Triptans and ischemia
This article was originally published in The Tan Sheet
Executive Summary
Triptan overuse does not increase the risk for ischemic attacks, but overuse of ergotamine may increase this risk, particularly in patients taking cardiovascular drugs simultaneously, according to the results of a retrospective case-controlled study published in the Oct. 10 issue of Neurology. E. Wammes-van der Heijden, et al., Utrecht University, The Netherlands, identified 188 cases of hospitalization related to ischemia and 689 controls were assigned the same index date as the cases. Researchers defined overuse of migraine medications triptans or ergotamine as 90 or more defined daily doses during a year. Triptan overuse was not associated with increased risk for ischemic complication (odds ratio of 0.96), but ergotamine overuse was related to higher risk of ischemia (odds ratio of 2.55). GlaxoSmithKline received nonprescription approval for Imigran Recovery (sumatriptan 50 mg) from the UK's Medicines & Healthcare products Regulatory Agency in May, which may open the possibility for a future U.S. triptan switch (1"The Tan Sheet" May 22, 2006, p. 3). Additionally, a generic Imitrex is slated for launch in 2008 (2"The Tan Sheet" Oct. 16, 2006, In Brief)...