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Sublingual Flunarizine: a New Effective Management of the Migraine Attack. A Comparison versus Ergotamine |
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| Authors: | Salvatore Bonuso MD Emanuela Di Stasio MD Enrico Marano MD Fulvio Sorge MD Alfonso Leo MD |
| Institution: | Department of Neurology, 2nd Medical School, University of Naples, Italy.; Department of Pharmacology, 2nd Medical School, University of Naples, Italy. |
| Abstract: | SYNOPSIS Flunarizine was found to be effective in the acute treatment of isosorbide dinitrate induced migraine attacks, when given in a dosage of 10 mg sublingually. The present study consists of two parts: in the first preliminary investigation, 7 out of 8 migraine patients who developed a typical migraine attack after isosorbide dinitrate were relieved of pain within about 10 minutes. On the basis of this result a second, randomized controlled open trial was performed, in which the acute efficacy of flunarizine was compared with ergotamine tartrate, 0.25 mg i.m., on 40 migraine patients. Flunarizine was found as effective as ergotamine (75% positive responses in the flunarizine group, 70% in the ergotamine group). The mean latency of the flunarizine effect was significantly lower than that of the ergotamine ( r < 0.001, Student's t test). Moreover sublingual flunarizine was found to be virtually devoid of side effects. |
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