New approach to difficult menstrual migraines

Treatment of menstrual migraines often is more difficult than of non-menstrual attacks.  A double-blind study by Marcelo Bigal and his collaborators just published in Headache shows that a combination of 10 mg of rizatriptan (Maxalt) and 4 mg of a steroid medication, dexamethasone (Decadron) is more effective than either drug alone.  Both drugs are effective in treating many refractory migraine attacks (although I usually use 8 mg of dexamethasone), this is the first trial of two drugs together.  While the results are not very surprising, the study may lead to wider acceptance of combination therapy and better relief for many women.  While in the past the emphasis was placed on finding a single drug to treat a disease, in recent years combination therapy has become a standard approach in many conditions.  Treximet, a combination of sumatriptan (Imitrex) and naproxen (Aleve) was also shown to be better than either of the two ingredients alone.