Objective. To compare the effectiveness of rizatriptan to other non triptan medications in the relief of migraine headache in usual care settings. Backgrou nd. Although rizatriptan has been shown to provide effective relief of migrain e symptoms in clinical trials, limited data exist directly comparing its effecti veness with non triptan medications. Methods. Migraineurs aged 18 to 55 who h ad been prescribed a new an timigraine drug (rizatriptan 10 mg or a selected class of non triptan oral medi cations) were recruited to participate in the study through a national retail ph armacy chain. Participants completed a baseline questionnaire at the enrollment and reported their treatment experiences by filling out the treatment diary afte r using the newly prescribed medication. The treatment outcomes of patients rece iving rizatriptan were compared with those receiving non triptan medications. L ogistic regression analysis was applied to test statistical significance with ad justment for potential confounding factors. Results. Of the 728 patients who e ntered the study, 693 (95.2%) completed the treatment diary. Patients treated w ith rizatriptan (192) and non triptans (501) reported the following outcomes, r espectively onset of headache relief within 30 minutes post dose: 25%versus 18%; self defined significant headache relief within 2 hours post dose: 71%v ersus 54%; pain free or mild pain at 2 hours post dose: 58%versus 47%; completel y symptom free within 2 hours of postdose: 32%versus 20%; return to usual act ivities within 2 hours post dose: 39%versus 35%; and satisfied with treatment : 67%versus 55%(P <..05 in all comparisons with exception of returning to usua l activities). Conclusion. Rizatriptan was significantly more effective than n on triptans in the relief of migraine headaches for patients obtaining prescrib ed migraine medications from a retail pharmacy. Additional studies at other usua l care settings may be needed to confirm the findings.
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