Migraine Headaches: Help Is Available

Friday, March 1, 2002

Migraine Headaches: Help Is Available (NAPSA)—Fewer migraine headaches—andfaster relief when they do occur—is in store for millions of Americans, according to a study just published in Annals of Internal Medicine. Potentially disabling and severely painful migraines afflict 28 million people in the U.S. alone; many migraines are undertreated. Migraine is a chronic condition with recurrent attacks that may occur as often as once or twice a week. Symptomsinclude: severe, throbbing pain, often felt on one side of the head; nausea, with or without vomiting; sensitivity to light and sound; and an aura—a disturbance in vision consisting of brightly colored or blinking lights in a pattern that moves acrossthefield of vision. Clinical guidelines from both the American College of Physicians-American Society of Internal Medicine and the American Academy of Family Physicians suggest that migraine can be treated successfully with aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxen sodium, and acetaminophen combined with aspirin and caffeine. If the sufferer doesn’t respond to those agents, migrainespecific agents known as triptans and DHEshould be used next. The guidelines say that these are the only drugs proven to help relieve migraine symptoms. In addition, proper migraine treatment in- cludes treating the headache rapidly and consistently to avoid recurrence and to get functioning again. Some steps you should take: 1. See your internist. Don’t try Migraine pain can be prevented or reduced. See your internist. to self-medicate your condition; get your headaches properly diagnosed and be a part of the diagnosis. Patients do better when they are actively involved in managing their care. 2. Some migraines can be prevented or significantly reduced if certain medications are used. You may be a candidate for a preventive medicine if you have two or more attacks a month lasting three or more days. Several new migraine treatments have become available over the past decade. You should discuss these with your internist. 3. Be involved in your treatment. Identify and avoid migraine triggers, such as certain foods, and track your progress through daily flow sheets or diaries. Remember, migraine headaches can be prevented or reduced. See your internist. To learn more about migraine headaches and howto treat them, visit www.doctorsforadults.com.

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