Migraine

Only half of all patients who report experiencing symptoms that would fulfill migraine diagnostic criteria have received a formal migraine diagnosis from a physician.

Though the third edition of the International Classification of Headache Disorders (ICHD-III) proposes to label aura in non-hemiplegic migraine that lasts longer than one hour but shorter than one week as probable migraine with aura - or probable complex migraine - a group of researchers from Italy, Switzerland, Germany, and California decided to analyze clinical studies to determine whether or not that timeframe aligns with the typical duration of migraine aura.

Data presented at the 2013 AAN Annual Meeting indicate that MAP0004, which delivers dihydroergotamine (DHE) via oral inhalation, is effective in the acute treatment of severe migraine pain.

Brief summaries of recently launched clinical trials for post-operative pain, low back pain, pelvic pain, migraine, and other forms of chronic pain.

Also known as rebound headache, medication overuse headache is a fairly common condition that can be missed by non-specialists who are unfamiliar with its presentation and clinical signs. This article reviews the causes and types of medication overuse headache and discusses the current thinking on treatment.

A review of the guidelines published by the American Headache Society and the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) in the April 2012 issue of Neurology reveals some interesting surprises.

People with MS frequently reported having both episodic and chronic migraines, with Hispanic MS patients experiencing significantly more chronic migraines.

Opioid analgesics are commonly prescribed for patients suffering with migraine, despite concerns over the risk of addiction, dependence, medication-overuse headache, and other factors.

In recent years, physicians' thinking has changed when it comes to evaluating pain in patients. Now, rather than looking at pain as being merely a symptom of an underlying disorder, many clinicians are now focusing on the pain itself, and changing their approach to how they treat it.

Proper diagnosis and treatment requires that physicians and patients understand the symptoms and clinical presentation of this complicated migraine condition.

With so much health care information online, it can be hard sometimes for patients to tell which websites and resources provide reliable and accurate information, especially when it comes to complex topics such as the risks and benefits of different OTC options for pain.

There are many herbs and supplements on the market that are thought to be effective by some patients and practitioners for managing pain. However, for many of these herbs and supplements, there is little in the way of reliable evidence supporting these claims. Nonetheless, millions of patients may be using these agents to supplement the pain care provided by their physicians and other clinicians, often without informing them of this fact.

Lonnie Zeltzer, MD, director of the Pediatric Pain Program at Mattel Children's Hospital at UCLA, and Professor of Pediatrics, Anesthesiology, Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, discusses barriers to effective pain care in children, explains why primary care physicians and family physicians need additional training in pediatric pain care, and talks about why applying the biopsychosocial model of care equips clinicians to deal with the complexities of pain.

Studies have shown that primary care physicians as a group need more training and education to better prepare them to accurately diagnose and treat migraine, which remains one of the most misunderstood forms of headache, despite its heavy burden on patients in the US.

Gary Jay, MD, DAAPM, FAAPM, a neurologist and independent consultant in Raleigh-Durham, NC, discusses the challenges associated with properly diagnosing migraine, reviews the overlapping symptoms that can lead clinicians to confuse migraine with other headache types and misdiagnose a patient, and explains the potential consequences for patients who have been misdiagnosed. This interview is based on information Dr. Jay presented during a presentation titled "Differential Diagnosis of Migraine Headache" at PAINWeek 2011.

In this video, Julie Wieseler, PhD, discusses her research on whether administration of opioids can make migraines more likely in the future.

The frequency of migraine headaches increased when atmospheric pressure was dropping and decreased when it was increasing, Japanese researchers report.

Elderly sufferers of migraine with aura are more likely to have elevated cholesterol and triglycerides, a study finds.

Regular exercise worked as well as medication and guided relaxation as a therapy to reduce migraine frequency in a Swedish trial.

Alexander Mauskop, MD, director of the New York Headache Center, discusses the symptoms of optical migraines.

St. Jude Medical, Inc. has received approval in Europe for an implanted neurostimulator designed to treat intractable chronic migraine.

Alexander Mauskop, MD, director of the New York Headache Center, discusses the symptoms and causes of hemiplegic migraines.

NuPathe Inc. announced that the FDA has declined to approve its migraine patch drug Zelrix, raising questions about its chemistry, manufacturing, and safety.

Migraine Video: Alexander Mauskop, MD, discusses what happens in the brain during an optical migraine.

If approved, lasmiditan would be a member of the first new class of migraine drugs made available in almost two decades.

David Branch, MD, brings his five-part video series on migraine surgery to a close.

Zogenix, Inc., has announced results of a Phase 4 clinical study of its Sumavel DosePro sumatriptan needle-free delivery system for treatment of migraine.

David Branch, MD, discusses migraine surgery trials, nerves operated on in migraine surgery, and statistics on migraine surgery at his clinic in Bangor, Maine.

The FDA has accepted a new drug application for Levadex (dihydroergotamine), an orally inhaled drug for the acute treatment of migraine in adults.

David Branch, MD, of Bangor Plastic and Hand Surgery, discusses issues including medication, Botox, and surgical treatment of migraines.