Zolmitriptan: Differences from Sumatriptan

SUMMARY

Zolmitriptan is a potent 5-HT1B/1D agonist whose targets include the peripheral and central components of the trigeminovascular system. It is generally well-tolerated and has dose-dependent efficacy in the treatment of migraine. The 2.5 mg dose is felt to provide the best balance between efficacy and adverse events. In a direct comparative study, the 2 h headache response rate for zolmitriptan 2.5 mg was statistically superior to sumatriptan 25 and 50 mg, although at 3.3% not clinically significant. Two comparative studies have found no difference in adverse event frequency between zolmitriptan and sumatriptan.

Keywords: :

• Cluster headache
• Migraine
• Sumatriptan
• Zolmitriptan