Metoclopramide (Reglan) is an anti-nausea drug that has been in use since 1979. Controlled studies have shown that metoclopramide stops not only nausea and vomiting that often accompany migraine attacks, but also relieves the pain.

The American Headache Society (AHS) and the European Federation of Neurological Societies (EFNS) guidelines on the management of adults with acute migraine recommend intravenous metoclopramide as an effective and recommended treatment in the management of acute migraine. While intravenous (IV) administration is preferred, intramuscular (IM), subcutaneous (SC) and oral routes are also effective.

These guidelines were based on many high-quality blinded studies such as one comparing 10 mg of IV metoclopramide with 600 mg of ibuprofen in which metoclopramide was clearly superior. A meta-analysis of 13 studies of intravenous metoclopramide involving 655 patients showed that “Metoclopramide is an effective treatment for migraine headache..” and that “Given its non-narcotic and antiemetic properties, metoclopramide should be considered a primary agent in the treatment of acute migraines in emergency departments”. Another emergency room study that was done after this meta-analysis was published, compared IV metoclopramide with IV ketorolac (an NSAID pain drug) and IV valproate, (an epilepsy drug approved in a pill form for the prevention of migraines) in 330 patients. Metoclopramide was the most effective of the three.

We give IV metoclopramide in the office and prescribe it in a tablet form. However, this drug is not free of side effects. Drowsiness is one of the common side effects, but a much more unpleasant side effect is severe restlessness or akathisia. Some patients describe it as wanting to crawl out of their skin, being very restless and very uncomfortable. This side effect can be relieved by diphenhydramine (Benadryl) given IV or as a tablet. According to one study, the incidence of this side effect is 6% if the IV infusion is given over 15 minutes and 25% if given as a “push” in under a minute. We usually give it as a “push” and find that significantly fewer than 20% of patients develop this side effect.

A much more serious side effect of metoclopramide is tardive dyskinesia or involuntary movements of the mouth, face or another part of the body. The FDA warning states in part:
“The development of this condition is directly related to the length of time a patient is taking metoclopramide and the number of doses taken. Those at greatest risk include the elderly, especially older women, and people who have been on the drug for a long time. Tardive dyskinesia is rarely reversible and there is no known treatment. However, in some patients, symptoms may lessen or resolve after metoclopramide treatment is stopped”. A recent review estimates that tardive dyskinesia happens in less than 1% of patients.

This very rare but devastating side effect is not likely to occur in our patients who receive this drug very infrequently, only for emergencies. However, the thought of tardive dyskinesia is always lurking in the back of our minds so we tend to use IV ondansetron (Zofran) to treat nausea. Ondansetron does not help with pain and we have to combine it with IV ketorolac (Toradol) or another drug, but it is safer.

Sumatriptan (Imitrex) injection was introduced 25 years ago, but it remains extremely underutilized. Of course, why would you inject yourself if a pill does the job. Unfortunately, for many migraine sufferers sumatriptan and other triptan tablets do not provide complete or fast enough relief. In many patients tablets do not work well because some wake up with a severe migraine, in some it starts very suddenly, and in others it is accompanied by nausea and vomiting. All these conditions require a quickly acting drug that bypasses the stomach. Zolmitriptan (Zomig) and sumatriptan nasal sprays or sumatriptan nasal powder (Onzetra) sometimes work well and quickly enough, but the gold standard in the abortive treatment of migraines (and cluster headaches) is sumatriptan injection.

Sumatriptan injection works within 10-15 minutes and often provides complete relief of the headache and associated symptoms – nausea, sensitivity to light and noise, and other. Because of a sudden surge in the sumatriptan level in the blood, side effects are more common than with tablets. These can include pins-and-needles like sensations, tightness in the neck or chest, or temporary worsening of the headache. These side effects last only 15-20 minutes and do not prevent most patients from using injections.

Sumatriptan injections were originally released only in a 6 mg dose. A few years later, 4 mg dose became available. Last year, a simple-to-use autoinjector with 3 mg of sumatriptan (Zembrace) was approved by the FDA. Studies presented at the recent annual meeting of the American Headache Society in Boston compared the efficacy of 3 mg and 6 mg injections. Surprisingly, they were equally effective and well tolerated. The manufacturer of the 3 mg auto-injector also compared their injection device with two older devices. Findings of this study were not a surprise – Zembrace was easier to use with fewer mistakes and faster preparation and administration. Zembrace requires only two steps – pulling off a cap and pressing the pen-like device against the thigh (and holding it pressed for 10 seconds). Also, of all auto-injectors Zembrace has the thinnest needle.

One potential difficulty is the insurance coverage. Since Zembrace is more expensive, the insurers may offer to pay only for the old type devices with 4 or 6 mg of sumatriptan. The manufacturer does offer discounts and coupons, which you can find online.

The bottom line, if you are not getting good relief of your migraine headaches, ask your doctor about sumatriptan injections. If you have tried injections in the past and did not like the side effects – check if the dose you tried was 6 mg and if yes, you may want to try 3 or 4 mg injections.

Sumatriptan injection is the only FDA-approved treatment for cluster headaches. Cluster headaches are very sudden and brief attacks of excruciating headaches that pills rarely have a chance to control.

Conflict of interest disclosure: last year Zembrace manufacturer paid me to participate in an advisory board meeting.

Hopefully, your doctor has given you many treatment options, so that you can manage even the most severe attacks at home (including Compazine or Phenergan anti-nausea suppositories for when you are very nauseated or vomit and Imitrex or sumatriptan injection pen for severe pain). However, many people end up in an ER, where they are usually given an injection or intravenous medications. Unfortunately, there is no standard protocol for the best way to treat an acute migraine that does not respond to oral medications. Ideally, the first step should be an infusion of magnesium, which can provide fast relief for up to 50% of patients. Some ER doctors give an injection of sumatriptan or a non-narcotic pain killer ketorolac (Toradol). Others will give a nausea drug which can also help pain such as metoclopramide (Reglan) or prochlorperazine (Compazine). An allergy medicine, diphenhydramine (Benadryl) is also a popular choice.

A study by Dr. Benjamin Friedman and his colleagues at the Albert Einstein COllege of Medicine in the Bronx compared the efficacy of intravenous Reglan combined with Benadryl and Reglan without Benadryl. This was a double-blind study, meaning that neither the doctor giving the medicine nor the patient knew what was being given. They recruited 208 patients, which is a high enough number to produce reliable results. And the results showed that Reglan without Benadryl provided as much relief as with Benadryl.

Benadryl is not a dangerous drug, but can make you drowsy, so if you can, ask the doctor not to give it to you. It is not easy to tell a doctor what to do, especially during a severe migraine attack. But if doctor is agreeable, ask for intravenous magnesium followed by either sumatriptan or ketorolac injection as well as metoclopramide for nausea.