Tolerability and effectiveness of prochlorperazine for intractable migraine in children.
OBJECTIVE
To study the effectiveness of prochlorperazine in aborting severe, intractable migraines in children.


METHODS
Patients for this study were drawn from the population seen and evaluated in the Headache Center at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. All patients were diagnosed with migraine headache by both clinical and International Headache Society criteria. The effectiveness of intravenous prochlorperazine in 20 consecutive patients referred to the emergency department for severe, prolonged migraines was retrospectively reviewed.


RESULTS
Patients evaluated in this study presented with a mean headache severity of 8.4 on a 0- to 10-point scale and an average duration of 54 hours. At 1 hour, 90% of the patients reported feeling better with 50% becoming pain-free. A 50% or greater reduction in severity occurred in 75% of patients at 1 hour and in 95% at 3 hours. At 3 hours, 95% of the patients reported feeling better, and 60% were pain-free. Only 1 patient failed to respond to prochlorperazine.


CONCLUSIONS
Prochlorperzaine was shown to be highly effective in aborting intractable migraines in children. It was well tolerated with no significant side effects. Additional large, double-blinded, randomized, placebo-controlled studies are needed to further investigate its effectiveness.
Kabbouche
M A
MA
Division of Neurology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio 45229-3039, USA.
Vockell
A L
AL
LeCates
S L
SL
Powers
S W
SW
Hershey
A D
AD
D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D002648:Child; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D018492:Dopamine Antagonists / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital; D005260:Female; D005440:Fluid Therapy; D006801:Humans; D007275:Injections, Intravenous; D008297:Male; D008881:Migraine Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D010148:Intractable Pain / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D011346:Prochlorperazine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D018492:Dopamine Antagonists; D011346:Prochlorperazine