title: Sumatriptan iontophoretic transdermal system for acute treatment of episodic migraine.
abstract: Migraine is a common and debilitating condition affecting approximately nearly one in four women in the USA and Europe. Episodic attacks can be associated with a number of symptoms, with nausea and/or vomiting being among the most frequent and distressing. Sumatriptan is widely used for acute treatment of migraine and is available in several formulations. The efficacy of oral sumatriptan is well-established. However, patients who experience migraine-associated nausea and/or vomiting can have difficulty swallowing tablets and may delay taking anti-migraine medication. In addition, absorption of oral sumatriptan can be reduced by migraine-associated gastroparesis. Non-oral formulations of sumatriptan are recommended for patients with nausea and/or vomiting, but their use may be limited by adverse effects and patient acceptance. A new transdermal formulation of sumatriptan has recently become available in the USA for acute treatment of migraine in adults. In this article, we review the properties of the sumatriptan iontophoretic transdermal patch and discuss the evidence to support its use in clinical practice.
authors.affiliation: a Departments of Anesthesiology & Critical Care Medicine and Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation , Johns Hopkins School of Medicine , Baltimore , MD , USA.|b Anesthesiology and Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation , Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences , Bethesda , MD , USA.
authors.forename: Steven P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Cohen
authors.affiliation: c Blaustein Pain Treatment Center , Johns Hopkins University , Baltimore , MD , USA.
authors.forename: Hira
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Chaudhry
mesh_terms: D005060:Europe; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007478:Iontophoresis; D008881:Migraine Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy*; D009325:Nausea; D018170:Sumatriptan
chemical_list: D018170:Sumatriptan
keywords: Migraine; acute; iontophoresis; nausea; sumatriptan; transdermal