Diclofenac with or without an antiemetic for acute migraine headaches in adults

Abstract

Background Migraine is a common, disabling condition and a burden for the individual, health services and society. Many sufferers choose not to, or are unable to, seek professional help and rely on over-the-counter (OTC) analgesics. Diclofenac is an established analgesic, and new formulations using the potassium or epolamine salts, which can be dissolved in water, have been developed for rapid absorption, which may be beneficial in acute migraine. Co-therapy with an antiemetic should help to reduce the nausea and vomiting commonly associated with migraine. Objectives To determine the efficacy and tolerability of diclofenac, alone or in combination with an antiemetic, compared to placebo and other active interventions in the treatment of acute migraine headaches in adults. Search methods We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), MEDLINE, EMBASE, the Oxford Pain Relief Database, ClinicalTrials.gov, and reference lists for studies through 27 September 2011. Selection criteria We included randomised, double-blind, placebo- and/or active-controlled studies using self administered diclofenac to treat a migraine headache episode, with at least 10 participants per treatment arm. Data collection and analysis Two review authors independently assessed trial quality and extracted data. We used numbers of participants achieving each outcome to calculate relative risk (or ‘risk ratio’) and numbers needed to treat to benefit (NNT) or harm (NNH) compared to placebo or a different active treatment. Main results Five studies (1356 participants) compared oral diclofenac with placebo, and one also compared it with sumatriptan; none combined diclofenac with a self administered antiemetic. Four studies treated attacks with single doses of medication, and two allowed an optional second dose for inadequate response. Only two studies, with three active treatment arms, provided data for pooled analysis of primary outcomes. For single doses of diclofenac potassium 50 mg versus placebo (two studies), the NNTs were 6.2, 8.9, and 9.5 for pain-free at two hours, headache relief at two hours, and pain-free responses at 24 hours, respectively. Associated symptoms of nausea, photophobia and phonophobia, and functional disability were reduced within two hours, and similar numbers of participants experienced adverse events, which were mostly mild and transient. There were insufficient data to evaluate other doses of oral diclofenac, or to compare different formulations or different dosing regimens; only one study compared oral diclofenac with an active comparator (oral sumatriptan 100 mg). Authors’ conclusions Oral diclofenac potassium 50 mg is an effective treatment for acute migraine, providing relief from pain and associated symptoms, although only a minority of patients experience pain-free responses. Adverse events are mostly mild and transient and occur at the same rate as with placebo.

Intravenous paracetamol versus dexketoprofen in acute migraine attack in the emergency department: a randomised clinical trial

“…A Cochrane meta-analysis showed that oral forms of paracetamol,3 ibuprofen,4 diclofenac5 and sumatriptan, that seem to be more expensive than simple analgesics,6 are effective in treating the migraine attack. However, few studies have examined the effectiveness of parenteral drugs in migraine attacks.…”

Why is the therapeutic effect of acute antimigraine drugs delayed? A review of controlled trials and hypotheses about the delay of effect

“…Among the articles found by this search, only articles on RCTs of acute migraine treatment were searched by personal evaluation of abstract and methods section for results beyond 2 hours. In addition, articles with results beyond 2 hours were retrieved by hand search of reference lists of meta-analyses 4,5,13,14 and Cochrane reviews 6,7,[15][16][17][18][19] on drugs for migraine attack treatment. For the main analysis, which was the evaluation of time-effect curves of oral drugs (Table 1), we included *Rescue medication used in oral randomised controlled trials presented in this and other tables and in the text is more frequent in the placebo group.…”

“…Intranasal zolmitriptan 5 mg TG, 23% (95% CI: 20%-26%) 110,111 Soluble diclofenac 50 mg TG, 14% (95% CI: 9%-18%) 17 Nasal-delivered sumatriptan powder 22 mg TG, 17% (95% CI: 5%-28%) 112 Orally inhaled dihydroergotamine 1 mg TG, 18% (95% CI: 12%-23%) 31,33 Transdermal patch with sumatriptan TG, 9% (95% CI: 3%-15%) 113…”

The effectiveness of greater occipital nerve blockade in treating acute migraine-related headaches in emergency departments

“…are quite variable. [3][4][5][6][7][8] Peripheral nerve blocks are an alternative to drugs for primary headaches. Local anesthetics and/or steroidal injections are used for this purpose.…”