BACKGROUND‐Migraine is a common condition, and effective abortive treatment is the most important aspect of its management. The triptans represent a new class of abortive antimigraine medications. They are highly effective and generally well tolerated and safe, especially in their oral form. However, even though they are relatively selective in their vasoconstrictor activity, they are contraindicated in patients who have uncontrolled hypertension or coronary artery disease.REVIEW SUMMARY‐On the basis of the time the triptans take to reach their maximum plasma level, they fall into two categories: slower acting and faster acting. The slower‐acting triptan is naratriptan, and the faster‐acting ones are rizatriptan, sumatriptan, and zolmitriptan. The faster‐acting triptans accomplish in 2 hours what naratriptan accomplishes in 4 hours.CONCLUSIONS‐The faster‐acting triptans are comparable in their efficacy, speed of onset, tolerability, and duration of action and, therefore, can be used interchangeably. When one triptan is found to be ineffective or not well tolerated, another should be tried. The oral triptans are best administered at mild‐to‐moderate headache intensity. They then provide full freedom from headache at 2 hours at percentages similar to those observed for headache relief in clinical studies.(THE NEUROLOGIST 7:113‐121, 2001)
展开▼
