Randomised trial, 2014
Does the combination of sumatriptan and naproxen sodium reduce menstrual symptoms and migraine?
Yes. The combination was better than placebo for tiredness, irritability, bloating, abdominal pain, and back pain, as well as migraine. However, women with severe period pain responded less well to migraine treatment.
What they did
Two similar RCTs with a total of 621 women who had menstrual migraines and period pain. When they got a migraine, women took either sumatriptan-naproxen or placebo. Researchers tracked relief of headache, bloating, fatigue, irritability, abdominal pain, and back pain at multiple time points: 30 minutes, 1 hour, 2 hours, 4 hours, and 4-24 hours.
What they found
Sumatriptan-naproxen was better than placebo for tiredness, irritability, and belly pain at 2, 4, and 4-24 hours. It also helped back pain at 4 and 4-24 hours and bloating at 4-24 hours. The more moderate to severe period pain symptoms a woman had, the less likely she was to respond to migraine treatment.
What it means for you
This combination medication may help both menstrual migraine and the period symptoms that come with it. The finding about severe period pain reducing migraine treatment response is important. The study included 621 women, which is large, but only women who had both migraine and period pain, so results may not apply to all women with PMS.
621
women studied
2 replicate RCTs
pooled together
4-24 hours
window for symptom relief
About the study
- Original title
- Relief of menstrual symptoms and migraine with a single-tablet formulation of sumatriptan and naproxen sodium
- Authors
- Martin VT, Ballard J, Diamond MP et al.
- Journal
- Journal of women's health (2002)
- Year
- 2014
- Study design
- Randomised trial
- What was tested
- Sumatriptan and naproxen sodium combination taken when migraine started
- Open access
- Yes
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1089/jwh.2013.4577
Topics
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