Efficacy of a fixed combination of indomethacin, prochlorperazine, and caffeine in the treatment of episodic tension-type headache: a double-blind, randomized, nimesulide-controlled, parallel group, multicentre trial.

Abstract

In this double-blind, randomized, parallel group, multicentre study the efficacy of a fixed combination of indomethacin, prochlorperazine, and caffeine (IndoProCaf) and nimesulide were compared over an 8-h period in the treatment of two consecutive episodes of tension-type headache (TTH). Both drugs were administered orally. Of 54 randomized patients, 40 were compliant to the protocol. More patients on IndoProCaf than on nimesulide were pain-free at 2 h post-dose (45% vs. 10%; P<0.05), reached a pain reduction of at least 50% at 2 (75% vs. 30%; P<0.05) and 4 h post-dose (90% vs. 58%; P<0.05), and had a statistically significant lower mean time to a 50 and 100% pain reduction in the second TTH episode. A higher percentage of patients reached a 50 or 100% pain reduction at 2 h post-dose with IndoProCaf compared with nimesulide, in two of two treated TTH episodes. A clinically and statistically significant change within each treatment group over time was found for the severity of pain, the headache intensity difference (HID), the sum of headache intensity difference (SHID), the maximum headache intensity difference (MAXHID), the headache relief (HER), the sum of total headache relief (TOTHER) and the maximum headache relief (MAXHER). In conclusion, IndoProCaf showed to be superior, but globally not statistically different from nimesulide in the treatment of episodic TTH. Both drugs were very effective and well tolerated.

• Authors: R Cerbo, V Centonze, I Grazioli, B Tavolato, T Trenti, C Uslenghi, E Sternieri
• Journal: European journal of neurology (Eur J Neurol) Vol. 12 Issue 10 Pg. 759-67 (Oct 2005) ISSN: 1351-5101 [Print] England
• PMID: 16190913 (Publication Type: Comparative Study, Journal Article, Multicenter Study, Randomized Controlled Trial)

Chemical References

• Antipsychotic Agents
• Enzyme Inhibitors
• Sulfonamides
• Caffeine
• nimesulide
• Indomethacin
• Prochlorperazine

Topics

• Administration, Oral
• Adolescent
• Adult
• Aged
• Analysis of Variance
• Antipsychotic Agents (therapeutic use)
• Caffeine (therapeutic use)
• Double-Blind Method
• Drug Administration Schedule
• Drug Therapy, Combination
• Enzyme Inhibitors (therapeutic use)
• Female
• Humans
• Indomethacin (therapeutic use)
• Male
• Middle Aged
• Pain Measurement
• Prochlorperazine (therapeutic use)
• Retrospective Studies
• Sulfonamides (therapeutic use)
• Tension-Type Headache (drug therapy)
• Time Factors
• Treatment Outcome