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Sumatriptan Reduces Productivity Loss Due to Migraines

A bout 10 million Americans have recurrent migraine attacks, and the disease is more prevalent in women. The loss of revenue due to migraine sufferers' missing work is estimated at $5.6 to $17 billion annually in the U.S. These researchers designed a multicenter, double-blind trial to determine whether self-administered sumatriptan injection (6 mg) reduces productivity loss from migraines occurring at the workplace.

Investigators randomized 132 patients (112 women) with migraine headaches to sumatriptan or placebo, taken within four hours of moderate to severe headache onset during a work shift of at least eight hours. All patients had one to six migraines per month. Mean productivity loss was significantly lower in the sumatriptan group than in the placebo group during the work shift (86 vs. 168 minutes) and a greater percentage of sumatriptan-treated patients returned to work within two hours after dosing (52% vs. 9%). Also, a greater percentage of patients in the sumatriptan group experienced headache relief within one hour after dosing (69% vs. 18%).

Comment: Sumatriptan effectively reduces loss of productivity in the workplace and reduces the debilitating symptoms of headache.

— SD Gharib

Published in Journal Watch Women's Health July 1, 1998

Citation(s):

Cady RC et al. Sumatriptan injection reduces productivity loss during a migraine attack: Results of a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Arch Intern Med 1998 May 11 158 1013-1018.

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