1 ± 9.6 years, respectively, with similar age ranges. The majority of patients in both groups were women, who comprised 68% of the opioid group and 88% of the triptan group. The scores for the Migraine Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire and Headache Impact Test-6 are listed in Tables 2 and 3, respectively; the results for the supplemental questions are presented in Table 4. In the Migraine Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire (Table 2), the only question that reached statistical significance refers to

the effect of medication on migraine symptoms. Selleckchem NVP-AUY922 Based on the scoring rubric with a lower score being more favorable, the scores of 2.0 ± 0.2 (standard error of the mean [SEM]) for the triptan group and 2.8 ± 0.2 for the opioid group suggest that triptans relieve migraine symptoms more effectively than opioids (P = .05). The triptans were specifically developed to provide acute migraine relief, targeting migraine mechanisms, whereas the opioids target pain in general. It is, therefore, to be expected that triptans outperform opioids in relieving

migraine symptoms. According to the scoring rubric for the Headache Impact Test-6 (Table 3), lower scores indicate a favorable impact. For the question pertaining to whether headaches often limit usual, daily activities (question 2), the opioids produced a score of 3.6 ± 0.2 (SEM) while the triptans produced a score of 3.0 ± 0.2. The difference almost reached the level of statistical significance (P = .08), suggesting again that triptans outperform opioids for migraine relief. The average headache pain intensity in the Selleck FK506 opioid group (5.1 ± 2.0 [SD]) was also higher than in the triptan group (3.0 ± 2.0). Although the difference is not statistically significant (P = .16), it again suggests

that triptans provide more profound pain relief than opioids. The supplemental questions also reveal that more patients in the opioid group (36%) experienced a decline in efficacy than those in the triptan group (20%). A possible MCE公司 explanation for this observation is the development of tolerance that is characteristic of opioid analgesics. As a result, 36% of patients in the opioid group had increased the dose of the medication since initiating treatment, compared with 28% of those in the triptan group. The scores on the Migraine Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire were low overall for both groups, suggesting that the patients in both groups were generally pleased with their treatment. One question produced relatively high scores (question 4), but this question’s scoring rubric is reversed, with a score of 4 being the most favorable. The scores on the Headache Impact Test-6 are consistently higher than the scoring rubric mean of 2.5, suggesting that despite being relatively pleased with the treatment, chronic migraine patients clearly continued to experience the impact of their headaches. The long-term safety aspect of daily triptan use was examined in 2 studies by Robbins and Maides.