Posted by TSA West on March 19, 2002, at 2:22:50
In reply to Need to change meds, would like suggestions, posted by Kelty on March 19, 2002, at 1:47:00
Gabapentin is good for bipolar II, fibromyalgia, and migraine prophylaxis:
"Prophylactic gabapentin is effective in reducing the frequency of headache in patients with migraine, according to results of a multicentre study conducted in the US.
This study involved 145 patients with migraine (with or without aura) who were randomised to receive oral gabapentin (titrated to 2400 mg/day; n = 99) or placebo, for 12 weeks.* 56 and 31 patients in the respective treatment groups were evaluable in modified intent-to-treat analyses.
The primary outcome measure was the migraine rate during weeks 8-12 (stabilisation period 2) in gabapentin recipients who received a stable dose of 2400 mg/day and placebo recipients. During this period, the median migraine rate in patients receiving such maintenance doses was 2.7 and 3.5/month in the gabapentin and placebo groups, respectively; the between-group difference was significant.
In addition, significantly more gabapentin, compared with placebo, recipients had a >= 50% reduction in the 4-week migraine rate (46.4 vs 16.1% of patients).
The researchers conclude that gabapentin 'should be considered an important addition in the management of patients who are candidates for migraine prophylaxis'.
* Gabapentin recipients received dosages of 300-2400 mg/day during the initial 4-week titration phase followed by 1800 or 2400 mg/day during the 8-week stable-dosing phase (comprising two 4-week stabilisation periods)."
--Mathew NT, Rapoport A, Saper J, Magnus L, Klapper J, et al. Efficacy of gabapentin in migraine prophylaxis. Headache 41: 119-128, Feb 2001
poster:TSA West
thread:98745
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020318/msgs/98752.html