--- title: Is frovatriptan better than other triptans for migraines caused by birth control? description: In 35 women with birth control-induced menstrual migraines, frovatriptan was similar to other triptans for fast pain relief but significantly better at keepin url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/frovatriptan-vs-other-triptans-for-the-acute-treatment-of-oral-contraceptive-2013/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Is frovatriptan better than other triptans for migraines caused by birth control? Randomised trial, 2013 # Is frovatriptan better than other triptans for migraines caused by birth control? In 35 women with birth control-induced menstrual migraines, frovatriptan was similar to other triptans for fast pain relief but significantly better at keeping pain away longer and preventing migraine return. Moderate study design 35 women taking oral contraceptives with migraines during hormone withdrawal ## What they did Pooled analysis of three randomized crossover trials comparing frovatriptan to other triptans in women with migraines triggered by birth control hormone withdrawal. Women treated migraines with one medication for 3 months, then switched to another medication for the next 3 months. ## What they found At 2 hours, frovatriptan and other triptans were similar, with 25-28% completely pain-free. At 24 hours, frovatriptan was significantly better with 71% pain-free versus 60% with other triptans. Frovatriptan also had fewer migraines returning: 17-21% relapse at 24-48 hours versus 27-31% with other triptans. ## What it means for you Frovatriptan may be better than other triptans for birth control-related menstrual migraines because it prevents headaches from coming back. However, this analysis only included 35 women out of 280 in the original studies, so the finding is based on a small subset. Frovatriptan is not faster at initial pain relief. 71% pain-free at 24h frovatriptan 60% pain-free at 24h other triptans 17-21% relapse rate frovatriptan ## About the study Original title Frovatriptan vs. other triptans for the acute treatment of oral contraceptive-induced menstrual migraine: pooled analysis of three double-blind, randomized, crossover, multicenter studies Authors Allais G, Tullo V, Omboni S et al. Journal Neurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology Year 2013 Study design Randomised trial Participants 280 What was tested Frovatriptan 2.5 mg versus other triptans Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.1007/s10072-013-1393-x](https://doi.org/10.1007/s10072-013-1393-x) Original abstract Oral contraceptive-induced menstrual migraine (OCMM) is a particularly severe form of migraine triggered by the cyclic hormone withdrawal. To review the efficacy of frovatriptan vs. other triptans, in the acute treatment of OCMM through a pooled analysis of three individual randomized Italian studies. With or without aura migraineurs were randomized to frovatriptan 2.5 mg or rizatriptan 10 mg (study 1), frovatriptan 2.5 mg or zolmitriptan 2.5 mg (study 2), frovatriptan 2.5 mg or almotriptan 12.5 mg (study 3). All studies had a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, crossover design. After treating 1-3 episodes of migraine in 3 months with the first treatment, patients switched to the other treatment for the next 3 months. In this analysis, the subset of 35 of the 280 women of the intention-to-treat population taking combined oral contraceptives and experiencing a migraine attack during the withdrawal phase, were analyzed. The proportion of pain free and pain relief at 2 h were 25 and 51 % with frovatriptan and 28 and 48 % with comparators (p = NS). At 24 h, 71 and 83 % of frovatriptan-treated patients and 60 and 76 % of comparator-treated patients were pain free (p < 0.05 between treatments) and had pain relief (p = NS), respectively. Relapse at 24 and 48 h was significantly (p < 0.05) lower with frovatriptan (17 and 21 %) than with the comparators (27 and 31 %). Our results suggest that, due to its sustained antimigraine effect, frovatriptan may be particularly suitable for the management of OCMM than other triptans. Reproduced under CC-BY. ## Topics [Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Pain and headache](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-pain/)[Oral contraceptives and drospirenone](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-hormonal-contraceptives/)[Migraine](https://niyora.com/research/topics/comorbidity-migraine/) Research tells you what helps on average. Niyora helps on the day it hits. Calm down, see it another way, and decide what to say, with a PMS and PMDD app built by a doctor. ## Related studies Systematic review, 2023 What hormonal treatments have been tested for PMDD, menstrual migraine, and catamenial epilepsy? Survey study, 2021 Are migraines around the period worse than migraines at other times? Review, 2019 How does the menstrual cycle affect migraine in women? Survey study, 2012 What treatments help menstrual migraine and PMS symptoms? Survey study, 2018 Do women who get migraines during their period have more PMS symptoms? Review, 2014 Do birth control pills help PMS? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗