The management of acute migraine in the emergency department presents a therapeutic challenge for physicians, who need to provide adequate pain relief while minimizing adverse events and relapses. New research suggests that phenothiazines are effective drug therapies for acute migraine, highlighting their potential use as first-line treatments for acute migraine in the hospital setting.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 12 print issues and online access
$209.00 per year
only $17.42 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
References
Kelly, A. M., Walcynski, T. & Gunn, B. The relative efficacy of phenothiazines for the treatment of acute migraine: a meta-analysis. Headache doi:10.1111/j.1526–46102009.01465.x.
Lane, P. L. & Ross, R. Intravenous chlorpromazine—preliminary results in acute migraine. Headache 25, 302–304 (1985).
Bigal, M. E., Bordini, C. A. & Speciali, J. G. Intravenous chlorpromazine in the emergency department treatment of migraines: a randomized controlled trial. J. Emerg. Med. 23, 141–148 (2002).
AYD, F. J. Jr. A survey of drug-induced extrapyramidal reactions. JAMA 25, 1054–1060 (1961).
Coppola, M., Yealy, D. M. & Leibold, R. A. Randomized, placebo-controlled evaluation of prochlorperazine versus metoclopramide for emergency department treatment of migraine headache. Ann. Emerg. Med. 26, 541–546 (1995).
Kenney, C., Hunter, C., Davidson, A. & Jankovic, J. Metoclopramide, an increasingly recognized cause of tardive dyskinesia. J. Clin. Pharmacol. 48, 379–384 (2008).
Saadah, H. A. Abortive headache therapy in the office with intravenous dihydroergotamine plus prochlorperazine. Headache 32, 143–146 (1992).
Friedman, B. W. et al. Recurrence of primary headache disorders after emergency department discharge: frequency and predictors of poor pain and functional outcomes. Ann. Emerg. Med. 52, 696–704 (2008).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Ethics declarations
Competing interests
The authors declare no competing financial interests.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Grimaldi, D., Cortelli, P. Treating acute migraine in the emergency department. Nat Rev Neurol 5, 529–531 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrneurol.2009.155
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrneurol.2009.155
