A nasal spray is safe and effective at rapidly treating cluster headaches, which are considered to be the most painful kind of headache with few treatment options, according to a study published in the August 28, 2007, issue of Neurology.
The double-blind trial involved 52 people with cluster headache who used five or 10 milligrams of zolmitriptan nasal spray or placebo to treat 151 separate cluster headache attacks. The study found 63 percent of people treated with the drug at the higher dose reported headache relief at 30 minutes, compared to 50 percent of people taking the lower dose of zolmitriptan nasal spray and 30 percent in the placebo group.
“This is a significant finding and the main endpoint of our study,” said study author Alan M. Rapoport, MD, with The New England Center for Headache in Stamford, CT, and Clinical Professor of Neurology at The David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA in Los Angeles. Rapoport is a Fellow of the American Academy of Neurology. “The 10 milligram dose worked as quickly as 10 minutes in some patients.”
“Cluster headache is an extremely severe headache disorder with enormous unmet treatment needs,” said Rapoport. “Few medications for cluster headache have been systematically tested, and only one, which involves an injection of sumatriptan, has been FDA approved.”
Cluster headache is relatively rare, occurring in less than one-tenth of one percent of the U.S. population. Men are three to four times more likely to suffer from cluster headaches than women. The pain is considered to be the most severe of the primary headache disorders and often peaks within five minutes and remains severe for about one and up to three hours. The pain is usually associated with neurological findings such as a droopy eyelid, small pupil, red and tearing eye, and stuffed and running nostril. All of the symptoms usually occur on the same side as the headache pain.
“Because a cluster headache attack builds up to a crescendo within five to 15 minutes, treatment must be rapid and offer significant relief,” said Rapoport. “While the FDA has not approved zolmitriptan nasal spray for use in cluster headaches, it may someday be considered a first-line therapy.” Side effects were mild and no serious adverse events were reported during the study.
Source: American Academy of Neurology
Related stories:
Oxygen therapy might ease pain of migraine, cluster headaches
Two types of oxygen therapy could offer some relief to adults who suffer from disabling migraine and cluster headaches, according to a new research review from Australia.
Drug for cluster headaches may cause heart problems
A drug increasingly used to prevent cluster headaches can cause heart problems, according to a study published in the August 14, 2007, issue of
Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. Those taking the drug verapamil for cluster headaches should be closely monitored with frequent electrocardiograms (EKGs) for potential development of irregular heartbeats.
Sandwich meats kill 15 in Canada
The death toll from contaminated deli meats in Canada has risen to 15, health officials said Wednesday, including an elderly woman who is said to have suffered terribly.
Army personnel show increased risk for migraine
Two new studies show that migraine headaches are very common among U.S. military personnel, yet the condition is frequently underdiagnosed. The studies, appearing in
Headache, the peer-reviewed journal of the American Headache Society, examine the incidence among soldiers within 10 days of returning from a 1-year combat tour in Iraq , as well as U.S. Army officer trainees.
Tainted deli meats in Canada kill 12
The death toll from an outbreak linked to contaminated deli meats in Canada rose to 12 Monday, with several other people sickened, health officials said.
Researchers to study lyme-like illness in Texas
Tao Lin, D.V.M., and Steven J. Norris, Ph.D., both with the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston, have been named grant recipients of the Norman Hackerman Advanced Research Program (ARP) by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. They will receive $150,000 over two years to support their research into conflicting reports about the infectious nature and causative agent of Southern-Tick Associated Rash Illness (STARI) in Texas and other southern states.
Beijing pollution hits residents not athletes: WHO chief
Beijing's pollution could hinder athletes during the Olympics, but the long-term dangers to the population of the city are more serious, the head of the World Health Organisation in China told AFP.
Soil scientist's fascination with mineral yields plan for battling it
(PhysOrg.com) -- Under the microscope, its crystals gleam like tiny gems. But when the phosphate mineral struvite starts clinging to the insides of sewage treatment plants, it tends to lose its charm. Fed by the copious phosphorus in wastewater, struvite crystals form in the billions and amass in huge, cement-like chunks, clogging pipes and valves and blocking water flow.