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. 2010 Apr;7(2):153–158. doi: 10.1016/j.nurt.2010.03.004

Meeting acute migraine treatment needs through novel treatment formulations

Stephen D Silberstein 1,✉
PMCID: PMC5084095  PMID: 20430313

Summary

Migraineurs often do not use acute migraine-specific medications. Patient-reported satisfaction with triptans is modest. Patients are generally interested in obtaining more rapid and complete symptom relief. The role of trigeminal vascular activation may explain why some patients fail to respond to current treatment. Novel formulations of currently available acute migraine treatments have been developed, with improved clinical outcomes, response times, and pain-free rates. Currently available effective, novel, acute migraine therapies include needle-free injectable sumatriptan and effervescent diclofenac. Orally inhaled dihydroergotamine is a new treatment modality. These novel formulations may help patients achieve desirable outcomes, including faster and more complete relief, more consistent response, and improved drug tolerability.

Key Words: Dihydroergotamine, effervescent, iontophoresis, inhalation treatment, needle-free, pain-free, triptan

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