Background: Dipyrone (Metamizol) has been used in the acute treatment of migraines in Brazil. Some investigators have found it to be a highly effective medication for migraine pain and associated symptoms.
Objective: To conduct a randomized, placebo controlled, double blind study to assess the effect of dipyrone on the pain and symptoms associated with migraine without aura or with aura and the adverse effect profile of this medication.
Methods: For the migraine without aura group, 44 patients were assigned at random to receive 1 g intravenous dipyrone, and 30 patients received 10 mL 0.9% physiological saline. For the migraine with aura group, 30 patients received both dipyrone or placebo. We used seven parameters of analgesic evaluation and an analog scale to assess nausea, photophobia, and phonophobia.
Results: Patients receiving dipyrone demonstrated a statistically superior improvement (P<.05 and P<.01) in pain and all associated symptoms compared with control subjects.
Conclusions: Dipyrone is an effective drug for the relief of acute migraine pain and associated symptoms.