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EDITORIALS: Randolph W Evans Treating migraine in the emergency department BMJ 2008; 336: 1320 [Full text]

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Don't forget triptans with a longer duration!

Helena Strevens   (13 June 2008)

Don't forget triptans with a longer duration! 13 June 2008
Helena Strevens, Senior Consultant Dep of Obst and Gyn University Hospital of Lund 221 85 Lund Sweden Send response to journal: Re: Don't forget triptans with a longer duration!	I appreciated this article. Migraine is often misdiagnosed and misunderstood. In my experience, especially women with menstrual migraine and a longer duration of their migraine attack (72 hours) are seldom helped by triptans with a shorter duration, as the rebound pain turns out worse than the initial attack. These women are greatly helped if instructed to take triptans with the longer duration, such as naratriptan 2,5 mg, once daily during the three days that the migrain lasts, beginning of course as early as possible, even already at the onset of menstruation. Often this simple regime makes the migraine completely manageable for the patient. Triptans with longer duration also give fewer side effects. Competing interests: None declared