Intravenous Metoclopramide Versus Intravenous Acetaminophen for Acute Concussion Treatment
For patients and families
In plain language
An automatic summary of structured registry data. It is an orientation aid, not a substitute for the official protocol or a physician assessment.
- What is being studied
- The protocol lists: Metoclopramide 10mg, Acetaminophen.
- Who it may be relevant to
- Registry conditions: Concussion Post Syndrome, Head Trauma Injury. Basic parameters: from 18 years · All.
- What needs checking
- Age, condition and sex are only basic indicators. Prior treatment, laboratory values and other mandatory requirements appear in the eligibility criteria below.
- Where it takes place
- United States
- Next step
- Save the trial, show it to the treating physician, and confirm current recruitment with the study center. Costs, documents and travel →
Unsure about the terms? Read our patient guide →
Official title
A Randomized Study of Intravenous Metoclopramide Versus Intravenous Acetaminophen for Acute Concussion Treatment
Overview
The IMPACT study is a randomized, double-blind clinical trial evaluating two commonly used intravenous medications - metoclopramide and acetaminophen - for treating acute post-concussion symptoms in emergency department patients after mild head injury. The study aims to determine which treatment more effectively improves symptoms such as headache, dizziness, nausea, concentration difficulties, and emotional changes within the first week after injury. Participants will be enrolled across two Montefiore emergency departments and followed using a validated post-concussion symptom questionnaire. Findings from this study may help improve evidence-based treatment strategies for patients experiencing concussion-related symptoms after head trauma.
Detailed description
Nearly 1.5 million patients present to US emergency departments (ED) annually following head trauma. Many, even with a low velocity mechanism of injury, report a variety of post-concussion symptoms, including headache, dizziness, and nausea. For most patients, post-concussion symptoms will resolve after several days, though up to 1/4 will develop persistent symptomatology that can last months or years.
Very few randomized studies are available to guide treatment of acute post-concussion symptoms. In the absence of evidence, most emergency physicians treat post-concussion symptoms using typical medications for the symptom - thus headache is treated with analgesic medication, nausea with antiemetics, and dizziness with medications such as meclizine. Other symptoms commonly described as part of post-concussion syndrome, such as fatigue, irritability, and poor concentration, are usually left untreated.
Two randomized studies among ED patients who experienced head trauma were recently completed at Montefiore EDs. In the first, one dose of IV metoclopramide, when compared to placebo, improved post-concussion syndrome both in the ED and one week later. In this study, IV metoclopramide was effective against a broad range of symptoms beyond just headache and nausea. Variables related to concentration (including concentration, remembering, and feeling like one is in a fog) were better in the metoclopramide arm at both one hour and at one week. Similarly, variables related to emotion (including feeling more emotional, irritability and sadness) were better in the active group. In the second study, adding IV dexamethasone to metoclopramide did not result in increased or prolonged efficacy.
Interventions
- Drug Metoclopramide 10mg
Intravenous drip - Drug Acetaminophen
Intravenous drip over 15 minutes
Primary outcome measures
- Change in Rivermead Post-Concussion Symptoms Questionnaire (RPQ) score [Time frame: From baseline to 48 hours post-treatment]
Secondary outcome measures (1)
- Change in RPQ score Improvement in post-concussion symptoms measured using the RPQ between baseline and 1 hour after treatment. [Time frame: From baseline to 1 hour and 7 days post-treatment]
Eligibility criteria
Inclusion criteria
- Adults presenting to one of the study emergency departments (EDs)
- Acute minor traumatic brain injury/concussion as defined by the Zurich Consensus Statement, including symptoms in somatic, cognitive, emotional, behavioral, physical, cognitive impairment, or sleep domains
- ED visit occurring within 7 days of the head injury
- Overall pain intensity greater than >=6 on a 0-10 scale
- Rivermead Post-Concussion Questionnaire (RPQ) score of at least 10
- Reported post-concussion symptoms were not present prior to the injury
- Treating attending physician plans to administer a parenteral medication
Exclusion criteria
- Already treated with an anti-dopaminergic medication for post-concussion symptoms
- Contraindications to study medications, including:
- Pheochromocytoma
- Seizure disorder
- Parkinson's disease
- Use of monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitors
- Use of anti-rejection transplant medications
- Pregnant patients will not be excluded because both acetaminophen and metoclopramide are commonly used during pregnancy.
Criteria are shown verbatim from the registry (in English). Final eligibility is always assessed by the study center.
Healthy volunteers: No
Study design
- Allocation
- Randomized
- Model
- Parallel assignment
- Masking
- Quadruple blind
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
Study locations
United States · 1 center
- Montefiore Medical Center — New York
Publications
- McCrory P, Meeuwisse WH, Aubry M, Cantu B, Dvorak J, Echemendia RJ, Engebretsen L, Johnston K, Kutcher JS, Raftery M, Sills A, Benson BW, Davis GA, Ellenbogen RG, Guskiewicz K, Herring SA, Iverson GL, Jordan BD, Kissick J, McCrea M, McIntosh AS, Maddocks D, Makdissi M, Purcell L, Putukian M, Schneider K, Tator CH, Turner M. Consensus statement on concussion in sport: the 4th International Conferen PMID 23479479
- Fanciullacci M, Alessandri M, Del Rosso A. Dopamine involvement in the migraine attack. Funct Neurol. 2000;15 Suppl 3:171-81. PMID 11200788
- Charbit AR, Akerman S, Goadsby PJ. Dopamine: what's new in migraine? Curr Opin Neurol. 2010 Jun;23(3):275-81. doi: 10.1097/WCO.0b013e3283378d5c. PMID 20164768
- Friedman BW, Irizarry E, Cain D, Caradonna A, Minen MT, Solorzano C, Zias E, Zybert D, McGregor M, Bijur PE, Gallagher EJ. Randomized Study of Metoclopramide Plus Diphenhydramine for Acute Posttraumatic Headache. Neurology. 2021 May 4;96(18):e2323-e2331. doi: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000011822. Epub 2021 Mar 24. PMID 33762421
- Larsen EL, Ashina H, Iljazi A, Al-Khazali HM, Seem K, Ashina M, Ashina S, Schytz HW. Acute and preventive pharmacological treatment of post-traumatic headache: a systematic review. J Headache Pain. 2019 Oct 21;20(1):98. doi: 10.1186/s10194-019-1051-7. PMID 31638888
- Barlow KM. Post-traumatic headache: An unmet medical need. Headache. 2021 Nov;61(10):1465-1466. doi: 10.1111/head.14241. No abstract available. PMID 34928511
- Evans RW. The Postconcussion Syndrome and Posttraumatic Headaches in Civilians, Soldiers, and Athletes. Neurol Clin. 2024 May;42(2):341-373. doi: 10.1016/j.ncl.2023.12.001. Epub 2024 Jan 16. PMID 38575256
- Blyth BJ, Bazarian JJ. Traumatic alterations in consciousness: traumatic brain injury. Emerg Med Clin North Am. 2010 Aug;28(3):571-94. doi: 10.1016/j.emc.2010.03.003. PMID 20709244
Identifiers
NCT: NCT07634393 · 2025-17404