Comparing Naproxen to Sumatriptan for Emergency Headache Patients
Comparing Naproxen to Sumatriptan for Emergency Headache Patients
2/3 of patients discharged from an emergency department after treatment for an acute headache
 will still be bothered by headache within 24 hours of emergency department (ED) treatment.
 The goal of this study is to compare two medications, naproxen and sumatriptan, to determine
 which is better for the treatment of recurrent headache within 24 hours of emergency
 department discharge.
Two-thirds of the five million headache patients who present to US emergency departments (ED)
 annually are suffering an acute exacerbation of a primary headache disorder. Of these acute
 primary headaches, migraine is the most frequently encountered disease entity in the ED,
 accounting for 60% of primary headaches, followed by tension-type headaches, which represent
 10% of all primary headaches seen in the ED. About ¼ of all acute primary headaches seen in
 the ED cannot readily be given a specific diagnosis3. Multiple parenteral treatments are used
 to treat acute primary headaches1, but to date, regardless of specific headache diagnosis, no
 medication eliminates the frequent recurrence of headache after ED discharge. To date, it is
 unknown which medication patients should be given when discharged from an ED after treatment
 for a primary headache. This study will compare two oral headache treatments to determine
 which one relives pain more effectively.

 Specific aims:

 1) To determine which of two oral medications is more efficacious for all acute primary
 headache patients who are discharged from an ED.

 Primary hypotheses:

 In the 48 hour period following ED treatment for a primary headache, sumatriptan 100mg will
 relieve pain better than naproxen 500mg, as measured by an 11-point numerical rating scale
 for pain.
Inclusion Criteria:

 -  Treated in the emergency department for acute primary headache

 Exclusion Criteria:

 -  Allergy, intolerance, or contra-indication to one of the study medications