Profile:
Amy, 30
"My migraines come back over the course of a day, especially during my period."
Preschool teacher
Has suffered from migraines, both during and outside her period, for 5 years
Misses work 1 or 2 days a month due to migraines
Frequently has multiple migraines during a 24-hour period
Uses prescription drugs, but reports that migraines frequently recur, causing redosing
Profile:
Lisa, 41
"I usually get moderate or debilitating migraines around the time of my period."
Stay-at-home mom with twin boys
Recently started getting more severe migraines around the time of her period
Misses her carpooling turn 1 or 2 days a month because of migraines
Sometimes her migraines are so debilitating, she's forced to cancel plans with the family
Uses prescription drugs, but must redose to relieve her moderate-to-severe migraines
Profile:
Maria, 23
"I'm concerned about the side effects of prescription drugs, especially since I'm currently using oral contraceptives."
Full-time graduate student
Suffers from migraines during and outside her period
Misses at least 1 day of classes each month because of migraines
Would like to use prescription medication for migraines, but is concerned about interactions with oral contraceptives
Uses over-the-counter drugs, but is not satisfied with the relief she's getting for migraines around her period
Characteristics associated with migraines that are long in duration and/or recur:
- Migraine symptoms may last up to 72 hours
- In one clinical study, it was documented that 65.6% of patients had headache duration up to 24 hours
- The same study reported that 34.4% of patients experienced headache that lasted 24 to 72 hours
- Migraine headache can be of longer duration among women compared to men
- Recurrence is generally defined as the return of a migraine within 24 hours after initial relief
- In one clinical study, a substantial number of patients (43.8%) reported headache recurrence after initial relief
Of the estimated 28 million Americans who suffer migraines, approximately 21 million are women
Common signs and symptoms of a migraine attack with or without aura may include:
- Head pain and aching
- Light sensitivity
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Vision change
- Sound sensitivity
The most common side effects associated with the use of FROVA are dizziness, fatigue, paresthesia, flushing, headache, dry mouth, hot or cold sensation, skeletal pain, chest pain, and dyspepsia.
+ View references
- Kelman L. Pain characteristics of the acute migraine attack. Headache. 2006;46(6):942-953. doi:10.1111/j.1526-4610.2006.00443.x.
- Malik SN, Hopkins M, Young WB, Silberstein SD. Acute migraine treatment: patterns of use and satisfaction in a clinical population. Headache. 2006;46(5):773-780. doi:10.1111/j.1526-4610.2006.00437.x.
- Headache Classification Subcommittee of the International Headache Society (IHS). The international classification of headache disorders, 2nd edition, 1st revision (ICHD-IIR1). http://ihs-classification.org/_downloads/mixed/ICHD-IIR1final.doc. Updated May 2005. Accessed March 5, 2009.
- Guidelines for controlled trials of drugs in migraine. First edition. International Headache Society Committee on Clinical Trials in Migraine. Cephalalgia. 1991;11(1):1-12.
- Lipton RB, Stewart WF, Diamond S, Diamond ML, Reed M. Prevalence and burden of migraine in the United States: data from the American Migraine Study II. Headache. 2001;41(7):646-657.
- Cady R, Elkind A, Goldstein J, Keywood C. Randomized, placebo-controlled comparison of early use of frovatriptan in a migraine attack versus dosing after the headache has become moderate to severe. Curr Med Res Opin. 2004;20(9):1465-1472. doi:10.1185/030079904X2745.
- Ryan R, Geraud G, Goldstein J, Cady R, Keywood C. Clinical efficacy of frovatriptan: placebo-controlled studies. Headache. 2002;42(suppl 2):S84-S92.
- FROVA® [package insert]. Chadds Ford, PA: Endo Pharmaceuticals, Inc; 2007.
- Physicians' Desk Reference. 63rd ed. Montvale, NJ: Physicians' Desk Reference Inc; 2008.
- RELPAX® [package insert]. New York, NY: Pfizer Inc. Available online at: https://www.pfizerpro.com/product_info/relpax_pi_clinical_pharmacology.jsp. Accessed January 8, 2009.