Efficacy of intravenous paracetamol, dexketoprofen, and ibuprofen in treating headache induced by acute migraine attack

Abstract

Aim: Migraine is the most prevalent cause of admission to the emergency department (ED) with pain complaints. This study seeks to provide a comparative evaluation of the efficacy of intravenous paracetamol, dexketoprofen, and ibuprofen in treating headache induced by acute migraine attack. Materials and Methods: Two hundred and seven volunteers with headache due to migraine attack were randomized into three groups. Group I was administered with intravenous paracetamol, Group II with intravenous dexketoprofen trometamol, and Group III with intravenous ibuprofen. A 100-mm visual analogue scale (VAS) score was used as an assessment scale to monitor dynamic changes in headaches during the 1-h observation of migraineurs. Results: In Group I, the mean baseline VAS score was 79.65 +/- 13.87 and 11.83 +/- 14.37 at 60 min. In Group II, the mean baseline VAS score was 77.14 +/- 11.31 and 7.79 +/- 14.37 at 60 min. In Group III, the mean VAS score decreased from baseline 76.89 +/- 11.92 to 6.67 +/- 10.13 after 60 min. Considering the Delta VAS scores 30-min scores differed significantly between Group I and Group III (p=0.009). Conclusion: IV paracetamol, dexketoprofen, and ibuprofen treatments did not differ significantly in acute migraine therapy. IV ibuprofen may be a first-line choice in EDs because of its immediate analgesic effect.