Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42851587›Full record

ArticleFrontiers in pain research (Lausanne, Switzerland)2026

Comparative effectiveness and safety of topiramate versus amitriptyline for the prophylactic management of chronic migraine: a prospective comparative study.

Mohammed Matoog Karami, Amber Hassan, Amal Alkhotani, Mazen Basheikh, Adnan Badahdah, Raed Gasemaltayeb, Ahmed Bamaga, Taghreed Alsinani, Rakan Bokhari, Abdulrahman Almazrooa and 4 more

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Article in Frontiers in pain research (Lausanne, Switzerland), 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

14 authors.

Mohammed Matoog KaramiDepartment of Clinical Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Amber HassanDepartment of Neurogenetics, Istituto Neurologico Nazionale a Carattere Scientifico, IRCCS, Pavia, Italy.
Amal AlkhotaniDepartment of Medicine, College of Medicine, Umm Al-Qura University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Mazen BasheikhDepartment of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Jeddah, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Adnan BadahdahDepartment of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Jeddah, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Raed GasemaltayebDepartment of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University, Rabigh, Saudi Arabia.
Ahmed BamagaDepartment of Anaesthesia and Critical Care, Faculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Taghreed AlsinaniDepartment of Neurosurgery, King Fahad General Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Rakan BokhariDepartment of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Abdulrahman AlmazrooaDepartment of Anaesthesia, Faculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Siti Sarah MaidinDepartment of Data Science, INTI International University, Nilai, Malaysia.
Humaira WaseemDepartment of Data Science, INTI International University, Nilai, Malaysia.
Muhammad AnjumDepartment of Radiology, University of Lahore, Lahore, Pakistan.
Maher KurdiDepartment of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University, Rabigh, Saudi Arabia.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Chronic migraine is a chronic disabling neurological disease and has a significant impact on quality of life. Topiramate and amitriptyline are commonly used for migraine prevention, but treatment decisions should consider their effectiveness and safety profiles. This study aimed to compare the effectiveness and safety of topiramate and amitriptyline in chronic migraine. Methods: We conducted a quasi-experimental study at a specialised healthcare facility in Lahore, Pakistan, over a one-year period from March 2023 to March 2024. A total of 330 patients meeting the ICHD-3 criteria for chronic migraine were enrolled, including group (a) 165 patients treated with topiramate and group (b) 165 treated with amitriptyline. We used monthly headache frequency and the Headache Impact Test-6 (HIT-6) score to measure headache frequency and headache-related disability at baseline and at Weeks 4, 8, and 12. Adverse events were noted during the study period. We analysed the data using independent-samples t-tests, paired-samples t-tests, and the Chi-Square test, respectively. Results: The mean age of both groups (a) and (b) was 32.37 ± 8.48 years and 34.49 ± 9.02 years, respectively. Both treatments effectively decreased headache frequency and HIT-6 scores during the 12-week follow-up. Mean headache frequency was significantly reduced in group (a) vs. group (b) at week 12 (0.85 ± 0.63 vs. 1.22 ± 0.81 headache days per month, respectively, Conclusion: Topiramate and amitriptyline both were effective in decreasing headache frequency and headache-related disability among chronic migraine patients. Topiramate was slightly more effective and better tolerated than amitriptyline.

Indexed as

amitriptylinechronic migrainedrug safetyheadache impact test-6migraine prophylaxistopiramate

Identifiers

PMID42851587
PMCPMC13646050

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.