Inpatient migraine headache treatment in the US is usually limited to a five-day course of intravenous DHE and other medications. Even such brief admissions are not always approved by the insurance companies. Many patients improve after these admissions, but often only for a short time because besides some reduction in pain intensity, very little else changes in the patient’s life and her brain. It makes sense that longer-term inpatient rehabilitation of chronic migraine and pain patients can lead to a major and lasting improvement, but it is almost unheard of in the US. However, it is available in Germany and other countries.
Last November I lectured at one of the leading German inpatient rehabilitation facilities, the Berolina Klinik. My blog post about the Klinik was read by an Englishman with severe chronic migraines who was recently treated there with a three-week program with excellent results. Here is one of the articles that appeared in German press – Westfalen-Blatt 27.10.15.
And, shockingly to us Americans, the cost of treatment is less than $7,000 for a three-week stay in this top facility. Even with travel costs, it’s a bargain. I have been mentioning Berolina Klinik to my patients, although haven’t had anyone make the trip yet.
