Two Medications Treat Migraine Better Than One

Sumatriptan-naproxen combo works faster and longer, study finds.

By Serena Gordon
HealthDay Reporter
Tuesday, April 3, 2007; 12:00 AM

Copyright © 2007 ScoutNews, LLC. All rights reserved.

TUESDAY, April 3 (HealthDay News) -- Combining two commonly used medications can provide faster, long-lasting relief of migraine pain than using either drug alone, concludes a new study.

The study compared the use of a new combination pill that includes sumatriptan (brand name Imitrex) and naproxen sodium (Aleve) to use of either drug alone and to a placebo for moderate to severe migraines.

The researchers found that the combination therapy provided headache relief within two hours for as many as 65 percent of the study volunteers compared to about 28 percent for placebo. Up to 55 percent reported that Imitrex alone provided relief, while as many as 44 percent felt that naproxen gave them relief from their headache.

"The combination product is superior to the individual products alone," explained study author, Dr. Jan Lewis Brandes, a neurologist with the Nashville Neuroscience Group and an assistant clinical professor of neurology at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville, Tenn. "It really targets more of what's happening in the brain during migraine. Sumatriptan works to constrict the blood vessels and interrupt pain, while naproxen works on the inflammatory process."

Results of the study are in the April 4 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Funding was provided by pharmaceutical manufacturers Pozen and Glaxo SmithKline.

While both medications included in the combination pill have already received government approval, the new combination must also be approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Lewis Brandes said the FDA is reviewing data on the medication and may make a decision by August 2007. If approved, the combination will likely be sold under the brand name Trexima.

Almost 30 million Americans suffer from migraines, according to the National Headache Foundation. Migraines may cause headache pain -- often just on one side of the head, visual disturbances, sensitivity to light, and nausea and vomiting. Migraines may last hours or even days.