title: Patient treatment preferences and the 5-HT1B/1D agonists.
abstract: Migraineurs have specific preferences with regard to migraine therapy. In surveys, they consistently cite several attributes they seek in a migraine medication: rapid pain relief, complete pain relief, ability to return to normal functioning, relief of migraine-associated symptoms, reduction in headache recurrence, and minimal adverse effects. When prescribing medication for patients with migraine, physicians should respect patients' treatment preferences and select drugs that most closely meet patients' needs. As a class, the 5-HT(1B/1D) agonists, or triptans, have many of these attributes, including effectively relieving pain and associated symptoms and allowing patients to return fairly quickly to their normal activities. However, differences have emerged in the ability of specific triptans to satisfy patient preferences. Physicians should consider these differences when prescribing triptans for their patients with migraine.
authors.affiliation: Ryan Headache Center, Department of Otolaryngology, St. Louis University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO 63017, USA. drrerjr@aol.com
authors.forename: R E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Ryan
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D008881:Migraine Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy*; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011788:Quality of Life; D017366:Serotonin Receptor Agonists / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D017366:Serotonin Receptor Agonists