Migraine drug: side effects

Most patients taking injectable sumatriptan, the new "wonder" drug for migraine, will suffer a range of side effects or recurrence of headache hours after taking the drug, charges a Swedish doctor.

Carl Dahlof of Gothenburg Migraine Clinic in Sweden says that among the migraine patients in his clinic, one fifth have taken sumatriptan by intra skin injection for at least six months.

Seventy per cent have reported one or more adverse events with the drug, including neck pain and stiffness, tiredness, chest symptoms, reaction at the injection site or tingling. These side effects disappeared within half an hour of taking the drug.

Of those taking the drug, 53 per cent had recurrences of their headaches within five to 10 hours of every treated attack, thus necessitating a second injection.

Dahlof also disputed the claim that sumatriptan is equally effective whether treatment is early or late. Nearly twice the injections were needed for late treatared to early treatment, in his trial.