Abolghasem Rahimdel, Mohammad Hassan Eslami, Ahmad Zeinali.
A randomized controlled study of Magnesium sulfate versus Dihydroergotamine in the management of acute migraine attacks
Pak J Neurological Sci Jun 2007;2(2):92-5.
Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences and Health Services, Yazd, Iran

Introduction: There is a hypothesis that magnesium sulphate can provide relief from headaches caused by migraine. In this study, we have compared the effects of magnesium sulfate and dihydroergotamine (DHE) in the management of severe migraine headaches. Methods: The study includes 120 patients who presented to our hospital`s emergency room with headache due to migraine. They randomly received either 100 ml normal saline solution with 1g of magnesium sulfate or dihydroergotamine mesylate, which is standard acute migraine treatment. Patients evaluated their pain on the visual analogue scale (VAS) at 30, 60 and 90 minutes after the intervention. Results: Thirty minutes after intervention, mean VAS was 6 ± 1.29 in the magnesium sulfate group and 5.85 ± 1.02 in the DHE group. Sixty minutes after intervention, it was 4.08 ± 1.67 (magnesium sulfate) and 4.62 ± 1.21 (DHE). While at 90 minutes it was 2.48 ± 1.61 (magnesium sulfate) and 3.48 ± 1.26 (DHE). Pain score comparisons were statistically significant at 60 and 90 minutes, although not at 30 minutes. The two groups were similar in terms of gender distribution and migraine subtype. Conclusion: Treatment with 1g of magnesium sulfate in 100 ml normal saline solution provides significant pain relief in migraine without any serious side effects.

Category: Neurology
Keywords: Migraine. Headache. Magnesium Sulfate. Dihydroergotamine.

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