Emergency and Inpatient Treatment of Migraine: An American Headache Society Survey

Objective: To determine the medication and management preferences of headache specialists in treating migraine in the ED and during inpatient hospitalization.
Background: Despite the frequency of migraine as a presenting complaint and the cost of acute treatment, there is no clear consensus on the standard of care for acute migraine management in the ED or during hospitalization.
Methods: The American Headache Society (AHS) Special Interest Group for Inpatient and Emergency Care developed an online survey that was distributed to AHS members.
Results: There were 106 survey respondents, 87 of whom completed all 13 questions. The most frequent choices for first-line ED migraine treatment in an otherwise healthy adult were dopamine antagonists (58.7%), non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) (49.0%), and IV hydration (48.1%). The most frequently selected second-line treatments were valproic acid, dihydroergotamine (DHE), and NSAIDs. Opioids were chosen by 1% for first line and 4.8% for second line. No respondents selected barbiturate containing medications for either treatment. The most frequently selected medications for initial treatment during inpatient hospitalization for migraine were DHE (64.5%), dopamine antagonists (61.3), and NSAID (37.6%). The most frequent adjunctive treatments were valproic acid and corticosteroids. Vomiting, medication overuse with opioids or barbiturates, and ED recidivism were the most frequently selected indications for inpatient treatment. The majority of respondents (71%) indicated they would taper or stop opioid medication as a part of migraine treatment in patients admitted for intractable migraine who were taking opioids for an unrelated indication such as low back pain. Commonly selected ancillary services included psychology (80.6%), physical therapy (64.5%), nutrition (50.5%), and psychiatry (46.2%). The majority of respondents (79.3%) indicated that outpatient follow-up should occur within 4 weeks of discharge from the hospital.
Conclusions: Headache specialists indicated neuroleptics, NSAID and migraine-specific agents should be considered before opioids or barbiturates for both adults and children with migraine. There was consensus that worsening or refractory migraine treatment should not include the escalation of chronic opioids. Opinion suggested that opioid or barbiturate overuse is more likely to warrant inpatient treatment than triptan or NSAID overuse. Multidisciplinary care and close follow-up are important components of inpatient migraine treatment.