2025 guideline update to acute treatment of migraine for adults in the emergency department: The American Headache Society evidence assessment of parenteral pharmacotherapies
Bibliographic record
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To update the 2016 American Headache Society (AHS) guideline on parenteral pharmacologic therapies for the management of migraine attacks in the emergency department (ED). METHODS: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis using the same methodology as the 2016 guideline. The original search strategy was repeated and expanded to include studies of nerve blocks and sphenopalatine ganglion (SPG) blocks. We searched Medline, Embase, Cochrane, clinicaltrials.gov, and the World Health Organization (WHO) International Clinical Trials Registry Platform through February 10, 2025. Eligible studies were randomized controlled trials (RCTs) involving adults diagnosed with migraine, treated in the ED with intravenous (IV), intramuscular (IM), subcutaneous (SC), or nerve block (including SPG block) interventions. Two reviewers independently screened titles/abstracts and full texts; a third reviewer resolved disagreements. Data were extracted using a standardized form and verified by a second reviewer. Risk of bias was assessed using the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) criteria. Where applicable, meta-analyses were performed. Efficacy was categorized as highly likely, likely, or possibly effective or ineffective. Clinical recommendations were developed using the AAN guideline development process. RESULTS: The search identified 26 new RCTs evaluating 20 injectable treatments. Of these, 12 were rated class I (low risk of bias), 9 class II, and 4 class III. Prochlorperazine IV, dexketoprofen IV, sumatriptan SC, and greater occipital nerve blocks (GONB) were considered highly likely to be effective based on multiple class I studies. Chlorpromazine IV, metoclopramide IV, eptinezumab IV, ketorolac IV, and supraorbital nerve blocks (SONB) were considered likely effective based on one class I or multiple class II studies. Hydromorphone IV, propofol IV, and paracetamol IV were considered likely ineffective based on class I or multiple class II studies. After review of the evidence and a consensus process, recommendations were made for each intervention. CONCLUSIONS: Prochlorperazine IV and GONB must be offered to eligible adults presenting to the ED with a migraine attack for treatment of headache requiring parenteral therapy (level A - must offer) in those without contraindications, while hydromorphone IV must not be offered (level A - must not offer). Treatments that should be offered when appropriate (level B - should offer) include dexketoprofen IV, ketorolac IV, metoclopramide IV, sumatriptan SC, and SONB. Chlorpromazine IV, dexamethasone IV, and valproate IV may be offered (level C - may offer). Paracetamol IV may not be offered (level C - should not offer). Eptinezumab should be offered (level B) only for patients matching the clinical trial population but is rated level U - no recommendation for an ED-specific population. Additional evidence is needed for caffeine, granisetron, ibuprofen, ketamine, lidocaine, normal saline, propofol, and SPG blocks, all currently rated level U - no recommendation.
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How this classification was reachedexpand
Full frame machine prediction
Teacher imitationNot calibrated prevalence, not ground truth. Human validation pending. The Gemma side is a direct model label for every work in the frame, read from the title-only record. The Codex side is a classifier learned from the 10,348 direct Codex labels and calibrated to design-weighted sample rates; fields without enough sample support carry no Codex call. Candidate is the union of the two sides; consensus is their intersection. These outputs are machine_predicted_unvalidated and are not human labels.
Distilled classifier scores by category (both heads)
| Category | Codex | Gemma |
|---|---|---|
| Metaresearch | 0.040 | 0.100 |
| Meta-epidemiology (narrow) | 0.003 | 0.002 |
| Meta-epidemiology (broad) | 0.011 | 0.017 |
| Bibliometrics | 0.016 | 0.011 |
| Science and technology studies | 0.001 | 0.001 |
| Scholarly communication | 0.004 | 0.004 |
| Open science | 0.007 | 0.004 |
| Research integrity | 0.008 | 0.005 |
| Insufficient payload (model declined to judge) | 0.007 | 0.004 |
Machine scores (provisional)
The two teacher heads of the student model, read on this work. A score orders the frame for review; it never asserts a category, and the validation status ships verbatim with every row.
Baseline scores from an immature model (maturity gate not passed, 7 training rounds). Scores rank; they never assert a category.
score_only:v0-immature-baseline · verbatim from the scoring run: score_only means the number may rank works, and no category label ships from itClassification
machine, unvalidatedMachine predicted; a candidate call from one source (direct Gemma or distilled Codex), not a consensus.
How this classification was reached, model by model and score by score, is at the end of the page under "How this classification was reached".