Evaluation of migraineurs' preferences for naratriptan over conventional first-line agents.

Abstract

OBJECTIVE:

To assess patient satisfaction with and preference for naratriptan hydrochloride therapy over previous "nontriptan" therapy for migraines.

DESIGN AND SETTING:

Open-label study conducted at 15 primary care clinics.

PATIENTS:

One hundred forty-three adults meeting International Headache Society diagnostic criteria for migraine who were not using triptans as first-line therapy for migraines were enrolled; 115 completed the study. INTERVENTION AND OUTCOME ASSESSMENTS: At baseline, satisfaction with current migraine therapy was assessed. Patients were provided with naratriptan hydrochloride, 2.5 mg, to treat 3 migraines and diaries to record headache symptoms and response to treatment. After treating 3 migraines, satisfaction with naratriptan therapy and preference for either previous or naratriptan therapy were assessed.

RESULTS:

Eighty-nine (62%) of 143 patients had previous exposure to triptans, with lack of prescribing (55%) as the primary reason for not continuing their use as first-line therapy. Medications used for first-line therapy included simple analgesics (59%), combination products (46%), and narcotics (13%). After treating 3 migraines with naratriptan, satisfaction with migraine therapy increased from 47% to 75%. Sixty-three percent of patients preferred naratriptan therapy over their previous nontriptan therapy, 27% preferred their previous therapy, and 10% had no preference. The main reasons for preference for naratriptan therapy were "relieves pain effectively" (86%) and "restores ability to function/perform task" (81%).

CONCLUSION:

Naratriptan for first-line migraine therapy was preferred by most patients over previous nontriptan therapy.

• Authors: C Powers, S Szeto, D Pangtay, T Bort, M Cervi, R Cady
• Journal: Archives of family medicine (Arch Fam Med) Vol. 9 Issue 8 Pg. 753-8 (Aug 2000) ISSN: 1063-3987 [Print] United States
• PMID: 10927717 (Publication Type: Clinical Trial, Journal Article, Multicenter Study, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)

Chemical References

• Indoles
• Piperidines
• Serotonin Receptor Agonists
• Tryptamines
• Vasoconstrictor Agents
• naratriptan

Topics

• Adult
• Aged
• Female
• Humans
• Indoles (therapeutic use)
• Male
• Middle Aged
• Migraine Disorders (drug therapy)
• Patient Satisfaction (statistics & numerical data)
• Piperidines (therapeutic use)
• Serotonin Receptor Agonists (therapeutic use)
• Treatment Outcome
• Tryptamines
• Vasoconstrictor Agents (therapeutic use)