Atypical facial pain: A double-blind placebo-controlled crossover pilot study of subcutaneous sumatriptan

A double-blind placebo-controlled crossover pilot study involving 19 patients was undertaken to evaluate the efficacy of subcutaneous sumatriptan, a selective 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT)-like receptor agonist, in the treatment of atypical facial pain (AFP). A reduction in total pain was found 120 min...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:European neuropsychopharmacology 1997-05, Vol.7 (2), p.83-88
Main Authors: Harrison, S.D, Balawi, S.A, Feinmann, C, Harris, M
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Cross-Over Studies
Double-Blind Method
Facial Pain - drug therapy
Facial Pain/drug therapy/aetiology
Female
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Migraine
Pilot Projects
Serotonin agonists
Sumatriptan
Sumatriptan - therapeutic use
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Summary:A double-blind placebo-controlled crossover pilot study involving 19 patients was undertaken to evaluate the efficacy of subcutaneous sumatriptan, a selective 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT)-like receptor agonist, in the treatment of atypical facial pain (AFP). A reduction in total pain was found 120 min post injection in the sumatriptan group. Most patients, however, described the medication as ineffective overall, despite significant pain score reduction. The temporary improvement of pain scores with the active drug was thought to be too small to be of any clinical benefit, but suggests that vascular or neurogenic mechanisms may be involved in the aetiology of AFP. Sumatriptan is not an appropriate therapeutic option for patients with AFP, but could prove a valuable drug in experimental clinical pharmacology.
ISSN:0924-977X
1873-7862
DOI:10.1016/S0924-977X(96)00385-9