[Metoclopramide as a painkiller for intense migraine headache in emergency departments]

Abstract

Introduction: Migraine headache is an uncommon but disabling clinical entity when patients go to an urgency room with a severe migraine attack and digestive symptoms. Intravenous non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, paracetamol and triptans represent the first line drugs in the migraine therapy in emergency departments elsewhere however the low efficacy and the limitations of the oral way for vomiting determine a difficult situations in some migraine patients. Metoclopramide is an anti-emetic drug which indication in migraine for vomiting and as an adjunctive drug to other analgesic has been reported elsewhere but the analgesic features of this drug in monotherapy has not been largely study in the medical literature.

Patients and methods: We report in this article the clinical features and side effects of 14 patients with severe migraine with digestive symptoms which consecutive came to our urgency department.

Results and conclusions: The patients showed a important improvement after 10 mg of intravenous metoclopramide exclusively with no other analgesic drug.