New York Headache Center

Topamax is a popular drug for the prevention of migraine headaches.  IT works for about half of the patients who try it.  The main problem that makes people stop taking the drug is cognitive side effects.  Patients tell us that they feel “stupid” on this drug.  An article just published in the European Journal of Neurology pinpoints the main cognitive problem, which turns out to be word fluency.  This means having trouble coming up with the right word. 

Bright light can trigger migraine headaches and many migraine sufferers have increased sensitivity to light during an attack.  A recent report has suggested that wearing amber colored lenses (Nike Maxsight) can relieve the light sensitivity.  For some of our patients wearing these lenses has allowed them to go outdoors on a sunny day without getting a migraine.  A new report in the journal Drug Development Research proposed a theory that each patient might best benefit from an individually selected tint (PSF, or precision spectral filters).  The article, Prevention of visual stress and migraine with precision spectral filters presents a convincing argument which should be relatively easy to test.  PSF appears to be more easily available in the UK where most of the research has been conducted.