the authors of the research write in the journal Headache.

More than 50 percent of migraine sufferers rely on OTC medications for the treatment of their migraine pain and, along with other OTC products, aspirin is considered by the US Headache Consortium to be an option for first-line migraine treatment. Yet few published studies have evaluated aspirin use for migraine headache.

Therefore, Dr. Richard B. Lipton, of Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York, and colleagues assessed the efficacy of a single 1000-milligram dose of aspirin versus inactive placebo for the treatment of acute migraine with or without aura.

Study subjects logged their responses to the randomly assigned study medication in a diary starting at baseline and at 30 minutes, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 24 hours after treatment. They used a 4-point ordinal scale to rate their pain.

Of the 485 subjects enrolled in the study, 401 treated a confirmed migraine — 201 with aspirin and 200 with placebo.

The 2-hour response rate was 52 percent in the aspirin group versus 34 percent in the placebo group, a significant difference in favor of aspirin.

"At 2 hours, 20 percent of subjects treated with aspirin were pain free versus only 6 percent of subjects treated with placebo," Lipton's team reports, adding that aspirin provided better pain relief than placebo at all time points except 30 minutes after dosing.

Greater reductions in nausea and sensitivity to light and sound were observed in subjects treated with aspirin compared to those treated with placebo and significantly fewer aspirin-treated than placebo-treated patients needed rescue medication at 24 hours (34 percent versus 52 percent).

These results demonstrate that aspirin is safe and effective for treatment of acute migraine pain in appropriate patients, the authors conclude.

My Take:

If I relied on aspirin for my migraines, I would be in the Emergency Room every friggin time. This so-called study is an insult to the intelligence and experience of any true migraneur.

Is aspirin better than nothing? Perhaps so, but that is hardly the issue is it? With other choices available, why take the least effective drug possible?