--- title: Is frovatriptan as good as zolmitriptan for treating migraines tied to your period? description: Both drugs provide similar quick pain relief within 2 hours, but frovatriptan had fewer migraines returning within 24 hours, providing better sustained relief url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/efficacy-of-frovatriptan-in-the-acute-treatment-of-menstrually-related-migraine-2011/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Is frovatriptan as good as zolmitriptan for treating migraines tied to your period? Randomised trial, 2011 # Is frovatriptan as good as zolmitriptan for treating migraines tied to your period? Both drugs provide similar quick pain relief within 2 hours, but frovatriptan had fewer migraines returning within 24 hours, providing better sustained relief. Moderate study design 76 regularly menstruating women in Italy ## What they did 76 regularly menstruating women in Italy were randomly given either frovatriptan 2.5 mg or zolmitriptan 2.5 mg to treat period-related migraines. Each woman treated up to 3 migraine episodes with one drug, then switched to the other drug. A total of 73 migraine attacks were treated with frovatriptan and 65 with zolmitriptan. ## What they found Pain relief at 2 hours was 52% for frovatriptan and 53% for zolmitriptan, with no significant difference. Pain-free rates at 2 hours were 22% and 26% respectively. At 24 hours, frovatriptan patients had 74% pain-free and 83% pain relief versus 69% pain-free and 82% pain relief for zolmitriptan. Migraine recurrence at 24 hours was significantly lower with frovatriptan at 15% versus 22% with zolmitriptan. ## What it means for you Both drugs work similarly for quick pain relief, but frovatriptan may prevent period migraines from returning as often. The study involved a reasonable number of women but is from Italy only, so results might vary in other populations. 76 Women in study 52% vs 53% Pain relief at 2 hours 15% vs 22% Migraine recurrence at 24 hours ## About the study Original title Efficacy of frovatriptan in the acute treatment of menstrually related migraine: analysis of a double-blind, randomized, multicenter, Italian, comparative study versus zolmitriptan Authors Allais G, Tullo V, Benedetto C et al. Journal Neurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology Year 2011 Study design Randomised trial Participants 76 What was tested Frovatriptan 2.5 mg versus zolmitriptan 2.5 mg Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.1007/s10072-011-0547-y](https://doi.org/10.1007/s10072-011-0547-y) ## Topics [Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Pain and headache](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-pain/)[Migraine](https://niyora.com/research/topics/comorbidity-migraine/) Research tells you what helps on average. Niyora helps on the day it hits. Calm down, see it another way, and decide what to say, with a PMS and PMDD app built by a doctor. ## Related studies Systematic review, 2023 What hormonal treatments have been tested for PMDD, menstrual migraine, and catamenial epilepsy? Cohort study, 2022 Can women accurately tell if they have period-related migraines, or do they need to track them? Guideline, 2021 How should migraine be managed in women, particularly menstrual migraine? Randomised trial, 2016 Does telcagepant prevent migraines during the menstrual period? Randomised trial, 2014 Does the combination of sumatriptan and naproxen sodium reduce menstrual symptoms and migraine? Randomised trial, 2005 Does sumatriptan work for migraines around the menstrual cycle? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗