Rizatriptan for the acute treatment of migraine: Consistency, preference, satisfaction, and quality of life

Review

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Authors: Farnaz Amoozegar, Tamara Pringsheim

Published Date August 2009 Volume 2009:3 Pages 251 - 258

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.2147/PPA.S6152

Farnaz Amoozegar, Tamara Pringsheim

Calgary Headache Assessment and Management Program, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada

Abstract: Rizatriptan is a 5HT (IB/ID) agonist with proven efficacy in the acute treatment of migraine headache. We performed a systematic review of the literature for clinical trials of rizatriptan incorporating important patient outcomes including consistency of response, preference, satisfaction, and quality of life. We found evidence that rizatriptan provides consistent relief of migraine attacks and that patients prefer rizatriptan over other treatments because of its speed of relief. Patient satisfaction with rizatriptan is significantly higher than placebo, but appears equivalent to most other triptans. Migraine-specific quality of life at 24 hours is significantly better in patients treated with rizatriptan compared to placebo, while overall long-term quality of life is less affected. The published clinical trials included in this systematic review are subject to bias due to the open-label nature of preference trials and the doses chosen for comparison in head-to-head trials.

Keywords: migraine, rizatriptan, patient preference

General overview: Rizatriptan is one of the medications used to treat acute migraine attacks. It belongs to the class of medications known as triptans, which are specific to the treatment of migraine headaches. Rizatriptan has been shown in many large studies to be effective in reducing pain and doing so quickly. However, it is also important to look at patient preference and satisfaction with a given medication. A smaller number of studies have looked at rizatriptan in terms of its consistency of effect for patients, and other measures, such as preference for the medication versus other medications, satisfaction with it, and quality of life. In this article, we review the studies looking at these factors and make conclusions regarding rizatriptan as opposed to other medications for the acute treatment of migraine headaches.