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John N. Whitaker, MD
Birmingham, Ala

Arch Neurol. 2001;58:1482-1483.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

MIGRAINE IS a common, painful, and often disabling condition with major social, financial, and personal ramifications. Over the past decade, there have been major advancements in the treatment of migraine, most notably in the recognition of effective therapy that targets the vascular serotonin receptors of the 5-HT_1B and 5HT_1D types and the array of present and future triptans that serve as agonists in reacting with those receptors. The care of patients with migraine involves many approaches, but the triptans serve as one of the most effective and frequently used abortives for headache from which sufferers need and demand prompt and effective relief.

A rationale for choosing among the triptans is often unclear, leaving the treating physician with ambivalence as to which among the highly marketed drugs in the competitive pharmaceutical marketplace should be selected. As clearly indicated in position papers prepared by experts in the field . . . [Full Text of this Article]