Table 3 Migraine treatment characteristics
Treatment, n (%) | TIRs (n = 483) | TRs (n = 930) | All (n = 1413) | p-valuea |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Triptan prescribedb,c | ||||
 Sumatriptan | 194 (40.2) | 435 (46.8) | 629 (44.5) | 0.018 |
 Sumatriptan + naproxen | 24 (5.0) | 55 (5.9) | 79 (5.6) | 0.463 |
 Rizatriptan | 85 (17.6) | 157 (16.9) | 242 (17.1) | 0.734 |
 Zolmitriptan | 82 (17.0) | 147 (15.8) | 229 (16.2) | 0.571 |
 Almotriptan | 19 (3.9) | 57 (6.1) | 76 (5.4) | 0.083 |
 Eletriptan | 33 (6.8) | 42 (4.5) | 75 (5.3) | 0.065 |
 Naratriptan | 34 (7.0) | 27 (2.9) | 61 (4.3) | < 0.001 |
 Frovatriptan | 18 (3.7) | 11 (1.2) | 29 (2.1) | 0.001 |
No. of unique triptans ever used, n (%)b |  |  |  | < 0.001 |
 1 | 389 (80.5) | 824 (88.6) | 1213 (85.8) |  |
 2 | 80 (16.6) | 98 (10.5) | 178 (12.6) |  |
 3+ | 14 (2.9) | 8 (0.9) | 22 (1.6) |  |
Timing of acute medication used |  |  |  | < 0.001 |
 At the first sign of a migraine attack (premonitory phase; before pain starts) | 276 (58.2) | 641 (70.5) | 917 (66.3) |  |
 When the pain starts | 162 (34.2) | 238 (26.2) | 400 (28.9) |  |
 After the pain has started and severity is known | 36 (7.6) | 30 (3.3) | 66 (4.8) |  |
Current use of OTC migraine medicationd | 100 (21.8) | 140 (15.6) | 240 (17.7) | 0.005 |
Mean amount spent in last month on OTC products, $ (SD)e | 12.78 (17.55) | 10.54 (9.34) | 11.42 (13.21) | 0.294 |
Reason for OTC used | ||||
 Prescribed medication not effective enough | 47 (50.5) | 37 (29.1) | 84 (38.2) | 0.001 |
 My doctor recommended it | 22 (23.7) | 47 (37.0) | 69 (31.4) | 0.035 |
 I run out of my prescribed medication | 20 (21.5) | 14 (11.0) | 34 (15.5) | 0.034 |
 Prescribed medication is too expensive | 9 (9.7) | 11 (8.7) | 20 (9.1) | 0.796 |
Current use of preventive medicationb | 262 (54.2) | 390 (41.9) | 652 (46.1) | < 0.001 |
 Anticonvulsants | 102 (21.1) | 106 (11.4) | 208 (14.7) | < 0.001 |
 Antidepressants/anxiolytics/benzodiazepines | 48 (9.9) | 70 (7.5) | 118 (8.4) | 0.120 |
 Antimigraine | 8 (1.7) | 8 (0.9) | 16 (1.1) | 0.180 |
 Beta blockers | 89 (18.4) | 159 (17.1) | 248 (17.6) | 0.533 |
 Calcium antagonists | 14 (2.9) | 36 (3.9) | 50 (3.5) | 0.348 |
 NSAIDS, including combinations | 4 (0.8) | 7 (0.8) | 11 (0.8) | 1.000 |
 Others | 16 (3.3) | 19 (2.0) | 35 (2.5) | 0.145 |
History of opioid misuse, n (%)b | 19 (3.9) | 20 (2.2) | 39 (2.8) | 0.019 |