--- title: Does sumatriptan work for migraines around the menstrual cycle? description: Yes, sumatriptan 100 mg gave headache relief to 67% of women for migraines during their menstrual window compared to 33% on placebo. Sumatriptan was well tole url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/managing-migraine-headaches-experienced-by-patients-who-self-report-with-2005/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Does sumatriptan work for migraines around the menstrual cycle? Randomised trial, 2005 # Does sumatriptan work for migraines around the menstrual cycle? Yes, sumatriptan 100 mg gave headache relief to 67% of women for migraines during their menstrual window compared to 33% on placebo. Sumatriptan was well tolerated. Strong study design 115 women who reported menstrually related migraine (93 completed the study), from 20 UK clinics ## What they did 115 women who reported menstrually related migraine were studied in 20 UK clinics. For 2 months they took sumatriptan 100 mg for all migraines, then for 2 months they took placebo. Researchers checked if headache relief occurred 4 hours after the first treated migraine. ## What they found For migraines during the menstrual window, 67% of women receiving sumatriptan reported headache relief at 4 hours compared to 33% receiving placebo (p=0.007). For migraines outside the menstrual window, 79% reported relief with sumatriptan compared to 31% with placebo (p<0.001). Only 11% of the 115 enrolled women met the strict definition of menstrually related migraine. Sumatriptan was well tolerated. ## What it means for you Sumatriptan is effective for migraines associated with the menstrual cycle. Importantly, most women in the study actually had migraines at various times throughout the month, not strictly around their period, which matters for understanding their true migraine pattern. The study was well-designed with clear findings. 115 women enrolled 67% vs 33% sumatriptan vs placebo relief in menstrual window 11% met strict definition of menstrually related migraine ## About the study Original title Managing migraine headaches experienced by patients who self-report with menstrually related migraine: a prospective, placebo-controlled study with oral sumatriptan Authors Dowson AJ, Massiou H, Aurora SK Journal The journal of headache and pain Year 2005 Study design Randomised trial Participants 115 What was tested Oral sumatriptan 100 mg Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.1007/s10194-005-0156-3](https://doi.org/10.1007/s10194-005-0156-3) ## 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 Are triptans effective for menstrual migraine? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗