Comparison of the effectiveness of topiramate and sodium valproate in pediatric migraine.

Frequent migraine headaches can have a significant impact on disability, prompting the need for early recognition and treatment. The objective of this study is to compare the efficacy of topiramate and sodium valproate for the prevention of pediatric migraine, retrospectively. Mean monthly migraine frequency, intensity, and duration in the 28 patients treated with topiramate decreased from 15.3 +/- 10.1 to 4.4 +/- 5.5 episode, from 6.8 +/- 1 to 3.2 +/- 1, and from 10.2 +/- 9.4 to 2.4 +/- 3.1 hours, respectively. Headache disability improved with a reduction of Pediatric Migraine Disability Assessment score from 36 +/- 29.5 to 4.6 +/- 6.5 (P < .05). Similarly, mean monthly headache frequency, headache intensity, headache duration, and Pediatric Migraine Disability Assessment score in the 20 patients treated with sodium valproate decreased from 20.1 +/- 10.2 to 6.6 +/- 8.6, from 7.1 +/- 1 to 3.4 +/- 2.1, from 7 +/- 12 to 1.4 +/- 2.5 hours, and from 20.5 +/- 16.1 to 5.5 +/- 9.2, respectively (P < .05). In conclusion, valproate and topiramate seem to be able to manage successfully childhood migraine without substantial differences in efficacy.