Emergency Medicine

Comprehensive Summary

This systematic review and Bayesian network meta-analysis evaluated the effectiveness and safety of pharmacologic therapies for migraine in emergency department patients. The researchers analyzed 64 randomized controlled trials comparing various pharmacologic therapies against each other or placebo in adult ED patients presenting with migraine. Primary outcomes included adequate pain relief at 2 hours, change in pain intensity at 1 hour, need for rescue medication at 2 hours, and occurrence of significant adverse reactions. Chlorpromazine IV/IM demonstrated the highest probability of providing adequate pain relief at 2 hours (SUCRA 87.3%; 24 trials, n=2,361), while metoclopramide IV combined with NSAIDs was most effective at avoiding rescue medication needs (SUCRA 94.6%; 27 trials, n=2,942). Dexamethasone IV showed the best safety profile for minimizing adverse reactions (SUCRA 79.51%; 22 trials, n=2,450).

Outcomes and Implications

Migraine is one of the leading causes of emergency department visits for headache, representing a significant burden on emergency care systems and patient quality of life. Despite the frequency of ED migraine visits, significant variability exists in treatment approaches, with limited high-quality evidence to guide optimal pharmacologic selection. This network meta-analysis provides emergency clinicians with comparative effectiveness data across multiple treatment options, enabling more evidence-based decision-making for acute migraine management. The findings suggest that chlorpromazine and prochlorperazine should be prioritized for pain relief, while metoclopramide-NSAID combinations may be preferred when avoiding rescue medications is the goal. These medications are already available in most emergency departments, making implementation immediate, though the authors note that further randomized controlled trials are needed to more robustly establish optimal treatment protocols and better characterize relative safety profiles.

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AIIM Research

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© 2025 AIIM. Created by AIIM IT Team

AIIM Research

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© 2025 AIIM. Created by AIIM IT Team

AIIM Research

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© 2025 AIIM. Created by AIIM IT Team