A randomized prospective placebo-controlled study of intravenous magnesium sulphate vs. metoclopramide in the management of acute migraine attacks in the Emergency Department.

What Was Tested

This randomized controlled trial looks at Metoclopramide in the context of migraine.

At 0, 15, and 30 min, patients were asked to rate their pain on a standard visual analogue scale.

At 30 min, patients were asked in a standard manner about the need for rescue medication.

Who Took Part

The study group was 120 patients.

PubMed indexes the participants as adults, both men and women.

Patients were followed up by telephone within 24 h for any recurrence after discharge.

How the Study Was Run

The design is described as randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled.

Because people in this Metoclopramide study were split into groups at random, differences between the groups are less likely to reflect who happened to join each one.

Blinding on both sides kept the patients and researchers unaware of who received Metoclopramide.

The comparison arm used a placebo, so changes seen with Metoclopramide could be set against what happens without it.

What Was Measured

The primary endpoint of the study was the difference in pain relief between the groups at 30 min.

Topics PubMed links to this paper include Academic Medical Centers, Acute Disease, Emergency Medical Services, Magnesium Sulfate, Metoclopramide, Migraine Disorders and Pain Measurement.

What This Means in Plain Language

The paper is a randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled study of Metoclopramide in 120 patients in people with migraine.

The publication is from 2005 (Cephalalgia : an international journal of headache), a journal based in England.

More context: Migraine research.