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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2014 Sep 15.
Published in final edited form as: Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2012 Feb 15;2:CD009665. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD009665
Studies Attacks treated Treatment (%) Placebo (%) Relative risk (95% CI) NNT (95% CI) P for difference
Effect of size
Pain-free at 2 hours (in studies containing ≥ 50 participants in each treatment arm) 7 1976 58 16 3.6 (3.0 to 4.2) 2.4 (2.2 to 2.7) z =3.195
P = 0.001

Pain-free at 2 hours (in studies containing 1 or more treatment arm with <50 participants) 6 546 65 11 5.3 (3.7 to 7.6) 1.9 (1.6 to 2.1)

Pain-free at 1 hour (in studies containing ≥ 50 participants in each treatment arm) 9 2985 43 7 5.5 (4.5 to 6.9) 2.9 (2.7 to 3.1) z =2.210
P = 0.027

Pain-free at 1 hour (in studies containing 1 or more treatment arm with < 50 participants) 7 607 34 6 5.6 (3.4 to 9.3) 3.6 (3.0 to 4.5)

Headache relief at 1 hour (in studies containing ≥ 50 participants in each treatment arm) 12 4040 71 26 2.7 (2.5 to 3.0) 2.2 (2.1 to 2.4) z =0.145
P = 0.881

Headache relief at 1 hour (in studies containing 1 or more treatment arm with < 50 participants) 12 1137 73 27 2.7 (2.3 to 3.1) 2.2 (2.0 to 2.5)

Headache relief at 2 hours (in studies containing ≥ 50 participants in each treatment arm) 8 2192 78 31 2.5 (2.2 to 2.7) 2.1 (2.0 to 2.3) z= 1.806
P = 0.070

Headache relief at 2 hours (in studies containing 1 or more treatment arm with < 50 participants) 6 546 84 30 2.7 (2.2 to 3.4) 1.9 (1.6 to 2.1)

Effect of missing data

Pain-free at 1 hour (in studies with no missing data) 14 3208 41 8 5.0 (4.1 to 6.1) 3.0 (2.8 to 3.3) z =0.908
P = 0.363

Pain-free at 1 hour (in studies with missing data) 2 384 38 1 36 (8.9 to 140) 2.7 (2.3 to 3.3)

Headache relief at 1 hour (in studies with no missing data) 22 4793 71 28 2.6 (2.4 to 2.8) 2.3 (2.2 to 2.5) z = 4.068 P < 0.00006

Headache relief at 1 hour (in studies with missing data) 2 384 67 7 9.6 (5.7 to 16) 1.7 (1.5 to 1.9)

Headache relief at 2 hours (in studies with no missing data) 12 2354 80 34 2.3 (2.1 to 2.5) 2.2 (2.1 to 2.4) z = 4.520 P < 0.00006

Headache relief at 2 hours (in studies with missing data) 2 384 74 10 7.4 (4.8 to 11) 1.6 (1.4 to 1.8)