Migraine

A recent study in The Journal of Headache and Pain sheds some additional light on the chronobiological experience of patients with cluster headache (CH). However, it still leaves lingering mysteries around the pattern of pain CH that patients typically experience, the triggers of those headaches, and the mechanisms and interactions that drive headache frequency and severity.

Severe headaches in pregnant women can be a red flag for physicians. A five-year Bronx study looked at 140 pregnant women who presented with acute headaches.

The number of opioid-related deaths nearly quadrupled from 1999 to 2011 in the US; and while that number continues to increase, one state has made positive strides with the implementation of two initiatives.

A cocktail a day may keep the doctor away when it comes to patients with chronic widespread pain (CWP).

A recently completed Phase III trial – called PREEMPT – established the efficacy and safety of onabotulinumtoxinA (marketed by Allergan under the brand name Botox®) in treating chronic migraine. Following those results, a new long-term trial is currently underway to analyze some of the clinical questions raised but not answered in PREEMPT.

Merely being told that a treatment has analgesic effects may be all that a patient needs in order to experience pain relief, a new study suggested.

Both chronic pain conditions and obesity are major and increasing public health concerns, and the connections between the two have been firmly established in the medical literature. But as the prevalence of obesity worldwide continues to grow, a deeper understanding of this connection could potentially benefit both practitioners and patients.

With migraines more than twice as prevalent in patients with carpal tunnel syndrome as in those without, it is clear there is a link between carpal tunnel syndrome and migraine.

Treatment for patients with chronic migraine is notoriously elusive. Pharmacologic options are few and only two medications-topiramate and onabotulinumtoxin-have shown significant treatment effect in clinical research to date. As with most pain maladies, however, medication isn't the only treatment avenue.

Chronic pain is just one of many conditions that may be treated with an innovative stem cell-based therapy, according to researchers at Duke University.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will require manufacturers to update labels in order to red flag possible serious side effects associated with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).

Researchers have found a genetic cause for the increased coronary artery disease risk experienced by some patients with migraine; however, this relationship may be limited to those who suffer from a specific kind of migraine.

Weighing the pros and cons of prescription opioid use for chronic pain is an ongoing battle, and new research may have just added to the list of disadvantages.

With 259 million painkiller prescriptions written in 2012 alone, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), one of the most common side effects experienced by patients being treated for chronic pain is opioid-induced constipation (OIC).

Pain is widely considered the "fifth vital sign" – and for good reason. By some estimates, pain accounts for as much as 4 out of every 5 doctor visits in the US. Thus, learning more about the correlates and determinants of pain is particularly important.

Patients who suffer from migraine headaches may find relief in the severity, frequency, and duration with the help of 2 procedures.

For the first time, researchers have evidence identifying the key cells behind the pain imbalance between genders.

It should be common knowledge that prescription opioids have addictive properties, yet alarming survey results reveal that many healthcare providers do not understand the extent to which this is the case.

Multiple studies have demonstrated the efficacy of a new class of drugs for preventing the intense pain and crippling effects of migraines.

One of the many difficulties in treating migraine is that many of those suffering from them don't recognize the symptoms or seek treatment. Chronic migraine in particular is underdiagnosed and undertreated. One way to address underdiagnosis is to put an accurate self-administered tool in the hands of migraine sufferers.

The saying "it's all in your head" may not be that far off when it comes to pain, according to a new study measuring brain activity.

A collaborative team from the Mayo Clinic and Cleveland Clinic recently examined the prevalence of migraines in patients with fibromyalgia. The study, presented at the 34th Annual American Pain Society Scientific Meeting in Palm Springs, CA, used patients from the Mayo Clinic Fibromyalgia Registry database.

Results from one module of the CaMEO (Chronic Migraine Epidemiology and Outcomes) study show that patients with chronic migraine are not the only ones who suffer.

Giving up bread may not help cure every celiac disease symptom, but researchers found a relationship between a gluten-free diet and a reduction in headache frequency.

Drugs have not been shown effective in relieving the debilitating headaches that can follow mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI). Researchers report that transcranial magnetic stimulation appears to do better.

An estimated 40% of migraine sufferers also have signs of depression and more than 50% of migraine patients have some form of anxiety disorder. Treating these comorbidities is more art than science, says Mia Minen, MD, Director of Headache Services at NYU Langone Medical Center. In a recent interview she discussed the treatment options ranging from standard drugs like triptans, to Botox, to biofeedback.

In what he says is the first objective evidence that migraine headaches are caused by defects in the trigeminal nerve's myelination process, a Cleveland, Ohio plastic surgeon shows why migraine surgery works.

Currently studies are underway to refine a surgical approach for migraine headaches, determine the best way to triage patients, identify additional trigger points, and expand knowledge of migraine's anatomy.

Bodily pain and headache are highly prevalent in pituitary disease, making pain screening and therapy an important part of the work-up for these patients.

On March 21, 2014, the US Food and Drug Administration announced the approval of Celgene Corporation's Otezla (apremilast), an oral tablet indicated to treat active psoriatic arthritis in adults. Otezla has a single contraindication: known hypersensitivity to the active ingredient or any excipients in Otezla tablets.